Franjo "Frank"
Vlašić, a
Bosnian Croat, who was of
Vlach origin emigrated from
Livno,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time a condominium of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, to
Detroit, Michigan, in 1912 and started a small
creamery with savings from his factory job. His son Joseph acquired a
milk route in 1922, which eventually grew into the state's largest dairy distributor. In 1937, Vlasic was approached to distribute a home-style pickle, later marketing their fresh-packed pickle in glass jars. Its first plant was built in
Imlay City, Michigan. The business rapidly expanded in the
post-war years, corresponding with growth in per capita pickle consumption. A child-bearing
stork was introduced as a mascot in 1974, merging the stork baby
mythology with the notion that pregnant women have an above average appetite for pickles. Vlasic marketed themselves as "the pickle pregnant women crave...after all, who's a better pickle expert?" The modern Vlasic Stork speaks in a style reminiscent of
Groucho Marx and holds a pickle like a cigar. The original voice was
Ron Masak, since replaced by
Doug Preis. Vlasic Pickles was sold to
Campbell Soup Company in 1978. It was spun off to
Vlasic Foods International on March 30, 1998. On April 13, 1999, the company introduced the Vlasic Hamburger Stackers, made from naturally grown but specially cultivated cucumbers long and over in diameter, which enabled a single pickle chip to cover an entire hamburger. In early 2001, the company voluntarily filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy and its pickle and barbecue sauce units were initially planned to be sold to
H. J. Heinz. Vlasic is owned by
Pinnacle Foods, a subsidiary of
Conagra Brands, since its name change in 2001. The Vlasic Stork was shown in "Icons", a
MasterCard commercial during
Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 where he and many other famous advertising icons from food and cleaning equipment are shown having dinner together. On April 10, 2019, at the
Conagra Brands Investor Day event, Tom McGough, Conagra Co-Chief Operating Officer, announced that Vlasic Pickle Chips, made from vacuum-fried pickles, were in development. The
cucumbers used in Vlasic pickles are grown in Michigan, including the cities of
Mount Pleasant and
Kalamazoo, and processed at its plant in Imlay City, Michigan. ==See also==