Can Local Markets Become Global Chains? – 2 (Napoleon, Canned Goods, and American Supermarkets)

Those who know me or have read my previous articles are well aware that, when commenting on topics related to business and economics, I frequently refer to history and particularly draw examples from military matters and historical events, because competition between states and nations, as well as military struggles, have made tremendous contributions to the advancement of humanity in almost every field. I have observed that the information most people acquire today through short texts or video content intertwined with popular culture often prevents them from truly understanding the essence of history and the historical figures who shaped it. Like many leaders in our own history, the French General (later Emperor) Napoleon is an exceptionally important figure. However, contrary to common belief, what made him a successful military genius was not merely his ability to use field artillery—the most destructive and significant weapon of his era—effectively; he had discovered that “wars are won not only through tactical plans, but also through organization and logistics.” Our topic is supermarket chains, so why are we talking about Napoleon now? (The fact that so many readers appreciated the inclusion of various historical details in my previous post really motivated me, so I’m going to rewind a bit and delve a little deeper into the historical context.)

The tax revolt of the 13 American colonies against Britain took a different course with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Driven by resentment over their defeat in the Seven Years’ War, which had ended in 1763, the Kingdom of France joined the American colonists’ side in 1778; the Spanish Empire, motivated by similar grievances, followed in 1779; and the Dutch Republic joined the conflict in 1780. As a result, the American people’s struggle for independence against Britain evolved into an international war. By a twist of fate shaped by the influence of the French, just 20 years after the treaty that ended the Seven Years’ War, Britain once again faced a historic turning point with the peace agreement signed on September 3, 1783, known as the Treaty of Paris. Through this treaty, Britain lost its 13 colonies in America and ceded East and West Florida to Spain. The success of the American people in gaining independence from the British Monarchy and establishing a republic had a profound impact on the French. (In fact, on the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, France was to present the United States with the Statue of Liberty, which holds a torch in one hand and a plaque inscribed with “July 4, 1776” in the other.) The French Revolution of 1789, which was also triggered by the influence of the American War of Independence, abolished the monarchy and led the French nation to adopt a republican system of government. European monarchs, including the German, Austrian, Russian, and British rulers, perceived this development as a major threat to their own regimes. Fearing that the revolutionary ideas would spread to their countries, they formed coalitions among themselves and declared war on the French Republic. In 1795, while still a young 26-year-old artillery officer, Napoleon stated that “an army marches on its stomach.” With this expression, he emphasized that regardless of how powerful, disciplined, or motivated an army might be, it could not achieve success without food supplies and adequate logistical capabilities. He argued that quartermaster officers and logistics played a crucial role in the success of military campaigns and the achievement of victory. The intense military and civilian “Atlantic Ocean voyages” that had increased due to the American War of Independence also provided opportunities for new observations and discoveries. Napoleon, who had great respect for history and made a conscious effort to learn from the past, observed that many of the logistical problems experienced during the Age of Exploration in previous centuries were still continuing. The most fundamental issue was scurvy. Since fresh vegetables and fruits could not be consumed during long journeys, the levels of vitamins A and C in the human body rapidly declined, causing inflamed gums and leaving people physically exhausted and weakened. This was not merely a problem faced by sailors; the same challenge applied to large armies embarking on long military campaigns on land. A solution had to be found. Under Napoleon’s direction, the French government organized a competition in 1795. Any inventor who could develop a cheap and effective method for preserving large quantities of food to be used in feeding soldiers would receive a prize of 12,000 francs—an award worth more than €100,000 in today’s value. Nicolas Appert, a food producer and inventor, began experimenting with methods of preserving food in 1795 and achieved successful results with soups, vegetables, fruit juices, dairy products, jellies, jams, and syrups. He placed the food items into glass jars, sealed them with corks and sealing wax, and then immersed them in boiling water (in later years, he moved on to using an autoclave). Although this technique is believed to have already been used by housewives during that period, Nicolas Appert was the first person to apply it on an industrial scale. In 1806, Appert presented a selection of his own bottled fruits and vegetables at the French Industrial Products Exhibition; however, he did not receive any award. Since the fields of bacteriology and microbiology had not yet developed, he was unable to fully explain why his preservation method worked. In 1810, the French Ministry of the Interior’s Bureau of Arts and Manufactures awarded Nicolas Appert a grant of 12,000 francs on the condition that he publicly disclose his preservation process. However, from the perspective of French national interests, this was a highly strategic mistake! In the same year, Appert published his book titled The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances for Several Years, with 6,000 copies printed. The book naturally attracted attention not only in France but also among people in other countries, and the method quickly spread worldwide. In 1810, again during the same year, the British inventor and merchant Peter Durand patented his own preservation method, this time using a “tin can,” thereby creating the foundation of the modern canning process. The French term for “canning” is still known today as “appertization,” named after Nicolas Appert. Nicolas Appert’s invention of canning by sealing jars in boiling water inspired many others, including the British inventor Peter Durand, to pursue similar developments. In the following years, the contributions of the French chemist and pharmacist Louis Pasteur to food microbiology through pasteurization played a major role in advancing food preservation, ultimately paving the way for the development of the cold chain before the end of the 19th century.

Those who watch Western films are familiar with the small towns of America between 1850 and 1900 often depicted in these movies. Almost every small settlement featured establishments called “Saloons,” which combined bars and hotels and served all kinds of customers, including cowboys, soldiers, lumberjacks, businessmen, lawmen, outlaws, miners, and gamblers. There were also the indispensable “General Store” shops. These General Store establishments formed the foundation of the American supermarket chains we know today! In these stores, which typically sold basic food items such as milk and bread alongside hardware and various supplies like picks, shovels, and oil lamps, can you guess which product was available in many varieties and became one of the best-selling items? Canned food! They had canned versions of every kind of food you could think of (from bean dishes to seafood such as salmon and oysters, from all kinds of vegetable dishes and pickles made from various vegetables to different types of meats and jams prepared from every variety of fruit). There were three major historical events that fundamentally contributed to the continuous growth in the sales volume and variety of canned foods. The first was the Gold Rush, which began in 1849 in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and triggered a massive race for gold, as hundreds of thousands of people set out from different cities in search of fortune. The Crimean War of 1853–1856, fought among European powers—with Britain, France, and Sardinia supporting the Ottoman Empire against Russia—and the American Civil War of 1861–1865 caused demand for canned food to explode. Soldiers, immigrants, miners, and even cowboys roaming vast open lands all needed food supplies that could remain edible for long periods without spoiling. The growing demand for affordable, diverse, and high-quality foods that people could store at home or carry with them without needing to shop every day enabled many companies, such as Thomas Kensett & Ezra Daggett, Underwood Company, Gail Borden, Van Camp Packing Company, H.J. Heinz Company, and Campbell Soup Company, to engage in large-scale production at high volumes. By the late 19th century, as canning manufacturers began competing with one another through new food products, decorative printed labels, and lower prices, the variety of canned foods available to urban populations increased even further.

Since I mentioned Western films, I cannot move on without referring to my much-loved The Godfather series. In my favorite film of the series, The Godfather Part II, the childhood and youth years of the legendary actor Marlon Brando’s character, the Godfather, are portrayed; his younger years are played by another legendary actor, Robert De Niro. The film contains scenes that reflect the reality of that era, showing the character working at a delicatessen and grocery store during his youth after arriving in New York from Sicily as a child. Customers did not serve themselves inside the store; just like in a pharmacy, they would tell the shopkeeper what they wanted, and the employees would retrieve the requested products from the shelves behind the wooden counter. This was how the interior layout of stores and the shopping experience looked from the Western era of the 1800s through the 1930s. Since I believe that understanding American food retailing and grocery retail history is essential to comprehending the “history of global grocery retail,” I have tried, in this and my previous article, to explain the conditions and historical development process that shaped the industry. I have not forgotten the promise I made in my previous article; in the next article, I will try to introduce the various American grocery retailers and their founders who pioneered the “firsts in the industry” and contributed to the evolution of modern grocery retailing as we know it today. Stay with knowledge and kindness.