VMI Reading

Abstract

History Virginia Meats, Inc. (VMI) started in 1864 in the small town of Shipley, England, with the purchase of a crate of oranges. Founder George Morris grew up in poverty, a chimney sweep by trade. In 1864, at the age of 39, he and his wife received a small inheritance of about sixty English Pounds. After paying their debts, they were left with just a tiny sum, with which George purchased a small parcel of oranges from a canal boat. He quickly took his fruit to the local open-air street markets, and from this small beginning, George Morris became a thriving fruit merchant. The business thrived and soon became the Morris Wholesale Food Company having moved to Liverpool for the expansion. Having two sons Morris encouraged them both to take over the business. In 1884 the oldest son Joseph Morris began to work with his father and five years later, after leaving Oxford, his youngest son John entered the business as well. The competition between the boys for control of the operations began to take a toll on George. Hoping to retire soon and have the business grow George leaped at the opportunity to open an American branch when his younger son John came to him with the idea. John had heard that one of their imported ham vendors was opting to sell his company. Located in a small Virginia town of Littlefield the company was a successful meat exporter and growing meat supplier to American customers. Specializing in pork products, Littlefield hams began exporting their cured hams to England as a specialty food. Morris and Sons had picked the brand up to sell to places like Harrods and Fortnum and Mason, high-end food purveyors because of its unique smoke flavor and salty taste. It proved to be a good seller. John had visited and worked in the factory during his summer breaks at Oxford because he loved America and the Hams. John’s proposal to his father was simple. He would move to America to buy the business in Littlefield and begin to develop products for sale in America and increase the export business as well. John would be in charge of the division and his brother would have charge of Liverpool. In 1890 at the age of 27, John Morris and his new wife moved to their new home [City, State] USA. In subsequent years the Morris family grew in America with the addition of three children to John’s family and Joseph having two children. George passed away in 1894 leaving Joseph to continue running the Liverpool concern. However, the competition in the wholesale food business was harder to beat. While the Liverpool branch was solvent, it was showing stagnant sales with the exception of the luxury imports. In 1902 Joseph downsized the Liverpool branch and specialized in importing luxury foods. The America branch was doing very well and could absorb the change in the company profile. Morris and Sons continued to prosper. At the outbreak of WWI, the Company was doing well but Joseph had declining health. His one son who had just entered the business was conscripted into service and was deployed to France. Joseph took his daughter’s son-in-law into the business temporarily. One year later his son was killed at Marne. The son-in-law, Harrison Smythe, took over the branch with the consent and help of John. During John Morris's tenure as president of Morris and sons, the most notable development in the company's history was the growth of its export business during World War I. Because Morris was founded in England its American branch, had long been involved in shipping pork products, especially bacon, to England. Morris had been the largest American exporter of meat products to England before the war, and the war and immediate postwar years saw continued growth. In addition, Morris also exported meat products and lard to France, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, and Italy during the war. In the subsequent years, the Company in America took overall operations and expanded through the acquisition of several local Littlefield competitors....