24 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 



at once took a leading part in the organization of the Helvetia 

 Milk Condensing Co., early in the year 1885. Mr. Meyenberg 

 served as the technical manager for the first year, after which 

 he severed his connections with his company and became en- 

 gaged in the promotion of other evaporated milk factories in 

 the middle west, and on the Pacific Coast. Mr. Meyenberg died 

 in" 1914. 



During the first year of its existence, operations of the Hel- 

 vetia Milk Condensing Company were suspended a number of 

 times, both on account of difficulties encountered in the technique 

 of successful manufacture and also for financial reasons. In an 

 endeavor to place the company on a technically and commer- 

 cially successful basis, the board of directors took charge of the 

 work with Mr. Louis Latzer as technical manager, and the first 

 half of the second year was mostly devoted to experimental 

 work. During the third year, interruptions in the operations 

 were only slight and after that the company operated continu- 

 ously and successfully until the panic of 1893, which marked 

 the last suspension of business and which was due to the strained 

 commercial conditions that prevailed throughout the country. 



The first board of directors of this company was composed 

 of Dr. Knoebel, John Wildi, George Roth, Fred Kaeser and 

 Louis Latzer, with Dr. Knoebel as president and Mr. Wildi 

 as secretary and treasurer, and business manager. In 1888 Mr. 

 Latzer became president, which position he is holding to the 

 present day. In 1907 Mr Wildi severed his connection and 

 organized the John Wildi Evaporated Milk Co. with headquar- 

 ters in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Wildi died in 1910. 



The early development and the vicissitudes through which 

 this pioneer company in the evaporated milk business passed are 

 most instructively expressed by its president, Mr. Latzer: 



"Very little of the product turned out the first two years 

 would now pass as standard goods. About the third year, after 

 more knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of milk 

 and after the introduction of the practice of fractional steriliza- 

 tion, had solved the keeping properties and had improved the 

 physical condition of the product, we felt that the industry had 

 come to stay. After we had gained more knowledge and expe- 

 rience, and a lower standard of the product was adopted by the 



