24 History AND DEVELOPMEN’T 
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 
Lous Latzer, with Dr. Knoebel as president and Mr. Wildi 
as secretary and treasurer, aid business manager. In 1888 Mr. 
Latzer became president, which position he is holding to the 
present day. In 1907 Mr \Vildi severed his connection and 
organized the John Wildi Evaporated Milk Co. with headguar- 
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 produet, 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 
