History and DevEi<opmEnt 23 



Attracted to Highland, Illinois, by reason of its large Swiss 

 population, on the representations of Mr. A. J. Pagan, a leading 

 Highland citizen, who brought Mr. Meyenberg to Highland and 

 introduced him to the community, Mr. Meyenberg associated himself 

 with Mr. John Wildi, then a merchant of Highland, who at once 

 took a leading part in the organization of the Helvetia Milk Con- 

 densing Co., early in the year 1885. Mr. Meyenberg served as the 

 technical manager for the first year, after which he severed his 

 connections with this company and became engaged in the promo- 

 tion 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 Helvetia 

 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 commercially 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, inter- 

 ruptions in the operations were only slight and after that the com- 

 pany operated continuously 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 headquarters 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 sterilization, had 



