Imperial employees recently took advantage of mild temperatures to display the banner that soon will hang at the plant, reminding the public of Trinidad Benham’s 100 years of operation. (Courtesy photo)
A year of celebration for Trinidad Benham’s 100th
One hundred years ago the Van Fleet family established Trinidad Bean and Elevator in Trinidad, Colo. Today, Trinidad Benham still processes and packages the popcorn and pinto beans which were originally sold. Trinidad Benham is celebrating its 100 years throughout 2017 with events for employees and giveaways for growers.
Imperial Plant Manager Gale McCormick said quarterly meetings for employees will focus on the history of the company, employee contributions, continued excellence and “what’s next.”
History
Included in the history lesson are the many acquisitions by Trinidad of other companies that produce and package beans. For instance, Trinidad Bean & Elevator merged with Benham & Co. in 1978. In 1979, it purchased D&D Bean in Imperial. McCormick said the late Gerald Yaw of Champion and Bill Weir of Imperial were instrumental in establishing D&D.
In 2000, Trinidad acquired Arrow Industries of LaGrange, Ga., which added a foil winding plant to the company. McCormick said, “They had an extensive foil business that is the second largest foil business” in the United States. That foil business has now expanded to include disposable turkey roasters and the foil “pop-ups” used to wrap take-out food.
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