Private company

Pet, Inc.

Logo: http://www.petmilk.com/history/Default.htm, Non-free logo, via Wikipedia3

Former American branded foods company

Pet, Inc., was an American company that was the first to commercially produce evaporated milk as a shelf-stable consumer product with its "PET Milk" brand. While evaporated milk was popular before refrigerators were common in homes, sales peaked in the 1950s and it is now a niche product used in baking and as a cooking ingredient.2 It is part of Pillsbury Company.1 It ceased to exist in 1995.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1885Founded1
  • Industrydairy1
  • HeadquartersSt. Louis1
  • Founded inHighland1
  • Legal formpublic company1
  • Listed onNew York Stock Exchange1

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Highland Brand Evaporated Cream (front)
Photo: Boston Public Library, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Pet, Inc., was an American company that was the first to commercially produce evaporated milk as a shelf-stable consumer product with its "PET Milk" brand. While evaporated milk was popular before refrigerators were common in homes, sales peaked in the 1950s and it is now a niche product used in baking and as a cooking ingredient.2

Corporate structure

Pet, Inc. is part of a group headed by Pillsbury Company. 4 entities, 2 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Pet, Inc. reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

  • Old El Paso
  • Progresso
  • Sego

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

Products and brands

  • evaporated milk

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

Subsidiaries

Also owns

  • Sego since 1961
  • Old El Paso since 1968
  • Progresso since 1986

Former owners and parents

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. 1986Acquired Progresso1
  2. 1982William Underwood Company became a subsidiary1
  3. 1968Acquired Old El Paso1
  4. 1967Schrafft's became a subsidiary1
  5. 1965Stuckey's became a subsidiary1
  6. 1961Acquired Sego1
  7. 1961Whitman's became a subsidiary1

Timeline

  1. 1995Acquired Acquired by Pillsbury Company1
  2. 1995Dissolved Dissolved1
  3. 1986Acquisition Acquired Progresso1
  4. 1978Acquired Acquired by PepsiAmericas1
  5. 1968Acquisition Acquired Old El Paso1
  6. 1966Renamed Name changed to Pet, Incorporated1
  7. 1961Acquisition Acquired Sego1
  8. 1923Renamed Name changed to Pet Milk Company1
  9. 1885Founded Founded in Highland1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4