Green Giant
Green Giant is a food company owned by General Mills. It is symbolized by two mascots -- the Jolly Green Giant and his friend little Sprout. The company is the largest purveyor of frozen vegetables, and also sells canned vegetables both under the Green Giant and Le Sueur brands.
The company was founded in 1903 in Le Sueur, Minnesota, as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company selling sweet creamed corn. The name Green Giant was introduced in 1925 to help market the company's peas, and in 1950 the company adopted the Green Giant name. In 1979 the company merged with another Minnesota company, Pillsbury, which was ultimately acquired by General Mills.
Trivia
- The "Valley of the Jolly Green Giant" refers to the Minnesota River valley around Le Seuer. Just before you drop down into the valley heading south on Minnesota Highway 169 you can see an enormous wooden statue of the Green Giant poking above the trees. "Ho ho ho — Green Giant!"