Ovson Egg

Industrial egg processing developed in the United States during the late nineteenth century as refrigeration, cold storage, and mechanical separation made it possible to sell egg components independently of the shell. Early work in Minneapolis involved George Dole and H. J. Keith, whose H. J. Keith Company broke eggs and separated yolks from whites. In 1898, Keith licensed a hand-operated separator developed by H. A. Perry of Seymour Foods. The technology increased productivity and helped establish the operating model that later influenced Ovson Egg. Morris Ovson, a Russian immigrant who became a U.S. citizen in 1909, joined the H. J. Keith Company as an egg candler. He later became an operations inspector and helped open production and processing facilities. Keith sent him to Europe to study dried-egg production, and in 1917 assigned him to Shanghai to establish the Amos Bird Company, a dried and frozen egg operation that later became part of Borden Food Corporation. Ovson chose not to relocate permanently to China. He returned to the United States in 1919 and formed the Ovson-Keith Egg Company with Keith. C. J. Bowman and W. F. Priebe subsequently joined as investors and associates, leading to the Bowman-Priebe-Ovson Company name. The company obtained a notable product patent in 1922. Morris Ovson was awarded U.S. Patent No. 1,429,559 for Mocoyolk, a formulation consisting primarily of yolk with glycerine used to help preserve consistency and moisture in baked products. In 1929, the company was reorganized as the Ovson Egg Company. Financial pressure during the Great Depression led National Dairy Products Corporation to invest and acquire a non-controlling majority interest. By the late 1930s, Ovson Egg ranked among the leading U.S. processed-egg companies. Its seven reported American plants were located in Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Davenport, Moberly, Great Bend, and Parsons. The company also maintained a major Shanghai operation. Its product range included frozen, canned, dried, and powdered eggs, supplied as ingredients to manufacturers of bakery goods, desserts, pasta, sauces, beverages, and related foods. The Second World War brought especially strong demand for dried and powdered egg products because they were shelf-stable, transportable, and useful in military food supply. Ovson Egg became a significant supplier to the U.S. military and benefited commercially from the wider growth of industrial egg ingredients. In 1948, Morris and Leo Ovson opened an additional plant in Neosho, Missouri, in a facility built by R. A. Haas and associated with Haas Cold Storage. Kraft Foods purchased National Dairy Products Corporation in 1952, thereby bringing Ovson Egg into Kraft's corporate family. The Ovson Egg offices stayed in Chicago after the acquisition. In 1955, Morris and Leo Ovson faced perjury indictments arising from a labor-racketeering investigation involving alleged payments to Joseph Glimco and Max Podolsky, individuals connected with union and egg-market activity in Chicago. Morris accepted a plea arrangement covering one charge, while other charges against him and the charge against Leo were dropped. Morris received probation rather than imprisonment because of his age, health, and retirement from the business. He died in 1961. Later reference material identified Ovson Egg as a Kraft subsidiary as of 2007, with offices in New York, Kansas City, and Shanghai. It also stated that the company supplied products mainly for other Kraft subsidiaries. No reliable material supplied for this dossier confirms the company's current legal status, current leadership, or whether the Ovson Egg name remains in active commercial use.

• 1955

  Perjury indictments in labor investigation

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Morris and Leo Ovson were indicted in a federal investigation involving alleged payments and activity at Chicago's Fulton Street Egg Market.

• 1952

  Became part of Kraft Foods

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Kraft Foods acquired National Dairy Products Corporation, bringing Ovson Egg into the Kraft organization.

• 1948

  Neosho, Missouri plant opened

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Morris and Leo Ovson opened a plant in Neosho, Missouri, using space associated with Haas Cold Storage.

• 1937

  Expansion into a major processed-egg network

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Ovson Egg was described as one of the two largest U.S. processed-egg companies, with seven American plants and a major Shanghai facility.

• 1929

  Company reorganized as Ovson Egg Company

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  The Bowman-Priebe-Ovson Company was reorganized under the Ovson Egg name, while National Dairy Products Corporation took a majority investment.

• 1922

  Mocoyolk patent granted

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Morris Ovson received U.S. Patent No. 1,429,559 for a yolk-and-glycerine product designed to preserve consistency and moisture.

• 1919

  Ovson-Keith Egg Company founded

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Morris Ovson returned to the United States and established the original business with H. J. Keith.

• 1898

  Separator technology increased egg-processing productivity

  [1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  H. J. Keith licensed H. A. Perry's hand-operated yolk-and-white separator, supporting more efficient industrial egg breaking and component separation.

An industrial egg-ingredient supplier focused on processing, preservation, and reliable bulk inputs for large-scale food manufacturing.

• Industrial egg ingredients

  Frozen egg products

  Ovson Egg processed shell eggs into frozen whole eggs and separated yolk and white components. These products gave commercial food manufacturers a more consistent and manageable ingredient than fresh shell eggs, particularly for bakery, dessert, sauce, pasta, and prepared-food production.

• Shelf-stable egg ingredients

  Dried and powdered eggs

  Dried and powdered egg products were a central part of Ovson Egg's industrial offering. Their long storage life and relatively easy transportation made them useful to food manufacturers and to military provisioning during World War II.

• Processed egg ingredients

  Canned egg products

  The company also produced canned egg products for commercial users. Canning extended product usability and supported distribution to manufacturers that needed standardized egg ingredients for recipes and large-scale production.

• Egg-yolk formulation · 1922

  Mocoyolk

  Mocoyolk was a patented formulation consisting of approximately 95 percent yolk and 5 percent glycerine. The glycerine was intended to help preserve the yolk's consistency and keep baked products moist.

• 1955

  Ovson executives indicted in labor-racketeering investigation

  Morris and Leo Ovson were indicted for perjury after a federal grand-jury inquiry into alleged payments involving Joseph Glimco and Max Podolsky, who were connected with union, inspection, and egg-market activities in Chicago. Morris pleaded guilty to one charge under an arrangement that removed additional charges against him and a charge against Leo. He received one year of probation.

  Source

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• 1952

  Integrated into Kraft Foods after the National Dairy acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Kraft Foods purchased National Dairy Products Corporation, the majority investor in Ovson Egg.

  Action taken

  Ovson Egg became part of Kraft Foods while continuing to maintain offices under its own name.

  Aftermath

  Later reference material described the business as a Kraft subsidiary supplying products primarily to other Kraft subsidiaries.

  Source

• 1929

  Accepted majority investment from National Dairy Products CorporationStrategy

  Background

  The company faced financial difficulties associated with the Great Depression and required additional corporate capital.

  Action taken

  National Dairy Products Corporation invested in Ovson Egg and took a non-controlling majority interest.

  Aftermath

  Ovson Egg remained a distinct operating business but became linked to a larger food-processing group, eventually entering the Kraft organization through National Dairy's acquisition.

  Source

• 2007

  Ovson Egg was reported as a Kraft subsidiary with international offices[1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reference material described Ovson Egg as still operating as a Kraft Foods subsidiary, with offices in New York City, Kansas City, and Shanghai, and with products used predominantly by other Kraft subsidiaries.

• 1952

  Ovson Egg became part of the Kraft Foods organization[1]Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Kraft Foods acquired National Dairy Products Corporation, whose majority investment had made Ovson Egg part of the National Dairy corporate structure. Ovson Egg subsequently operated within Kraft while retaining its own offices and identity.

1. 1Ovson Eggen.wikipedia.org