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Steinfeld, Henry

Profession
Businessperson
Biography

Heinrich (Henry) Steinfeld, son of Reinhart Steinfeld & Sabina Elisabeth Ruf, was born 16 July 1884 in Holstein. He and his brother David immigrated to the United States in 1902 and settled in Herington, Kansas. Henry moved to Winnipeg, Alberta, where he met Barbara Hahn, a native of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

They moved to the St. Johns neighborhood of north Portland, Oregon, in 1909 where they joined Henry's brother David. Using Barbara's skills from her time working in a pickling factory when she lived in Canada, the Steinfelds began producing pickeled products using the cabbage and cucumbers from their garden.

From this home-based business grew a company (officially founded in 1922) with products for sale in 9 Western States and several foreign countries. In 1951, a plant was purchased from Hunt Foods in Scappoose, Oregon. A fire in 1979 destroyed that facility, but a new factory was built that began operation in 1980.

In 2000, the family-owned business was sold to Dean Specialty Foods Company. The production plant in North Portland was closed in 2008.

Source(s)

Crombie, Noelle. "Hold the pickle; Portland's pickle plant is closing." The Oregonian (29 February 2008) [Online]
The Steinfeld Family (Steve Schreiber) [Online]
"Steinfelds celebrate 70 years of sauerkraut," The Chronicle, Scappoose, Oregon (10 October 1992): 2.
"Steinfeld's family business success beats the odds," The Chronicle, Scappoose, Oregon (10 October 1992): 8.

Volga Colonies
Related Surnames
Images

Steinfelds in Scappoose, Oregon (date unknown).
Source: Scappoose Historical Society.