The History Of COS Samoa Tuna Canning Plantff

Close to 3,000 people who gathered at Veterans Memorial Stadium to celebrate COS Samoa Packing's 50 years of operation in Tutuila earlier this month heard some little known facts about the beginnings of the tuna industry in the territory.

The history of the company was presented by the first Samoan General Manager of Samoa Packing, Oloipala Herman Gebauer. “It is appropriate that the history Samoa Packing be prefaced by significant events that occurred soon after World War II,” he said and then revealed some little known early facts.

“Although most of us may believe Van Camp or Samoa Packing was the first tuna cannery in American Samoa, Island Packers, Inc. was the original cannery established in December 1948 by a group of U.S. investors headed by Mr. Harold Gatty, a well known aviator and industrialist.” He told the crowd that others involved included Randolph P. Marston, Ogden White and Lawrence S. Rockefeller. “In 1947 local government leaders and the Naval Administration wanting to develop the Territory's economy saw the establishment of local fishing industry and cannery as a good prospect for doing so.”

“The Navy refurbished and dedicated warehouse and dock facilities at their Naval Base facility in Atu'u in hopes of encouraging the establishment of a fish processing and cannery operation and solicited U.S. investment interest resulting in the advent of Island Packers.”

“Unfortunately, Island Packers was not successful for various reasons including the inability to secure reliable supplies of raw fish and bait fish and forced to close operations in 1951. Discouraged but not beaten by this initial failure, local government leaders with the support of the Department of Interior purchased Island Packing's equipment and facility improvements in 1952 and went shopping for U.S. firms to lease and operate the cannery in 1953.”

“The Van Camp Seafood Company of Terminal Island, California won the bid over several firms across the U.S. and began lease and operations of the facility in January 1954 on the condition of significant capital investment and the minimum hiring of non-Samoan workers.”

Oloipala said that Van Camp started operations with about 150 Samoan employees and produced about 20 tons of product per day. This grew to 100 tons per day and about 500 employees by the early 1960s. In 1963, the large U.S. food conglomerate, Ralston-Purina Foods of St. Louis, Missouri purchased Van Camp Seafoods (VCS) holdings including the cannery in American Samoa, retaining the VCS Samoa Packing name.

“Upon completion of a major facility and equipment upgrade, the Company expanded production from a single to two production shifts per day in October 1982, almost doubling the workforce to about 1,600 and production capacity, as well.”

In late 1988, the Company was bought by P. T. Mantrust Ltd., an Indonesian seafood giant. Tri-Union Seafoods, a partnership of Thai Union of Thailand and two U.S. owners purchased Chicken of the Sea International and Samoa Packing in August 1997. Thai Union became sole owner in 2001.

Oloipala told the gathered crowd that today Chicken of the Sea (COS) Samoa Packing employs about 2,000 workers and he is very thankful for Samoa Packing's continued benefit to the community including the wages and salaries of the employees. In addition Samoa Packing makes about $35 million worth of local purchases in the American Samoa economy contributing significantly to local commerce and employment, government revenues and the general community, he concluded.

Executives from the COS Samoa Packing parent company who were on hand included Executive Director Shue Wing Chan, CEO Dennis Mussel and COO Chaiphorn Wangityasuk.