Our story

Nearly a century of showing up.

Palmetto Canning is a fifth-generation family business shaped by steady relationships, practical ingenuity, and an enduring commitment to making quality food products.

Rooted in Palmetto, Florida

A business built to adapt — and built to last.

In 1927, John C. Greenlaw founded Palmetto Canning in the Gulf Coast community that gave the company its name. What began as a local canning operation evolved with changing crops, formats, and customer needs.

Our family-owned and operated company has endured with a generational understanding of size. We believe in cautious, prudent growth that protects reliability, customer satisfaction, and the quality of every product.

Lessons learned through each era have been passed down to the next. Today, those lessons help us serve branded food companies, retailers, foodservice businesses, and ingredient partners from two Florida facilities.

Historic portrait of John C. Greenlaw — **John C. Greenlaw** 1927

The Palmetto story

One family. Many chapters.

From a personal loan and a small 8th Avenue cannery to modern facilities serving customers across the country, every generation has met change with the same promise: grow thoughtfully and deliver reliably.

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1927

Palmetto Canning is founded

John C. Greenlaw founds Palmetto Canning Company on 8th Avenue in Palmetto, Florida, after receiving a personal loan from J.P. Morgan Jr. Greenlaw had spent years in New York serving as captain of Morgan’s yachts, the Navette and Corsair III.
1935

A family steadies the business

After John passes away, his wife, Minnie, and their son, John C. Greenlaw II, stabilize the business in the wake of the Great Depression.
1941

Minnie takes the helm

John is called to serve in World War II aboard a Navy minesweeper. His mother, Minnie, runs the company in his absence throughout the war.
1945

A new postwar home

John returns from the war with new ideas, resumes operation of Palmetto Canning, and builds a new location on U.S. 41 — the company’s present-day site.
1958

Weathering the storm

A tornado tears through Palmetto, Florida, and severely damages the facility. The company rebuilds and moves forward.
1971

Following the guava crop

After the 1970 Big Freeze kills Florida’s guava trees, Palmetto Canning builds a factory in the Dominican Republic to secure a dependable source of fruit.
1982

A new generation leads

John C. Greenlaw entrusts the company to his son, Jonathan Greenlaw III, continuing the family’s tradition of hands-on stewardship.
2001

Room to grow

The Palmetto location is substantially expanded with new offices and warehousing.
2005

The footprint doubles

Total square footage is doubled, giving the company more capacity to support its customers.
2018

De Vinco is formed

De Vinco Company is established as a subsidiary dedicated exclusively to manufacturing cooking wines.
2020

Reliability under pressure

The coronavirus pandemic shakes the global supply chain. Despite sharply increased demand, Palmetto Canning never misses an order.
2021

Capacity and capabilities expand

Considerable capital improvements, new machinery, and growing demand for private-label items expand what Palmetto Canning can produce and support.
2022

Investing in the future

The company completes $2.5 million in machinery and facility upgrades.
2026

The next chapter begins

Jonathan Greenlaw III transitions leadership to his son, Devin Greenlaw, carrying the family company into its next generation.

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Five generations of stewardship

One shared responsibility.

The Greenlaw family has guided Palmetto Canning through evolving product categories, packaging formats, facilities, and customer needs. Each generation has carried forward the same commitment to thoughtful growth, dependable service, and a company built to last.

The Greenlaw family smiling together in formal attire — The Greenlaw family · 2022

Local by design

We are an equal opportunity employer dedicated to employing local talent and working with local contractors and services to help our community grow.

American-made

We proudly source from domestic manufacturers and look for opportunities to keep our supply chain American-made.

Relationships that last

Some customer relationships date back to the 1950s, and 97% of our customers are repeat customers.

From the archive

A working heritage.

While the history of the Greenlaw family is woven into the life of the company, we recognize the people who have dedicated portions of their lives to make Palmetto Canning what it is today. Without their dedication, attention to detail, and loyalty, we couldn’t have come to this point.

Our heritage is rich with local relationships and generational employees who have seen our company grow and have always been a credit to the Palmetto Canning name.