Pacific By-Products Company

Summary

Main Location	San Jose

Pacific By-Products was a San Jose-based manufacturer of machinery for canneries, and a producer of various by-products of the canning and fruit industry. The company was founded by Stanley Hiller, Sr. to initially manufacture machinery for the processing of fish waste from fish canneries. Louis Clark was the manager for the company through much of its life.

The company also made machinery for purifying spilled syrup in fruit canneries. The company's other major business was in processing material. Towards the end of World War I, the company bought apricot pit shells to make charcoal for gas masks. The company produced a rotary kiln that could process apricot pits significantly faster than previous methods..

Pacific By-Product's plant burned on May 6, 1932, with the fire starting in the charcoal piles.

Hiller home: 1186 Hanchett Avenue, San Jose. Hiller was an aviator ( http://earlyaviators.com/ehiller.htm His son did Hiller Aviation/United Helicopters at plant at 1350 Willow Road, Menlo Park.

The best information on the company comes from three human interest stories written by Edith Daley for the San Jose Evening News in July, 1921 Manager in 1921 and late 20's was Louis Clark.

Plant seen on 1929-era Sanborn map at History San Jose Charcoal patent 1465131 Seen on 1931 spur list.

Buildings probably torn down around 1950, had been Del Monte Plant #153.

Locations

Location	Years	Address	Details
San Jose	1921-1934	390 Sunol Street (Auzerais at Sunol)	Plant burned in 1932, shows up in directories for 1934.