Bernardin was started by Alfred Louis Bernardin in 1881 in Evansville, Indiana. The company invented two famous bottle caps: the wire one still used today to hold champagne corks on, and, the standard beer and pop bottle cap also still in use today. In 1994, the company became a part of what is now the Newell Corporation, joining Ball, Kerr and Golden Harvest as a sister company.
In 2016, Ball introduced many of Bernardin’s more gourmet-flair elements into its All New book.
Overview of Bernardin
Bernardin is the brand name under which Newell (formerly Jarden) distributes its home canning products in Canada: similar products and branding appearance appear in the States under the Ball name. The two are sister companies. In fact, the Newell Corporation owns the four leading (as of 2017) home preserving supplies and equipment companies in North America: Ball, Bernardin, Golden Harvest and Kerr.
All the supplies sold with the Bernardin name on them have been made in the States since 2001. [1]”Alltrista shut Bernardin’s lid plant in Toronto in the fall of 2001 and consolidated production at its Muncie, Ind., plant.” Chipello, Christopher J. Canadians Blow Their Tops As Canning Lids Get the Can. Wall Street Journal. 21 January 2003. Accessed March 2015 at https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1043099833887518344
Many times, the packaging on a box will say “Bernardin” while the actual item itself will have “Ball” stamped on it.
Bernardin continues to produce in Canada a home canning recipe book under the Bernardin name, called the “Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving.”
Bernardin is not associated with the New York restaurant called “Le Bernardin.”
The crest for the Bernardin brand of jars. The crest only appears on the front of the jars, leaving the other 3 sides of the jar completely plain which makes jar labelling easier.
Bernardin as a reputable source for safe canning
Bernardin’s canning guides follow USDA standards, meeting or exceeding them.
The back of Bernardin’s “Guide to Home Preserving” (2013 edition), says, “Heat processing home canning information and recommendations contained in the book conform to guidelines established by food authorities in Canada and the United States (USDA) at the time of publication.” Bernardin has its own testing facilities to ensure recipes meet USDA standards.
Bernardin staff write the “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” for the American market. The lead writer is Judi Kingry, who is an American now living in Canada.
Not many American home canners are as aware of Bernardin as Canadians naturally are as a reliable source of safe guidance, but as some highly-knowledgeable American home canners have said, Bernardin is a Newell company, and if we can’t trust Newell guidance, we are all in a lot of trouble.
Some of Bernardin’s canning recommendations are more conservative than the USDA. For instance:
(1) they require lemon juice be added to applesauce for safety:
Adding sugar to applesauce is optional…. However, lemon juice is not an optional addition. Lemon juice is added … to assure the acidity of the finished product, since different varieties and harvesting conditions can produce apples of lower acidity.” [2] Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 182. [3]Note, though, that Bernardin doesn’t call for lemon juice when canning apple slices on their own. Perhaps it was density issues about the mashed apple that concerned them. Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Bernardin Ltd. 2013, page 38.
(2) Bernardin also recommends against canning green tomatoes alone, for healthy safety reasons:
While green (unripe) tomatoes can be safely used as an ingredient in many home canning recipes, we don’t recommend preserving them as a stand-alone item. Green tomatoes contain a compound called solanine, which can be toxic if consumed in large amounts. Moreover, solanine — like other alkaloids, such as caffeine — contributes an astringent taste to foods that must be balanced by sweeter fruits, vegetables or sugar. The darker the green, the higher the tomato’s solanine content. The safest strategy is to use only pale green tomatoes or those tinged with red. If you have a supply of green tomatoes, you can ripen them considerably by placing them in a brown paper bag or between layers of newspaper until the intense green pales.” [4] Bernardin Complete, Page 352.
One thing to note about Bernardin is that they do give a processing time for water-bathed canned tomato products packed in water with added acid for 1.5 litre (1 ½ US quart) jars. Generally any jar size larger than 1 litre (1 US quart) is verboten these days, but Bernardin has tested times for the slightly larger size:
1.5 litre jars are available only in Canada. These jars may be used to process tomatoes in a boiling-water canner, but only in those recipes for which a specific time is stated for this size of jar. 1.5 L jars are not recommended for processing tomatoes or any food in a pressure canner, as suitable heat processing studies to determine safe processing times have not been established.” [5] Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 355.
Why does Newell retain the Bernardin name and not just label it all Ball?
Newell may be retaining the Bernardin name for the following reasons:
- The preserving jars are adjusted to metric sizes for the Canadian market. In effect, the “pint” jar sold in Canada is actually about 2 tablespoons larger than the pint jars Jarden sells in the States (500 ml in Canada vs 473 ml in the States; 1 tablespoon is 15 ml). Branding the jars with a different name entirely would help to keep the metric sizes separate from the smaller jars that the Americans get;
- The Bernardin books are dual metric and imperial measures — handy for those who like metric. Sadly and irritatingly though, some say, Bernardin has adopted the faux American metric of measuring solid ingredients such as chopped veg, sugar, etc., in ml, instead of in weight as real metric actually would.
Where is Bernardin?
Bernardin is located in Newell’s industrial complex in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Bernardin’s location (Click for Google street view.) Source: Google maps.
How to contact Bernardin
Phone Bernardin at 1-800-265-5674 OR email [email protected] OR https://www.bernardin.ca/contact-bernardin.htm
Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks from Bernardin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEGhnr6pBDA
Bernardin History
Bernardin Jars
Bernardin 750 ml jars
Bernardin Vintage Jars (Green)
Bernardin Vintage Jars (Purple)
References
Nancy Early
Emerie Brine gave a ‘canning’ demonstration in Palgrave about 5 years aga, and I was wondering if he or a rep would be interested in providing a canning demonstration for Caledon Public Library this fall>
Carol Thom
I can fit 7 Kerr jars in my canner, but have a hard time fitting 6 Bernardin jars
in the same canner. Doesn’t seem to do any good to contact Bernardin,
as no response from them,
Aline Collette
Hello,I’m using a lot of mason jar for canning seafood and I bought over 30 case of 500ml golden harvest in April and May and there was 47 defective cap. I was wondering if it’s possible to have a rebate.
Healthy Canning
You will want to definitely want to contact Bernardin to see what they will do to make that right.
colin warren
interesting when we bought the salsa mix today that there are no instructions of how to prepare it..i of course found it online but thought that out there somewhere are people that cannot go online.—instructions are on the previous version of the mix
anne
Is the ball complete book of home preserving in the US exactly the same as the Bernardin complete book of home preserving? Are they the same recipes? Because I like the Bernardin ones on your blog and I would like to buy the book you have.
Healthy Canning
The Ball Complete and Bernardin Complete are the same; don’t buy both. But you could buy the “Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving“, that has many different recipes that haven’t made it over to the Ball side of the business yet.
Rose Yoder
I was trying to get in contact with you to see if you have any regular canning lids
I would be interested in a lot of lids please give me a call 812-486-2815
Healthy Canning
You would need to contact Bernardin directly.
Lynn
I’ve stopped purchasing products from Bernardin. After the last box of 12 lids and rings only having 10 of each and my contacting the company via email 3 times and their Facebook page more than that without any response, I decided my money can go towards supporting someone else. And they saw my original message on FB, the “seen by…” was proof enough.
Crappy customer service always sends me elsewhere!
Healthy Canning
They appear not to have had a social media person for about 2 years now. So your messaging may have gone into a void. As of the start of May 2020, their social media appears to have sprung to life again. You could try again. Or, phone them. I’m sure they will try to satisfy you; you should see what they will do.
Patty Upfold
I agree. I had to go to Canadian tire to buy them and pay twice what others charge because of shortages ony to get home and find 11 in two of my boxes. Never again.
I can’t seem to find a phone no. To complain either
Bernard Boisjoly
Bonjour,
Je vous écris aujourd’hui pour vous dire à quel point ma famille et moi apprécions vos produits.
Compte tenu de notre consommation importante, serait-il possible de m’envoyer des coupons rabais afin que ma famille puisse en profiter, que ce soit pour vos nouveaux produits ou des produits que nous utilisons.
Je souhaite porter à votre connaissance que nous sommes une famille de 6 personnes.
Je tiens à vous remercier pour l’attention que vous portez à ma demande et vous félicite pour la qualité de vos produits.
Je vous envoie mes coordonnees au cas ou votre reponse a ma demande serais positive 🙂
Je vous remercie a l’avance!
Bernard boisjoly
480 blv Robin app 1
Laval pq
H7N 1W6
Bonne journée 🙂
Healthy Canning
Il faut contacter Bernardin directement.
Carolyn Hall
Where are the Bernardin canners manufactured?
Healthy Canning
The blue enamel water-bath canning pots are sold as part of Bernardin’s canning kits. We’re not sure where they are made. You will want to ask Bernardin directly; here is their contact form: https://www.bernardin.ca/contact-us.htm
Bernardin jars and lids are made in Muncie, Indiana, as part of the same manufacturing operation for Ball and Kerr jars and lids.
Judy
Where can I purchase lids for your jars. Regular and wide mouth do not fit your Canadian Jewel jar?
Healthy Canning
If you are after Gem jar lids you can get those at Canadian Tire stores.
Susan Gillingham
I am an elderly lady living in the UK and I would like to just buy 3 x 250ml or half pint storage jars with the Bernardin logo. It seems that you only sell them in packs of 12 but this will be too many for me and they won’t be used. Please can you help me.
Kind regards
Susan Gillingham
Healthy Canning
Hi Susan, I’m afraid they are only sold in 12 packs, that I’ve seen anyway. Killner I think sells preserving jars in 3 packs.
Simone
I just saw this post and I am not affiliated with the owner of this site as I was doing some research – but I would happily send you some Bernardin Jars with the logo on it if you are still interested. All the Best, Simone