Dorcas Reilly was a home economist for Campbell’s when she concocted the iconic green bean casserole as a way for the company to sell more canned cream of mushroom soup. Reilly passed away last month, at a time when Campbell’s has been struggling. Green bean casserole has become a Thanksgiving staple and is a reliable seller for Campbell’s – 25 million cans in November 2017 alone. But Campbell’s interim CEO has said that it’s been a challenging year for the company, partly because consumers are seeking fresh food, not canned.

This story was produced by the Marketplace hub at KCUR in Kansas City, Missouri.