SMUCKER J M CO
10-Q, 1999-09-10
CANNED, FRUITS, VEG, PRESERVES, JAMS & JELLIES
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<PAGE>   1
                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                               No. 1 of 12 Pages


                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 10-Q

              (X) QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                  For the quarterly period ended July 31, 1999

                                       OR

             ( ) TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

           For the transition period from ____________ to ____________

                   Commission File Number ______1-5111_______





                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY

_______Ohio_______                                          ____34-0538550___
State of Incorporation                                   IRS Identification No.

                                 STRAWBERRY LANE
                              ORRVILLE, OHIO 44667
                                 (330) 682-3000


The Company has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and has
been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

The Company had 14,335,215 Class A Common Shares and 14,674,076 Class B Common
Shares outstanding on July 31, 1999.

The Exhibit Index is located at Sequential Page No. 12.



<PAGE>   2


                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 2

                          PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY
                   CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CONSOLIDATED INCOME
                                   (Unaudited)

Item 1.  Financial Statements
         --------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                           Three Months Ended
                                                               July 31,
                                                         ---------------------
                                                            1999        1998
                                                         ---------   ---------
                                                    (Dollars in thousands, except per
                                                                share data)

<S>                                                      <C>         <C>
Net sales                                                $ 161,495   $ 150,500
Cost of products sold                                      103,467      96,638
                                                         ---------   ---------
                                                            58,028      53,862
Selling, distribution, and administrative expenses          40,795      37,342
                                                         ---------   ---------
                                                            17,233      16,520
Other income (expense)
    Interest income                                            723         625
    Interest expense                                          (480)         (4)
    Other - net                                                367         295
                                                         ---------   ---------
Income before income taxes                                  17,843      17,436
Income taxes                                                 6,806       7,020
                                                         ---------   ---------
Net Income                                               $  11,037   $  10,416
                                                         =========   =========

Net income per Common Share                              $     .38   $     .36
                                                         =========   =========
Net income per Common Share - assuming dilution          $     .38   $     .36
                                                         =========   =========


Dividends declared on Class A and Class B Common Shares  $     .15   $     .14
                                                         =========   =========
</TABLE>




See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements






<PAGE>   3


                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 3

                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY
                      CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                   (Unaudited)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                  July 31, 1999     April 30,1999
                                                  -------------     -------------
                                                       (Dollars in Thousands)

<S>                                              <C>               <C>
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS
    Cash and cash equivalents                    $        52,454   $         8,683
    Trade receivables, less allowances                    58,178            51,858
    Inventories:
        Finished products                                 49,106            51,983
        Raw materials, containers, and supplies           92,530            62,217
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
                                                         141,636           114,200
    Other current assets                                  14,375            11,401
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
        Total Current Assets                             266,643           186,142

PROPERTY, PLANT, AND EQUIPMENT
    Land and land improvements                            15,792            15,729
    Buildings and fixtures                                84,675            83,290
    Machinery and equipment                              206,365           201,913
    Construction in progress                              26,382            23,296
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
                                                         333,214           324,228
    Less allowances for depreciation                    (162,670)         (157,685)
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
        Total Property, Plant and Equipment              170,544           166,543

OTHER NONCURRENT ASSETS
    Intangible assets                                     59,440            60,627
    Other assets                                          20,467            20,571
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
        Total Other Noncurrent Assets                     79,907            81,198
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
                                                 $       517,094   $       433,883
                                                 ===============   ===============

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES
    Accounts payable                             $        57,634   $        40,262
    Other current liabilities                             37,737            47,369
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
        Total Current Liabilities                         95,371            87,631

NONCURRENT LIABILITIES
    Long-term debt                                        75,000              --
    Other noncurrent liabilities                          21,776            21,923
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
         Total Noncurrent Liabilities                     96,776            21,923

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
    Class A Common Shares                                  3,584             3,608
    Class B Common Shares (Nonvoting)                      3,668             3,682
    Additional capital                                    17,151            15,604
    Retained income                                      320,341           318,660
    Less:
      Deferred compensation                               (3,607)           (2,001)
      Amount due from ESOP                                (9,526)           (9,526)
      Accumulated other comprehensive loss                (6,664)           (5,698)
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
        Total Shareholders' Equity                       324,947           324,329
                                                 ---------------   ---------------
                                                 $       517,094   $       433,883
                                                 ===============   ===============
</TABLE>

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements



<PAGE>   4

                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 4

                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY

                 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                   (Unaudited)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                              Three Months Ended
                                                                   July 31,
                                                              -------------------
                                                                1999       1998
                                                              --------   --------
                                                             (Dollars in Thousands)

<S>                                                           <C>        <C>
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
    Net income                                                $ 11,037   $ 10,416
    Adjustments                                                (13,990)   (19,518)
                                                              --------   --------
Net cash used for operating activities                          (2,953)    (9,102)

INVESTING ACTIVITIES
    Businesses acquired - net of cash                             --       (9,901)
    Additions to property, plant, and equipment                 (9,987)    (9,173)
    Proceeds from the sale of property, plant, and equipment       107         46
    Other - net                                                    338        313
                                                              --------   --------
Net cash used for investing activities                          (9,542)   (18,715)

FINANCING ACTIVITIES
    Proceeds from long-term debt                                75,000       --
    (Reduction in) proceeds from short-term debt - net          (8,966)     3,473
    Purchase of common shares                                   (5,231)      --
    Dividends paid                                              (4,342)    (4,064)
    Other - net                                                    (33)      (447)
                                                              --------   --------
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities            56,428     (1,038)

Cash flows provided by (used for) operations                    43,933    (28,855)
Effect of exchange rate changes                                   (162)      (577)
                                                              --------   --------

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents            43,771    (29,432)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period                 8,683     36,484
                                                              --------   --------
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period                    $ 52,454   $  7,052
                                                              ========   ========
</TABLE>

(   )   Denotes use of cash

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

<PAGE>   5


                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 5

                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY
              NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note A - Basis of Presentation
         ---------------------

         The accompanying unaudited, condensed, consolidated financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form
10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of
the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting
principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all
adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.
Operating results for the three-month period ended July 31, 1999, are not
necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ended
April 30, 2000. For further information, reference is made to the consolidated
financial statements and footnotes included in the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 1999.

Note B - Operating Segments
         ------------------

         The Company has two reportable segments, domestic and international.
The domestic segment represents the aggregation of the consumer, foodservice,
beverage, specialty foods, consumer direct, and industrial business areas. The
following table sets forth operating segments information:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                       Three Months Ended
                                             July 31,
                                      ---------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                   1999        1998
                                      ---------   ---------

<S>                                   <C>         <C>
Net sales:
   Domestic                           $ 140,465   $ 133,581
   International                         21,030      16,919
                                      ---------   ---------
Total net sales                       $ 161,495   $ 150,500
                                      =========   =========

Segment profit:
   Domestic                           $  26,500   $  25,068
   International                          2,414       1,472
                                      ---------   ---------
Total segment profit                     28,914      26,540
   Interest income                          723         625
   Interest expense                        (480)         (4)
   Amortization expense                    (967)       (704)
   Corporate administrative expenses     (9,944)     (9,425)
   Other unallocated expense               (403)        404
                                      ---------   ---------
Income before income taxes            $  17,843   $  17,436
                                      =========   =========
</TABLE>

Note C - Common Shares
         -------------

         At July 31, 1999, 35,000,000 Class A Common Shares and 35,000,000 Class
B Common Shares were authorized. At July 31, 1999, there were 14,335,215 and
14,674,076 outstanding shares of Class A Common and Class B Common,
respectively, while 14,432,619 Class A and 14,726,576 Class B Common Shares were
outstanding at April 30, 1999. Outstanding shares of each class are shown net of
1,877,073 Class A and 1,538,212 Class B treasury shares at July 31, 1999, and
1,779,669 Class A and 1,485,712 Class B treasury shares at April 30, 1999.



<PAGE>   6


                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 6

Note D - Financing Arrangements
         ----------------------

         On June 18, 1999, the Company issued $75,000,000 of 6.77% senior,
unsecured notes due June 1, 2009.

Note E - Income Per Share
         ----------------

         The following table sets forth the computation of earnings per Common
Share and earnings per Common Share-assuming dilution:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                 Three Months Ended
                                                       July 31,
                                               ------------------------
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)      1999         1998
                                               -----------  -----------

<S>                                            <C>          <C>
Numerator:
- ----------
Net income                                     $    11,037  $    10,416
                                               ===========  ===========


Denominator:
- ------------
Denominator for earnings per Common
      Share -  weighted-average shares          29,047,531   29,026,846

Effect of dilutive securities:
      Stock options                                130,528      239,599
      Restricted stock                                --         65,992
                                               -----------  -----------
Denominator for earnings per Common
       Share - assuming dilution                29,178,059   29,332,437
                                               ===========  ===========

Net income per Common Share                    $       .38  $       .36
                                               ===========  ===========

Net income per Common Share - assuming
       dilution                                $       .38  $       .36
                                               ===========  ===========
</TABLE>


Note F - Comprehensive Income
         --------------------

         During the quarter ended July 31, 1999 and 1998, total comprehensive
income was $10,071,000 and $8,276,000, respectively. Comprehensive income
consists of net income and foreign currency translation adjustments.

Note G - Recently Issued Accounting Standards
         ------------------------------------

         In 1998, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments
and Hedging Activities (SFAS 133). SFAS 133 changes the accounting related to
derivative instruments. Currently, the Company does not have significant
participation in derivative instruments. Although the Company has not yet
completed its evaluation of the potential impact of adopting SFAS 133 on future
earnings, it does not expect the impact to be material. The Company is required
to adopt this statement in fiscal 2002.


<PAGE>   7

                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 7

Item 2.  Management's Discussion and Analysis
         ------------------------------------

         This discussion and analysis deals with comparisons of material changes
in the condensed, consolidated financial statements for the three-month periods
ended July 31, 1999 and 1998, respectively.

Results of Operations
- ---------------------

         Sales for the first quarter were up approximately 7%, to $161,495,000
from $150,500,000 in the prior year. Domestic segment sales were up 5%, while
the international segment realized an increase of 24%.

         In the domestic segment, all businesses realized sales increases over
the prior year, with the largest dollar growth occurring in the consumer and
foodservice markets. The combined dollar growth of these two markets accounted
for approximately 54% of the total increase in sales. In the consumer area, the
continued rollout of "Smucker's Snackers", introduced during last fiscal year,
and the inclusion of the "Adams" natural peanut butter business, acquired in
December 1998, were key causes for the increase. In the foodservice area, the
increase in sales was due to a combination of volume growth in the portion
control segment and the impact of the recent agreement with Lea & Perrins, Inc.
pursuant to which the Company now is distributing "Lea & Perrins" products to
the foodservice industry.

          In the international segment, all geographic markets realized sales
increases, with the majority of the growth occurring in the Greater Europe
market and Australia.

         Cost of products sold remained relatively constant at 64.1% of net
sales compared to 64.2% last year as increases in certain fruit costs were
offset by improved plant efficiencies. Selling, distribution and administrative
costs increased at a slightly greater rate than sales due to an increase in
selling and corporate administrative expenses. Although the increased fruit
costs will affect the remainder of the fiscal year, the Company hopes to
minimize the impact on margins through improved operational efficiencies,
overhead cost reductions, and selective price increases.

         Interest expense increased significantly over the prior year due to the
long-term debt placement completed during the first quarter. During the quarter
the Company capitalized approximately $220,000 in interest associated with the
Company's information technology reengineering project.

         The effective income tax rate for the period decreased from 40.3% last
year to 38.1%. The effective rate for the first quarter of fiscal 2000 was
consistent with the 38.7% effective rate for the year ended April 30, 1999. The
decrease from last year's first quarter is primarily due to lower state and
local taxes.

Financial Condition - Liquidity and Capital Resources
- -----------------------------------------------------

         The financial position of the Company remains strong with an increase
in cash and cash equivalents of $43,771,000 during the first quarter. The
increase in cash and cash equivalents resulted from the issuance of 10-year,
senior, unsecured notes in the amount of $75,000,000 due June 1, 2009. The
interest rate on these notes is 6.77% and is payable each June 1st and December
1st.


<PAGE>   8

                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 8

         Significant uses of cash during the quarter include the seasonal
procurement of fruit inventories, capital expenditures, the repayment of
short-term borrowings, and the payment of dividends. Also during the quarter,
the Company completed the repurchase of 140,000 Class A and 92,200 Class B
Common Shares as part of a previously announced stock repurchase program. With
the combination of cash provided from operations and the proceeds from the
long-term debt placement, the Company expects its cash to be sufficient to meet
requirements.

Impact of Year 2000
- -------------------

         As part of the information technology reengineering (ITR) project
previously reported, the Company has completed an assessment of the Year 2000
issue as it may affect its information technology (IT) systems. The new IT
systems being installed are fully Year 2000 compliant and will replace 80% of
the Company's noncompliant IT systems. The remaining 20% of such systems will be
corrected, as discussed below. The total ITR project cost, which includes an
enterprise-wide information system and business process reengineering, is
estimated at approximately $34,000,000, excluding internal staff costs.

         The portion of the ITR project that resolves the Year 2000 issue on the
Company's IT systems has been implemented in domestic locations, with
international implementation to be completed by November 1, 1999. With regard to
the IT systems that either are not being replaced by the ITR project or will not
be replaced in time to meet the change in millenium, the Company has completed
all renovations and is currently running final acceptance testing. The Company
utilized outside consultants to assist with these corrections at a cost of
approximately $1,900,000 which was 5% below original expectations. The Company
believes that with conversion to the new software and with the modifications to
existing software, the Year 2000 issue will not pose significant operational
problems for its IT systems.

         The Company also has identified and will have replaced all non-IT
systems that have Year 2000 issues by the end of November 1999. The cost to
replace non-IT systems is not material. In addition, the Company has contacted
all critical vendors to obtain status on their Year 2000 issues, and is
presently following up as needed. The Company currently is contacting all major
customers to develop contingency plans with them as required. To date, none of
the contingency plans have a material impact on the Company.

         The worst case scenario of the Company, its vendors, or its customers
not being fully Year 2000 compliant include temporary plant closings, delays in
delivery of finished goods or receipt of raw materials, invoice and collection
errors, and possible inventory and supply obsolescence. Should these events
occur, the impact on the Company's results of operations, financial condition,
and cash flows could be material. The Company believes that its approach to the
Year 2000 issue should reduce the likelihood of any such disruptions and should
help to minimize the adverse effects if they do occur. As developed, contingency
plans and related cost estimates will be continually updated as additional
information becomes available.

         The costs of the ITR project, the date on which the Company believes it
will complete the Year 2000 modifications, and the statements with regard to the
potential effect of the Year 2000 issue on the Company's operations and
financial condition are based on management's best estimates, which were derived
utilizing numerous assumptions of future events, including the continued
availability of certain resources and other factors. However, there can be no

<PAGE>   9

                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                           No. 9

guarantee that these estimates will be achieved and actual results could differ
materially from those anticipated. Specific factors that might cause such
material differences include, but are not limited to, the availability and cost
of personnel trained in this area, the ability to locate and correct all
relevant computer codes, and similar uncertainties.


Recently Issued Accounting Standards
- ------------------------------------

         In 1998, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments
and Hedging Activities (SFAS 133). SFAS 133 changes the accounting related to
derivative instruments. Currently, the Company does not have significant
participation in derivative instruments. Although the Company has not yet
completed its evaluation of the potential impact of adopting SFAS 133 on future
earnings, it does not expect the impact to be material. The Company is required
to adopt this statement in fiscal 2002.

Certain Forward-Looking Statements
- ----------------------------------

         This quarterly report includes certain forward-looking statements that
are based on current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties. Actual results may differ depending on a number of factors
including: the success of the Company's marketing programs during the year;
competitive activity; the mix of products sold and level of marketing
expenditures needed to generate sales; an increase in fruit costs or costs of
other significant ingredients, including sweeteners; the ability of the Company
to maintain and/or improve sales and earnings performance of its nonretail
business areas; foreign currency exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations;
level of capital resources required for and success of future acquisitions; and
the successful implementation of the Company's operational efficiency
improvement and overhead reduction plans and its information technology
reengineering project and Year 2000 modifications.

<PAGE>   10


                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                          No. 10

                           PART II. OTHER INFORMATION



Item 6.  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K
         --------------------------------

                  (a)      Exhibits
                           --------

                           See the Index of Exhibits that appears on Sequential
                           Page No. 12 of this report.

                  (b)      Reports on Form 8-K
                           -------------------

                           No Reports on Form 8-K were required to be filed
                           during the quarter for which this report is filed.


<PAGE>   11



                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                          No. 11

                                   SIGNATURES


         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Company has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.



September 10, 1999                    THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY



                                      /s/  Steven J. Ellcessor
                                      ------------------------
                                      BY STEVEN J. ELLCESSOR
                                      Vice President-Finance and Administration,
                                      Secretary, and General Counsel


                                      /s/   Richard K. Smucker
                                      ------------------------
                                      AND RICHARD K. SMUCKER
                                      President





<PAGE>   12



                                                                 Sequential Page
                                                                          No. 12



                                INDEX OF EXHIBITS

                     That are filed with the Commission and
                           The New York Stock Exchange


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
      Assigned                                                                          Sequential
   Exhibit No. *                        Description                                      Page No.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<S>               <C>                                                                   <C>
       10(a)      Top Management Supplemental Retirement Benefit Plan
                  (May 1, 1999 Restatement)

       10 (b)     Note Purchase Agreement (Dated as of June 16, 1999)

         27       Financial data schedules pursuant to Article 5 in Regulation S-X.
</TABLE>


* Exhibits 2, 3, 4, 11, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, and 99 are either inapplicable
  to the Company or require no answer.




<PAGE>   1
                                                                   Exhibit 10(a)





                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY

                           TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPLEMENTAL

                             RETIREMENT BENEFIT PLAN

                            (MAY 1, 1999 RESTATEMENT)


<PAGE>   2



                            THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY
                           TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPLEMENTAL
                             RETIREMENT BENEFIT PLAN
                            (MAY 1, 1999 RESTATEMENT)


         The J. M. Smucker Company Top Management Supplemental Retirement
Benefit Plan established effective January 1, 1985, as amended and restated
effective May 1, 1994, for the purpose of supplementing the retirement benefits
of certain officers and other key management employees of The J. M. Smucker
Company and its subsidiaries who are selected to participate in the Plan, is
hereby again amended and restated in its entirety, effective May 1, 1999, for
individuals who retire, die or enter into pay status on or after August 1, 1998.
Benefit payments under this Plan for individuals who retire, die or enter into
pay status on or after August 1, 1998 shall be increased to reflect the benefit
changes made by this plan restatement beginning with the calendar month
following the date on which the individual retired, died or entered into pay
status.
                                    ARTICLE I
                                    ---------

                                   DEFINITIONS
                                   -----------

        For the purposes hereof, the following words and phrases shall have the
meanings indicated:

        1.1 The "Plan" means the supplemental retirement benefit plan as set
forth herein, together with all amendments thereto, which Plan shall be called
"The J. M. Smucker Company Top Management Supplemental Retirement Benefit Plan."

        1.2 The "Company" means The J. M. Smucker Company, an Ohio corporation,
its corporate successors, and the surviving corporation resulting from any
merger or consolidation of The J. M. Smucker Company with any other corporation
or corporations.

        1.3 A "Subsidiary" means any corporation 50% or more of the issued and
outstanding voting stock of which is owned or controlled by the Company,
directly or indirectly.


<PAGE>   3

        1.4 An "Employer" means the Company and any Subsidiary.

        1.5 A "Participant" means a key executive of the Company or of a
Subsidiary who is selected from time to time by the board of directors to
participate in the Plan. A Participant's selection and approval to participate
in the Plan shall be evidenced in writing in the form of a contract between the
Participant and the Company.

        1.6 The "Retirement Plan" means The J. M. Smucker Company Employees'
Retirement Plan.

        1.7 The "Final Average Monthly Salary" of a Participant means the
Participant's "average monthly base compensation" under the Retirement Plan but
determined using the highest aggregate base compensation, management bonuses and
Christmas bonuses received by the Participant during any 60 consecutive full
calendar months of employment prior to the earlier of his retirement or other
termination of employment or the date of any termination of the Retirement Plan.
Except as provided below, for purposes of calculating Final Average Monthly
Salary, any bonus earned by a Participant during a fiscal year of the Company
shall be treated as having been paid to the Participant on the last day of the
fiscal year to which such bonus relates, rather than on the later date of actual
payment to the Participant. Only five (5) consecutive years' bonuses will be
taken into consideration in determining Final Average Monthly Salary. However,
any bonus paid to a Participant after his termination of employment will be
included in determining Final Average Monthly Salary only if such inclusion
serves to increase his Final Average Monthly Salary; if inclusion of such bonus
would cause his Final Average Monthly Salary to decrease, then such bonus shall
be disregarded and an earlier year's bonus used in selecting the five (5)
consecutive years' bonuses to be taken into consideration.

                                       2
<PAGE>   4

         1.8 A Participant's "Normal Retirement Date" means the date on which he
attains age 65.

         1.9 The "Social Security Offset Amount" of a Participant means his
estimated monthly Primary Insurance Amount under the federal Social Security Act
as in effect on the day immediately preceding the earlier of his retirement or
other termination of employment or any termination of the Plan; moreover, if
such event occurs before the Participant attains age 62, his estimated monthly
Primary Insurance Amount shall be equal to the amount he would receive at age 62
on the assumption that from and after the date of his retirement or termination
the Participant will receive no further compensation which is treated as wages
for purposes of the Act. Provided, however, if an Employee previously had
retired due to permanent and total disability and was entitled to receive
long-term disability benefits under any plan maintained by an Employer,
computation of his monthly Primary Insurance Amount upon subsequent retirement
under the Plan shall be based on the Act in effect on his date of disability
retirement. All estimates hereunder shall be made by the Company, upon the
advice of an actuary, using standards of uniform and non-discriminatory
application.

         1.10 A Participant's "Monthly Retirement Benefit" means the amount of
monthly benefit to which he is entitled under the terms of this Plan, as
determined in accordance with Article II hereof.

         1.11 The "Years of Service" of a Participant means the Participant's
years of "benefit service" under the Retirement Plan but determined including
any periods of employment after his Normal Retirement Date. Years of Service
shall include fractional years to the nearest 1/10th year based upon the number
of days since the employment anniversary date.



                                       3
<PAGE>   5

         Wherever used herein, the masculine pronoun shall include the feminine,
the singular shall include the plural, and the plural shall include the
singular.

                                   ARTICLE II
                                   ----------

                        SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT BENEFITS
                        --------------------------------

         2.1 NORMAL RETIREMENT. A Participant who retires from employment with
his Employer on or after his Normal Retirement Date, or who has left active
employment prior to his Normal Retirement Date under conditions of eligibility
for a long-term disability benefit under any plan maintained by an Employer and
is receiving long-term disability benefits on his Normal Retirement Date, shall
be eligible for a normal retirement Monthly Retirement Benefit in an amount
equal to:

         (a)      two and one-half percent of his Final Average Monthly Salary
                  multiplied by his Years of Service, not to exceed 20 years,
                  plus an additional one percent for each Year of Service after
                  20 years not to exceed an additional 5 years, less

         (b)      100 percent of his Social Security Offset Amount, less

         (c)      the amount of his monthly retirement benefit under the
                  Retirement Plan. In calculating the amount of the offset under
                  this paragraph (c), benefits attributable to Participant
                  contributions under the supplemental portion of the Retirement
                  Plan shall be disregarded. However, benefits attributable to
                  Company contributions under the supplemental portion of the
                  Retirement Plan, which are subject to this offset, shall be
                  calculated as those benefits which the Participant would have
                  been eligible to receive, assuming he had contributed to the
                  supplemental portion of the Retirement Plan for all periods
                  for which he was eligible to contribute, regardless of whether
                  such contributions were actually made or not.



                                       4
<PAGE>   6

         A normal retirement Monthly Retirement Benefit shall be paid to an
eligible Participant commencing as of the first day of the month following the
month in which he retires and shall be payable monthly thereafter in accordance
with the terms of Section 2.4 or an optional form of benefit elected under
Section 2.5.

         Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Participant who is still employed by
an Employer on the April 1 following the calendar year in which he attains age
70-1/2 shall commence receiving the Monthly Retirement Benefit provided under
this Section 2.1 as of April 1 following the calendar year in which he attains
age 70-1/2.

         2.2 EARLY RETIREMENT. A Participant who retires from employment with
his Employer at or after age 55, but prior to his Normal Retirement Date, who
has at least ten (10) Years of Service, and who is not eligible for a short or
long-term disability benefit under any plan maintained by an Employer, shall be
eligible for an early retirement Monthly Retirement Benefit in an amount
determined after his early retirement in the same manner as provided for a
normal retirement Monthly Retirement Benefit, except that the amount determined
in Section 2.1(a) above shall be reduced by one-third of one percent for each
full month by which commencement of payment of the benefit precedes the month
following the date on which the Participant attains age 62. An early retirement
Monthly Retirement Benefit shall be paid to an eligible Participant commencing
on or after the first day of the month following the month in which he retires
and shall be payable monthly thereafter in accordance with the terms of Section
2.4 or an optional form of benefit elected under Section 2.5.

         2.3 TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. The Plan is intended to provide benefits
for career employees of an Employer. Therefore, a Participant who terminates his
employment with his Employer for any reason other than death and who is not
eligible for any retirement benefit under



                                       5
<PAGE>   7

the Plan or a short or long-term disability benefit under any plan maintained by
an Employer, shall not be eligible for any Monthly Retirement Benefit under the
Plan, except that such a Participant, who has at least ten (10) Years of
Service, is eligible for a deferred Monthly Retirement Benefit in an amount
determined after his termination of employment in the same manner as provided
for an early retirement Monthly Retirement Benefit. A deferred Monthly
Retirement Benefit shall be paid to an eligible Participant commencing on or
after the first day of the month following the month in which he attains age 55
and shall be payable monthly thereafter in accordance with the terms of Section
2.4 or an optional form of benefit elected under Section 2.5.

         2.4      NORMAL FORM OF PAYMENT.

                  (A) A Participant who becomes eligible to receive a Monthly
         Retirement Benefit and who is married at the time payment of his
         Monthly Retirement Benefit commences shall receive payment of such
         benefit in the form of a qualified joint and survivor annuity that in
         the event of the Participant's death would provide a benefit to the
         Participant's surviving spouse equal to 50 percent of the benefit the
         Participant was receiving at the time of his death unless an optional
         form of payment is elected under Section 2.5 of this Plan. To receive a
         benefit under the qualified joint and survivor form of payment, a
         Participant's surviving spouse must be the same spouse to whom the
         Participant was married at the time payment of his Monthly Retirement
         Benefit commenced.

                  The present value of the qualified joint and survivor annuity
         payable to a Participant hereunder shall be the actuarial equivalent of
         the present value of the benefit otherwise payable to him under the
         Plan.



                                       6
<PAGE>   8

                  (B) A Participant who becomes eligible to receive a Monthly
         Retirement Benefit and who is unmarried at the time payment of his
         Monthly Retirement Benefit commences shall receive payment of such
         benefit in the form of a single life annuity unless an optional form of
         payment is elected under Section 2.5 of this Plan. Such Participant
         shall receive an unreduced Monthly Retirement Benefit payable for his
         lifetime, the last monthly payment being for the month in which his
         death occurs.

        2.5 OPTIONAL FORMS OF PAYMENT.

        An unmarried Participant or a married Participant who has obtained
spousal consent as required and set forth under the provisions of the Retirement
Plan may elect to receive his supplemental retirement benefit under one of the
following optional forms of payment:

             (A) OPTION A - 100% JOINT AND SURVIVOR ANNUITY. The retired
         Participant shall receive a reduced Monthly Retirement Benefit payable
         for his lifetime, the last monthly payment being for the month in which
         his death occurs. If the Participant's beneficiary survives him, then
         commencing with the month following the month in which his death
         occurs, his beneficiary shall receive a continuing monthly benefit
         equal to such reduced amount for such beneficiary's lifetime, the last
         monthly payment being for the month in which the death of the
         beneficiary occurs.

             (B) OPTION B - 50% JOINT AND SURVIVOR ANNUITY. The retired
         Participant shall receive a reduced Monthly Retirement Benefit payable
         for his lifetime, the last monthly payment being for the month in which
         his death occurs. If the Participant's beneficiary survives him, then
         commencing with the month following the month in which his death
         occurs, his beneficiary shall receive a continuing monthly benefit
         equal to one-half of such reduced amount


                                       7
<PAGE>   9

         for such beneficiary's lifetime, the last monthly payment being for the
         month in which the death of the beneficiary occurs.

             (C) OPTION C - 66 2/3% JOINT AND SURVIVOR ANNUITY. The retired
         Participant shall receive a reduced Monthly Retirement Benefit payable
         for his lifetime, the last monthly payment being for the month in which
         his death occurs. If the Participant's beneficiary survives him, then
         commencing with the month following the month in which his death
         occurs, his beneficiary shall receive a continuing monthly benefit
         equal to two-thirds of such reduced amount for such beneficiary's
         lifetime, the last monthly payment being for the month in which the
         death of the beneficiary occurs.

             (D) OPTION D - TEN-YEAR CERTAIN AND LIFE ANNUITY. The retired
         Participant shall receive a reduced Monthly Retirement Benefit payable
         for his lifetime, with the continuance after his death to the
         beneficiary or beneficiaries designated by him of a monthly benefit
         equal to such reduced amount for the remainder, if any, of the ten-year
         term commencing with the retired Participant's beginning payment date.
         If any monthly benefit payments remain unpaid upon the death of the
         survivor of the Participant and his beneficiary, the remaining payments
         shall be made to the estate of such survivor.

         If the retired Participant's beneficiary under an optional form of
payment is his spouse, spousal consent shall only be required in the case of
Option D above, and not for Options A, B or C.

         A Participant's beneficiary may be any person or persons selected by
such Participant with his spouse's consent. The reduced monthly payments to be
made to a retired Participant under an optional form of payment shall be in an
amount which, on the date of commencement thereof, is the actuarial equivalent
of the monthly benefit otherwise payable to the Participant under the Plan in
lieu of which the option was elected, taking into account the age of the
Participant and the age of his beneficiary.


                                       8
<PAGE>   10

                                   ARTICLE III
                                   -----------

                                SURVIVOR BENEFITS
                                -----------------

         3.1 If a Participant who has at least five (5) Years of Service should
die after his retirement or termination of employment but prior to the
commencement of benefit payments under the Plan, and if the Participant had a
surviving spouse as defined in the Retirement Plan, the surviving spouse shall
be eligible for payments as if the Participant had effectively elected the 50
percent joint and survivor option described under the Retirement Plan and
designated his spouse as his beneficiary.

         3.2 If a Participant who has at least five (5) Years of Service should
die prior to retirement or termination of employment, and if the Participant had
a surviving spouse as defined in the Retirement Plan, the surviving spouse shall
be eligible for payments as if the Participant had retired or terminated on the
day before his death.

         3.3 If a Participant had ten (10) or more Years of Service on his date
of death, his survivor benefit under this Article III shall commence on or after
the later of the month next following his date of death or the month next
following the date on which he would have attained age fifty-five (55). If a
Participant had at least five (5) but less than ten (10) Years of Service on his
date of death, his survivor benefit under this Article III shall commence on the
later of the month next following his date of death or the month next following
the date on which he would have attained age sixty-five (65).

                                   ARTICLE IV
                                   ----------

                                SPECIAL CREDITING
                                -----------------

         4.1 Employees who are Participants under the Plan as of its effective
date of January 1, 1985 automatically will be credited with twenty (20) Years of
Service or their actual number of



                                       9
<PAGE>   11

Years of Service, whichever is greater, as of the date of their retirement or
termination of employment.

                                    ARTICLE V
                                    ---------

                                 ADMINISTRATION
                                 --------------

         5.1 The Company shall be responsible for the administration of the
Plan. The Company shall have all such powers as may be necessary to carry out
the Plan, including the power to determine all questions relating to eligibility
for and the amount of any benefit and all questions pertaining to claims for
benefits and procedures for claim review; to resolve all other questions arising
under the Plan, including any questions of construction; and to take such
further action as the Company shall deem advisable in the administration of the
Plan. The actions taken and the decisions made by the Company hereunder shall be
final and binding upon all interested parties.

                                   ARTICLE VI
                                   ----------

                                     FUNDING
                                     -------

         6.1 Benefits under the Plan shall be paid out of the general assets of
the Employers including any trust or fund created for that purpose.

                                   ARTICLE VII
                                   -----------

                            AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
                            -------------------------

         7.1 The Company reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan at
any time by action of its board of directors. Notwithstanding any such action,
the Company shall be obligated to pay any benefits already accrued to any
Participant under the Plan at the date of amendment or termination of the Plan
and to continue making payments in the amounts determined to any retired
Participant or his beneficiary, and shall be obligated to pay benefits in
amounts not less than the



                                       10
<PAGE>   12

benefits to which a Participant or his beneficiary would be entitled hereunder
upon retirement, death or other termination of employment at the time of such
amendment or termination. If a trust is being used to fund assets under the Plan
and the Plan is terminated, any excess assets remaining in the trust after the
full value of benefits already accrued to Participants under the Plan has been
paid to such Participants or their beneficiaries shall revert to the Company.

                                  ARTICLE VIII

                                  MISCELLANEOUS

         8.1 NON-ALIENATION OF RETIREMENT RIGHTS OR BENEFITS. Neither the
Participant nor any beneficiary shall encumber or dispose of his right to
receive any payments hereunder, which payments or the right thereto are
expressly declared to be non-assignable and non-transferable. Any payment which
the Company is required to make hereunder may be made, in the discretion of the
Company, directly to the Participant or beneficiary or to any other person for
the use or benefit of such Participant or beneficiary or that of his dependents,
if any, including any person furnishing goods or services to or for the use or
benefit of such Participant or beneficiary or that of his dependents, if any.
Each such payment may be made without the intervention of a guardian. Any
receipt by the payee shall constitute a complete acquittance to the Company with
respect thereto, and the Company shall have no responsibility for the proper
application thereof.

         8.2 NO EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEED. Nothing herein contained shall be
construed as a commitment or agreement on the part of any person employed by the
Company or any Subsidiary to continue his employment with the Company or any
Subsidiary, and nothing herein contained shall be construed as a commitment on
the part of the Company or any Subsidiary to continue the employment or the
annual salary rate of any such person for any period, and all Participants shall
remain subject to discharge to the same extent as if the Plan was never put into
effect.



                                       11
<PAGE>   13

         8.3 INTEREST OF PARTICIPANT. The obligation of the Company under the
Plan to provide the Participant with benefits hereunder merely constitutes the
unsecured promise of the Company to make payments as provided herein, and the
Participant shall have no interest in, and no lien or prior claim upon, any
property of the Company or of any Subsidiary.

         8.4 CLAIMS OF OTHER PERSONS. The provisions of the Plan shall in no
event be construed as giving any person, firm or corporation, any legal or
equitable rights as against the Company, its officers, employees, or directors,
except any such rights as are specifically provided for in the Plan or are
hereafter created in accordance with the terms of the Plan.

         8.5 NO COMPETITION. The right of any Participant, surviving spouse, or
other beneficiary to a supplemental retirement benefit under the Plan will be
terminated, or, if payment thereof has begun, all further payments will be
discontinued and forfeited, in the event the Participant (i) at any time
wrongfully discloses any secret process or trade secret of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, or (ii) engages, either directly or indirectly, as an officer,
trustee, employee, consultant, partner, or substantial shareholder, on his own
account or in any other capacity, in a business venture within the ten-year
period following his retirement or termination of employment that the Company's
board of directors reasonably determines to be competitive with the Company to a
degree materially contrary to the Company's best interest.

         8.6 SEVERABILITY. The invalidity or unenforceability of any particular
provision of the Plan shall not affect any other provision hereof, and the Plan
shall be construed in all respects as if such invalid or unenforceable provision
were omitted herefrom.

         8.7 GOVERNING LAW. The Plan shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio.





                                       12
<PAGE>   14

         8.8 SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. The Plan and the obligations created
hereunder shall be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns.

         8.9 DISHONEST CONDUCT OF A PARTICIPANT. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained in the Plan, if a Participant's employment with an Employer
is terminated because the Company determines the Participant (i) engaged in
dishonest or fraudulent acts against an Employer, (ii) willfully injured
property of an Employer, (iii) conspired against an Employer, or (iv) disclosed
confidential information concerning an Employer, then no supplemental retirement
benefit shall be payable to the Participant or his surviving spouse under the
Plan.

         EXECUTED at Orrville, Ohio, this 6th day of July, 1999.

                                             THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY


                                             /s/ Richard K. Smucker
                                             --------------------------
                                             By: Richard K. Smucker
                                                 President


                                             /s/  Philip P. Yuschak
                                             --------------------------
                                             By:  Philip P. Yuschak
                                                  Treasurer





                                       13


<PAGE>   1
                                                                   Exhibit 10(b)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------














                            THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY


         --------------------------------------------------------------


                             NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

         --------------------------------------------------------------



                            DATED AS OF JUNE 16, 1999












                                   $75,000,000
                       6.77% SENIOR NOTES DUE JUNE 1, 2009


[THE HOLDERS OF THE NOTES ISSUED PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED,
AS A CURTESY, BUT SHALL HAVE NO OBLIGATION UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, TO PROVIDE THE
COMPANY WITH NOTICE OF THEIR DISCLOSURE OF "CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION" (AS
DEFINED IN THIS AGREEMENT) IN RESPONSE TO ANY SUBPOENA OR OTHER LEGAL PROCESS OR
IN CONNECTION WITH CERTAIN REGULATORY DISCLOSURES]


- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


<PAGE>   2


                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----


1.  AUTHORIZATION OF NOTES.....................................................1

2.  SALE AND PURCHASE OF NOTES.................................................1

3.  CLOSING....................................................................1

4.  CONDITIONS TO CLOSING......................................................2
    4.1      Representations and Warranties....................................2
    4.2      Performance; No Default...........................................2
    4.3      Compliance Certificates...........................................2
    4.4      Opinions of Counsel...............................................2
    4.5      Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law, etc.........................3
    4.6      Sale of Other Notes...............................................3
    4.7      Payment of Special Counsel Fees...................................3
    4.8      Private Placement Number..........................................3
    4.9      Changes in Corporate Structure....................................3
    4.10     Proceedings and Documents.........................................4

5.  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY..............................4
    5.1      Organization; Power and Authority.................................4
    5.2      Authorization, etc................................................4
    5.3      Disclosure........................................................4
    5.4      Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries..............5
    5.5      Financial Statements..............................................5
    5.6      Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, etc......................5
    5.7      Governmental Authorizations, etc..................................6
    5.8      Litigation; Observance of Statutes and Orders.....................6
    5.9      Taxes.............................................................6
    5.10     Title to Property; Leases.........................................6
    5.11     Licenses, Permits, etc............................................7
    5.12     Compliance with ERISA.............................................7
    5.13     Private Offering by the Company...................................8
    5.14     Use of Proceeds; Margin Regulations...............................8
    5.15     Existing Indebtedness.............................................8
    5.16     Foreign Assets Control Regulations, etc...........................8
    5.17     Status under Certain Statutes.....................................9
    5.18     Year 2000 Compliant...............................................9

6.  REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PURCHASER...........................................9
    6.1      Purchase for Investment...........................................9
    6.2      Source of Funds...................................................9
    6.3      Authorization, etc...............................................11

7.  INFORMATION AS TO COMPANY.................................................11


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

<PAGE>   3


                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                           PAGE
                                                                           ----

    7.1      Financial and Business Information..............................11
    7.2      Officer's Certificate...........................................13
    7.3      Inspection......................................................14

8.  PREPAYMENT OF THE NOTES..................................................14
    8.1      Payment of Notes at Maturity....................................14
    8.2      Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount.....................14
    8.3      Change in Control...............................................15
    8.4      Allocation of Partial Prepayments...............................16
    8.5      Maturity; Surrender, etc........................................17
    8.6      Purchase of Notes...............................................17
    8.7      Make-Whole Amount...............................................17

9.  AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS....................................................19
    9.1      Compliance with Law.............................................19
    9.2      Insurance.......................................................19
    9.3      Maintenance of Properties.......................................19
    9.4      Payment of Taxes................................................19
    9.5      Corporate Existence, etc........................................20
    9.6      Pari Passu Ranking..............................................20
    9.7      Year 2000 Compliant.............................................20

10. NEGATIVE COVENANTS.......................................................20
    10.1     Transactions with Affiliates....................................20
    10.2     Merger, Consolidation, etc......................................20
    10.3     Consolidated Net Worth..........................................21
    10.4     Incurrence of Funded Debt.......................................21
    10.5     Incurrence of Current Debt......................................22
    10.6     Priority Debt...................................................22
    10.7     Liens...........................................................23
    10.8     Asset Sales.....................................................24
    10.9     Sale-and-Leaseback Transactions.................................25
    10.10    Line of Business................................................25

11. EVENTS OF DEFAULT........................................................26

12. REMEDIES ON DEFAULT, ETC.................................................28
    12.1     Acceleration....................................................28
    12.2     Other Remedies..................................................29
    12.3     Rescission......................................................29
    12.4     No Waivers or Election of Remedies, Expenses, etc...............29

13. REGISTRATION; EXCHANGE; SUBSTITUTION OF NOTES............................29
    13.1     Registration of Notes...........................................29
    13.2     Transfer and Exchange of Notes..................................30

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

<PAGE>   4


                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                            PAGE
                                                                            ----

    13.3     Replacement of Notes.............................................30

14. PAYMENTS ON NOTES.........................................................31
    14.1     Place of Payment.................................................31
    14.2     Home Office Payment..............................................31

15. EXPENSES, ETC.............................................................31
    15.1     Transaction Expenses.............................................31
    15.2     Survival.........................................................32

16. SURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; ENTIRE AGREEMENT..............32

17. AMENDMENT AND WAIVER......................................................32
    17.1     Requirements.....................................................32
    17.2     Solicitation of Holders of Notes.................................32
    17.3     Binding Effect, etc..............................................33
    17.4     Notes held by Company, etc.......................................33

18. NOTICES...................................................................33

19. REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS.................................................34

20. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION..................................................34

21. MISCELLANEOUS.............................................................36
    21.1     Successors and Assigns...........................................36
    21.2     Payments Due on Non-Business Days................................36
    21.3     Severability.....................................................36
    21.4     Construction.....................................................36
    21.5     Counterparts.....................................................37
    21.6     Governing Law....................................................37



THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

<PAGE>   5



                              SCHEDULES & EXHIBITS


      SCHEDULE A        --   Information Relating to Purchasers

      SCHEDULE B        --   Defined Terms

      SCHEDULE 4.9      --   Changes in Corporate Structure

      SCHEDULE 5.3      --   Disclosure Materials

      SCHEDULE 5.4      --   Organization and Ownership of Shares of
                             Subsidiaries

      SCHEDULE 5.5      --   Financial Statements

      SCHEDULE 5.8      --   Certain Litigation

      SCHEDULE 5.11     --   Licenses, Permits, etc.

      SCHEDULE 5.14     --   Use of Proceeds

      SCHEDULE 5.15     --   Existing Indebtedness

      EXHIBIT 1         --   Form of 6.77% Senior Note due June 1, 2009

      EXHIBIT 4.4(a)    --   Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Company

      EXHIBIT 4.4(b)    --   Form of Opinion of Special Counsel for the
                             Purchasers

      EXHIBIT 5.13      --   Form of Offeree Letter




THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

<PAGE>   6



                            THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY
                                 STRAWBERRY LANE
                              ORRVILLE, OHIO 44667


                                   $75,000,000
                       6.77% SENIOR NOTES DUE JUNE 1, 2009


                                                      Dated as of June 16, 1999


To Each of the Purchasers Listed in
  the Attached Schedule A:

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY, an Ohio corporation (the "COMPANY"), agrees
with you as follows:

1.       AUTHORIZATION OF NOTES

         The Company will authorize the issue and sale of $75,000,000 aggregate
principal amount of its 6.77% Senior Notes due June 1, 2009 (the "NOTES", such
term to include any such notes issued in substitution therefor pursuant to
Section 13 of this Agreement or the Other Agreements (as hereinafter defined)).
The Notes shall be substantially in the form set out in Exhibit 1, with such
changes therefrom, if any, as may be approved by you and the Company. Certain
capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in Schedule B; references
to a "Schedule" or an "Exhibit" are, unless otherwise specified, to a Schedule
or an Exhibit attached to this Agreement.

2.       SALE AND PURCHASE OF NOTES

         Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company will
issue and sell to you and you will purchase from the Company, at the Closing
provided for in Section 3, Notes in the principal amount specified opposite your
name in Schedule A at the purchase price of 100% of the principal amount
thereof. Contemporaneously with entering into this Agreement, the Company is
entering into separate Note Purchase Agreements (the "OTHER AGREEMENTS")
identical with this Agreement with each of the other purchasers named in
Schedule A (the "OTHER PURCHASERS"), providing for the sale at such Closing to
each of the Other Purchasers of Notes in the principal amount specified opposite
its name in Schedule A. Your obligation hereunder and the obligations of the
Other Purchasers under the Other Agreements are several and not joint
obligations and you shall have no obligation under any Other Agreement and no
liability to any Person for the performance or non-performance by any Other
Purchaser thereunder.

3.       CLOSING

         The sale and purchase of the Notes to be purchased by you and the Other
Purchasers shall occur at the offices of Hebb & Gitlin, One State Street,
Hartford, Connecticut 06103, at 10:00 a.m., local time, at a closing (the
"CLOSING") on June 18, 1999 or on such other Business Day thereafter on or prior
to June 21, 1999 as may be agreed upon by the Company and you and the Other
Purchasers. At the Closing the Company

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT


<PAGE>   7



will deliver to you the Notes to be purchased by you in the form of a single
Note (or such greater number of Notes in denominations of at least $100,000 as
you may request) dated the date of the Closing and registered in your name (or
in the name of your nominee), against delivery by you to the Company or its
order of immediately available funds in the amount of the purchase price
therefor by wire transfer of immediately available funds for the account of the
Company to account number 2037464 at National City Bank, Cleveland, Ohio, ABA
number 041000124, Attn: The J.M. Smucker Company. If at the Closing the Company
shall fail to tender such Notes to you as provided above in this Section 3, or
any of the conditions specified in Section 4 shall not have been fulfilled to
your satisfaction, you shall, at your election, be relieved of all further
obligations under this Agreement, without thereby waiving any rights you may
have by reason of such failure or such nonfulfillment.

4.       CONDITIONS TO CLOSING

         Your obligation to purchase and pay for the Notes to be sold to you at
the Closing is subject to the fulfillment to your reasonable satisfaction, prior
to or at the Closing, of the following conditions:

         4.1      REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.

         The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement
shall be correct when made and at the time of the Closing.

         4.2      PERFORMANCE; NO DEFAULT.

         The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements and
conditions contained in this Agreement required to be performed or complied with
by it prior to or at the Closing and after giving effect to the issue and sale
of the Notes (and the application of the proceeds thereof as contemplated by
Schedule 5.14) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be
continuing.

         4.3      COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATES.

                  (a) OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE. The Company shall have delivered to
         you an Officer's Certificate, dated the date of the Closing, certifying
         that the conditions specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.9 have been
         fulfilled.

                  (b) SECRETARY'S CERTIFICATE. The Company shall have delivered
         to you a certificate certifying as to the resolutions attached thereto
         and other corporate proceedings relating to the authorization,
         execution and delivery of the Notes, this Agreement and the Other
         Agreements.

         4.4      OPINIONS OF COUNSEL.

         You shall have received opinions in form and substance satisfactory to
you, dated the date of the Closing from

                  (a) Steven J. Ellcessor, General Counsel of the Company, in
         the form set forth in Exhibit 4.4(a) (and the Company hereby instructs
         its counsel to deliver such opinion to you), and

                  (b) Hebb & Gitlin, your special counsel in connection with
         such transactions, in the form set forth in Exhibit 4.4(b).




THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                        2

<PAGE>   8





         4.5      PURCHASE PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ETC.

         On the date of the Closing your purchase of Notes shall (i) be
permitted by the laws and regulations of each jurisdiction to which you are
subject, without recourse to provisions (such as Section 1405(a)(8) of the New
York Insurance Law) permitting limited investments by insurance companies
without restriction as to the character of the particular investment, (ii) not
violate any applicable law or regulation (including, without limitation,
Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System)
and (iii) not subject you to any tax, penalty or liability under or pursuant to
any applicable law or regulation, which law or regulation was not in effect on
the date hereof. If requested by you, you shall have received an Officer's
Certificate certifying as to such matters of fact as you may reasonably specify
to enable you to determine whether such purchase is so permitted.

         4.6      SALE OF OTHER NOTES.

         Contemporaneously with the Closing the Company shall sell to the Other
Purchasers and the Other Purchasers shall purchase the Notes to be purchased by
them at the Closing as specified in Schedule A.

         4.7      PAYMENT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL FEES.

         Without limiting the provisions of Section 15.1, the Company shall have
paid on or before the Closing the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of
Hebb & Gitlin, your special counsel referred to in Section 4.4, to the extent
reflected in a statement of such counsel rendered to the Company at least one
Business Day prior to the Closing, which statement will include all accrued fees
and disbursements of such counsel, together with an estimate for the additional
fees and disbursements of such counsel necessary to complete the Closing and all
post-closing matters relating thereto (including, without limitation,
preparation of closing files).

         4.8      PRIVATE PLACEMENT NUMBER.

         A Private Placement number issued by Standard & Poor's CUSIP Service
Bureau (in cooperation with the Securities Valuation Office of the National
Association of Insurance Commissioners) shall have been obtained by the Company
for the Notes.

         4.9      CHANGES IN CORPORATE STRUCTURE.

         Except as specified in Schedule 4.9, the Company shall not have changed
its jurisdiction of incorporation or been a party to any merger or consolidation
and shall not have succeeded to all or any substantial part of the liabilities
of any other entity, at any time following the date of the most recent financial
statements referred to in Schedule 5.5.





THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

                                        3

<PAGE>   9




         4.10     PROCEEDINGS AND DOCUMENTS.

         All corporate and other proceedings in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and all documents and instruments incident to
such transactions shall be satisfactory to you and your special counsel, and you
and your special counsel shall have received all such counterpart originals or
certified or other copies of such documents as you or they may reasonably
request.

5.       REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY

         The Company represents and warrants to you that:

         5.1      ORGANIZATION; POWER AND AUTHORITY.

         The Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, and is duly
qualified as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction
in which such qualification is required by law, other than those jurisdictions
as to which the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect. The Company has the corporate power and authority to own or hold
under lease the properties it purports to own or hold under lease, to transact
the business it transacts and proposes to transact, to execute and deliver this
Agreement and the Other Agreements and the Notes and to perform the provisions
hereof and thereof.

         5.2      AUTHORIZATION, ETC.

         This Agreement and the Other Agreements and the Notes have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, and
this Agreement constitutes, and upon execution and delivery thereof each Note
will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such
enforceability may be limited by (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting the enforcement of
creditors' rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity (regardless of
whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

         5.3      DISCLOSURE.

         The Company, through its agent, William Blair & Company, has delivered
to you and each Other Purchaser a copy of a Private Placement Memorandum, dated
May, 1999 (the "MEMORANDUM"), relating to the transactions contemplated hereby.
Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.3, this Agreement, the Memorandum, the
documents, certificates or other writings identified in Schedule 5.3 and the
financial statements listed in Schedule 5.5, taken as a whole, do not contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances under which they were made. Except as disclosed in the Memorandum
or as expressly described in Schedule 5.3, or in one of the documents,
certificates or other writings identified therein, or in the financial
statements listed in Schedule 5.5, since April 30, 1998, there has been no
change in the financial condition, operations, business or properties of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries except changes that individually or in the
aggregate would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

         5.4      ORGANIZATION AND OWNERSHIP OF SHARES OF SUBSIDIARIES.




THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT


                                        4

<PAGE>   10




                  (a) Schedule 5.4 is (except as noted therein) a complete and
         correct list of the Company's Subsidiaries, showing, as to each
         Subsidiary, the correct name thereof, the jurisdiction of its
         organization, and the percentage of shares of each class of its capital
         stock or similar equity interests outstanding owned by the Company and
         each other Subsidiary.

                  (b) All of the outstanding shares of capital stock or similar
         equity interests of each Subsidiary shown in Schedule 5.4 as being
         owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are
         fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company or another
         Subsidiary free and clear of any Lien (except as otherwise disclosed in
         Schedule 5.4).

                  (c) Each Subsidiary identified in Schedule 5.4 is a
         corporation or other legal entity duly organized, validly existing and
         in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization,
         and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or other legal entity
         and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such
         qualification is required by law, other than those jurisdictions as to
         which the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not,
         individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a
         Material Adverse Effect. Each such Subsidiary has the corporate or
         other power and authority to own or hold under lease the properties it
         purports to own or hold under lease and to transact the business it
         transacts and proposes to transact.

         5.5      FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

         The Company has delivered to each Purchaser copies of the financial
statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries listed on Schedule 5.5. All of
said financial statements (including in each case the related schedules and
notes) fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial
position of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the respective dates
specified in such Schedule and the consolidated results of their operations and
cash flows for the respective periods so specified and have been prepared in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the periods involved except
as set forth in the notes thereto (subject, in the case of any interim financial
statements, to normal year-end adjustments).

         5.6      COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS, OTHER INSTRUMENTS, ETC.

         The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this
Agreement and the Notes will not

                  (a) contravene, result in any breach of, or constitute a
         default under, or result in the creation of any Lien in respect of any
         property of the Company or any Subsidiary under, any indenture,
         mortgage, deed of trust, loan, purchase or credit agreement, lease,
         corporate charter or by-laws, or any other Material agreement or
         instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or by which
         the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties may
         be bound or affected,

                  (b) conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms,
         conditions or provisions of any order, judgment, decree, or ruling of
         any court, arbitrator or Governmental Authority applicable to the
         Company or any Subsidiary or

                  (c) violate any provision of any statute or other rule or
         regulation of any Governmental Authority applicable to the Company or
         any Subsidiary.

         5.7      GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORIZATIONS, ETC.




THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                        5

<PAGE>   11





         Except for regular and routine filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, no consent, approval or authorization of, or registration, filing or
declaration with, any Governmental Authority is required in connection with the
execution, delivery or performance by the Company of this Agreement or the
Notes.

         5.8      LITIGATION; OBSERVANCE OF STATUTES AND ORDERS.

                  (a) Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.8, there are no actions,
         suits or proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company,
         threatened against or affecting the Company or any Subsidiary or any
         property of the Company or any Subsidiary in any court or before any
         arbitrator of any kind or before or by any Governmental Authority that,
         individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have
         a Material Adverse Effect.

                  (b) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default under
         any order, judgment, decree or ruling of any court, arbitrator or
         Governmental Authority or is in violation of any applicable law,
         ordinance, rule or regulation (including without limitation
         Environmental Laws) of any Governmental Authority, which default or
         violation, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be
         expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

         5.9      TAXES.

         The Company and its Subsidiaries have filed all income tax returns that
are required to have been filed in any jurisdiction, and have paid all taxes
shown to be due and payable on such returns and all other taxes and assessments
payable by them, to the extent such taxes and assessments have become due and
payable and before they have become delinquent, except for any taxes and
assessments (i) the amount of which is not individually or in the aggregate
Material or (ii) the amount, applicability or validity of which is currently
being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and with respect to
which the Company or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, has established adequate
reserves in accordance with GAAP. The federal income tax liabilities of the
Company and its Subsidiaries have been determined by the Internal Revenue
Service and paid for all fiscal years up to and including the fiscal year ended
April 30, 1994.

         5.10     TITLE TO PROPERTY; LEASES.

         The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and sufficient title to
their respective Material properties, including all such properties reflected in
the most recent audited balance sheet referred to in Section 5.5 or purported to
have been acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary after said date (except as
sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business), in each case
free and clear of Liens prohibited by this Agreement, except for those defects
in title and Liens that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a
Material Adverse Effect. All Material leases are valid and subsisting and are in
full force and effect in all material respects.

         5.11     LICENSES, PERMITS, ETC.

         Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.11, the Company and its Subsidiaries
own or possess all licenses, permits, franchises, authorizations, patents,
copyrights, service marks, trademarks and trade names, or rights thereto, that
are Material, without known conflict with the rights of others, except for those
conflicts that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material
Adverse Effect.

         5.12     COMPLIANCE WITH ERISA.




THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

                                        6

<PAGE>   12
                  (a) The Company and each ERISA Affiliate have operated and
         administered each Plan in compliance with all applicable laws except
         for such instances of noncompliance as have not resulted in and could
         not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
         Neither the Company nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability
         pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise tax
         provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans (as defined
         in section 3 of ERISA), and no event, transaction or condition has
         occurred or exists that would reasonably be expected to result in the
         incurrence of any such liability by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate,
         or in the imposition of any Lien on any of the rights, properties or
         assets of the Company or any ERISA Affiliate, in either case pursuant
         to Title I or IV of ERISA or to such penalty or excise tax provisions
         or to section 401(a)(29) or 412 of the Code, other than such
         liabilities or Liens as would not be individually or in the aggregate
         Material.

                  (b) The present value of the aggregate benefit liabilities
         under each of the Plans (other than Multiemployer Plans), determined as
         of the end of such Plan's most recently ended plan year on the basis of
         the actuarial assumptions specified for funding purposes in such Plan's
         most recent actuarial valuation report, did not exceed the aggregate
         current value of the assets of such Plan allocable to such benefit
         liabilities. The term "BENEFIT LIABILITIES" has the meaning specified
         in section 4001 of ERISA and the terms "CURRENT VALUE" and "PRESENT
         VALUE" have the meaning specified in section 3 of ERISA.

                  (c) The Company and its ERISA Affiliates have not incurred
         withdrawal liabilities (and are not subject to contingent withdrawal
         liabilities) under section 4201 or 4204 of ERISA in respect of
         Multiemployer Plans that individually or in the aggregate are Material.

                  (d) The expected postretirement benefit obligation (determined
         as of the last day of the Company's most recently ended fiscal year in
         accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 106,
         without regard to liabilities attributable to continuation coverage
         mandated by section 4980B of the Code) of the Company and its
         Subsidiaries is, as of April 30, 1999, $12,775,000.

                  (e) The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
         issuance and sale of the Notes hereunder will not involve any
         transaction that is subject to the prohibitions of section 406 of ERISA
         or in connection with which a tax could be imposed pursuant to section
         4975(c)(1)(A)-(D) of the Code. The representation by the Company in the
         first sentence of this Section 5.12(e) is made in reliance upon and
         subject to the accuracy of your representation in Section 6.2 as to the
         Sources to be used to pay the purchase price of the Notes to be
         purchased by you.

         5.13     PRIVATE OFFERING BY THE COMPANY.

         Neither the Company nor, based solely on the letter of William Blair &
Company attached hereto as Exhibit 5.13 (the "OFFEREE LETTER"), any Person
acting on its behalf, has offered the Notes or any similar Securities for sale
to, or solicited any offer to buy any of the same from, or otherwise approached
or negotiated in respect thereof with, any Person other than you, the Other
Purchasers and not more than 75 other Institutional Investors, each of which has
been offered the Notes at a private sale for investment. Neither the Company
nor, based solely on the Offeree Letter, any Person acting on its behalf has
taken, or will take, any action that would subject the issuance or sale of the
Notes to the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act.
William Blair & Company is the only Person the Company has authorized to act on
its behalf in connection with the matters referred to in this Section 5.13.

         5.14     USE OF PROCEEDS; MARGIN REGULATIONS.

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                        7

<PAGE>   13




         The Company will apply the proceeds of the sale of the Notes as set
forth in Schedule 5.14. No part of the proceeds from the sale of the Notes
hereunder will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of buying or
carrying any margin stock within the meaning of Regulation U of the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System (12 CFR 221), or for the purpose of
buying or carrying or trading in any securities under such circumstances as to
involve the Company in a violation of Regulation X of said Board (12 CFR 224) or
to involve any broker or dealer in a violation of Regulation T of said Board (12
CFR 220). Margin stock does not constitute more than 1% of the value of the
consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries and the Company does not
have any present intention that margin stock will constitute more than 1% of the
value of such assets. As used in this Section, the terms "MARGIN STOCK" and
"PURPOSE OF BUYING OR CARRYING" shall have the meanings assigned to them in said
Regulation U.

         5.15     EXISTING INDEBTEDNESS.

         Except as described therein, Schedule 5.15 sets forth a complete and
correct list of all outstanding Indebtedness of the Company and its Subsidiaries
as of April 30, 1999, since which date there has been no Material change in the
amounts, interest rates, sinking funds, installment payments or maturities of
the Indebtedness of the Company or its Subsidiaries. Neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary is in default and no waiver of default is currently in effect, in the
payment of any principal or interest on any Indebtedness of the Company or such
Subsidiary and no event or condition exists with respect to any Indebtedness of
the Company or any Subsidiary the outstanding principal amount of which exceeds
$15,000,000 that would permit (or that with notice or the lapse of time, or
both, would permit) one or more Persons to cause such Indebtedness to become due
and payable before its stated maturity or before its regularly scheduled dates
of payment.

         5.16     FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL REGULATIONS, ETC.

         Neither the sale of the Notes by the Company hereunder nor its use of
the proceeds thereof will violate the Trading with the Enemy Act, as amended, or
any of the foreign assets control regulations of the United States Treasury
Department (31 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended) or any enabling
legislation or executive order relating thereto.

         5.17     STATUS UNDER CERTAIN STATUTES.

         Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is subject to regulation under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Public Utility Holding
Company Act of 1935, as amended, the Transportation Acts, as amended, or the
Federal Power Act, as amended.

         5.18     YEAR 2000 COMPLIANT.

         The Company began implementation of an information technology
re-engineering program approximately 18 months ago, which will result in the
upgrade and replacement of the Company's computer systems and a full study of
the Company's potential Year 2000 issues. The Company has contacted its critical
vendors and major customers to obtain their status on their Year 2000 issues,
and at this time is not aware of any Year 2000 issues affecting such vendors and
customers which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
The Company is confident that its information technology program will ensure
that its systems will be Year 2000 Compliant and will not produce any logical or
arithmetic inconsistencies as the years changes from 1999 to 2000, which
inconsistencies could have a Material Adverse Effect. In accordance with section
7(b) of the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act, 15 USC sec.1,
the Company designates the statement made in this Section 5.18 as its "Year 2000
Readiness Disclosure." The Company





THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                        8

<PAGE>   14



has complied in all material respects with the disclosure requirements of
Interpretation: Disclosure of Year 2000 Issues and Consequences by Public
Companies, Investment Advisors, Investment Companies, and Municipal Securities
Issuers, SEC Concept Release Nos. 33-7558; 34-40277; IA-1738; International
Series No. 1149 (<http://www.sec.gov/rules/concept/33-7558.htm>).

6.       REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PURCHASER

         6.1      PURCHASE FOR INVESTMENT.

         You represent that you are purchasing the Notes for your own account or
for one or more separate accounts maintained by you or for the account of one or
more pension or trust funds and not with a view to the distribution thereof,
provided that the disposition of your or their property shall at all times be
within your or their control. You understand that the Notes have not been
registered under the Securities Act and that the Company is not required to
register the Notes. You represent and agree that you will not resell any Notes
unless such Notes are registered pursuant to the provisions of the Securities
Act or if an exemption from registration is available, except under
circumstances where neither such registration nor such an exemption is required
by law. By the resale of any Note, the seller thereof, and by the acceptance of
any Note, the purchaser thereof, shall be deemed to have represented to the
Company that such Note has not been sold in violation of the Securities Act.

         6.2      SOURCE OF FUNDS.

         You represent that at least one of the following statements is an
accurate representation as to each source of funds (a "SOURCE") to be used by
you to pay the purchase price of the Notes to be purchased by you hereunder:

                  (a) INSURANCE COMPANY GENERAL ACCOUNT -- the Source is an
         "insurance company general account" as defined in PTE 95-60 (60 FR
         35925, July 12, 1995) and in respect thereof you represent that there
         is no "employee benefit plan" (as defined in section 3(3) of ERISA
         and section 4975(e)(1) of the Code, treating as a single plan all plans
         maintained by the same employer (and affiliates thereof as defined in
         section V(a)(1) of PTE 95-60) or employee organization or affiliate
         thereof) with respect to which the amount of the general account
         reserves and liabilities of all contracts held by or on behalf of such
         plan exceeds 10% of the total reserves and liabilities of such general
         account as determined under PTE 95-60 (exclusive of separate account
         liabilities) plus surplus, as set forth in the National Association of
         Insurance Commissioners' Annual Statement filed with your state of
         domicile and that such acquisition is eligible for and satisfies the
         other requirements of such exemption; or

                  (b) SEPARATE ACCOUNT -- the Source is a separate account:

                           (i) 10% POOLED SEPARATE ACCOUNT -- that is an
                  insurance company pooled separate account, within the meaning
                  of DOL Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption 90-1 (issued
                  January 29, 1990), and to the extent that there is any
                  employee benefit plan, or group of plans maintained by the
                  same employer or employee organization, whose assets in such
                  separate account exceed ten percent (10%) of the assets of
                  such separate account, you have disclosed the names of such
                  plans to the Company in writing; or

                           (ii) IDENTIFIED PLAN ASSETS -- that is comprised of
                  employee benefit plans identified by you in writing and with
                  respect to which the Company hereby warrants and







THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                        9

<PAGE>   15
                  represents that, as of the date of Closing, neither the
                  Company nor any ERISA Affiliate is a "party in interest" (as
                  defined in section 3 of ERISA) or a "disqualified person" (as
                  defined in section 4975 of the Code) with respect to any plan
                  so identified; or

                           (iii) GUARANTIED SEPARATE ACCOUNT -- that is
                  maintained solely in connection with fixed contractual
                  obligations of an insurance company, under which any amounts
                  payable, or credited, to any employee benefit plan having an
                  interest in such account and to any participant or beneficiary
                  of such plan (including an annuitant) are not affected in any
                  manner by the investment performance of the separate account
                  (as provided by 29 CFR sections.2510.3-101(h)(1)(iii)); or

                  (c) QPAM FUNDS -- the Source constitutes assets of an
         "investment fund" (within the meaning of part V of PTE 84-14 (the "QPAM
         EXEMPTION")) managed by a "qualified professional asset manager" or
         "QPAM" (within the meaning of part V of the QPAM Exemption), no
         employee benefit plan's assets that are included in such investment
         fund, when combined with the assets of all other employee benefit plans
         established or maintained by the same employer or by an affiliate
         (within the meaning of section V(c)(1) of the QPAM Exemption) of such
         employer or by the same employee organization and managed by such QPAM,
         exceed twenty percent (20%) of the total client assets managed by such
         QPAM, the conditions of part I(c) and (g) of the QPAM Exemption are
         satisfied, neither the QPAM nor a person controlling or controlled by
         the QPAM (applying the definition of "control" in section V(e) of the
         QPAM Exemption) owns a five percent (5%) or more interest in the
         Company and:

                           (i)  the identity of such QPAM and

                           (ii) the names of all employee benefit plans whose
                  assets are included in such investment fund;

         have been disclosed to the Company in writing pursuant to this Section
         6.2(c); or

                  (d) GOVERNMENTAL PLANS -- the Source is a governmental plan;
         or

                  (e) IDENTIFIED PLANS OR FUNDS -- the Source is one or more
         employee benefit plans, or a separate account or trust fund comprised
         of one or more employee benefit plans, each of which has been
         identified to the Company in writing pursuant to this Section 6.2(e);
         or

                  (f) EXEMPT PLANS -- the Source does not include assets of any
         employee benefit plan, other than a plan exempt from the coverage of
         ERISA.

As used in this Section 6.2, the terms "EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN", "GOVERNMENTAL
PLAN" and "SEPARATE ACCOUNT" shall have the respective meanings assigned to such
terms in section 3 of ERISA.

         6.3      AUTHORIZATION, ETC.

         You represent that this Agreement has been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate action on your part, and that this Agreement constitutes a
legal, valid and binding obligation upon you in accordance with its terms,
except as limited by (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium or other similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights
generally and (ii) general principles of equity (regardless of whether
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                       10

<PAGE>   16
7.       INFORMATION AS TO COMPANY

         7.1      FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION.

         The Company shall deliver to each holder of Notes that is an
Institutional Investor:

                  (a) QUARTERLY STATEMENTS -- within 90 days after the end of
         each quarterly fiscal period in each fiscal year of the Company (other
         than the last quarterly fiscal period of each such fiscal year),
         duplicate copies of,

                           (i) a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and
                  its Subsidiaries as at the end of such quarter, and

                           (ii) consolidated statements of income, changes in
                  shareholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its
                  Subsidiaries, for such quarter and (in the case of the second
                  and third quarters) for the portion of the fiscal year ending
                  with such quarter,

         setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the
         corresponding periods in the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable
         detail, prepared in accordance with GAAP applicable to quarterly
         financial statements generally, and certified by a Senior Financial
         Officer as fairly presenting, in all material respects, the financial
         position of the companies being reported on and their results of
         operations and cash flows, subject to changes resulting from year-end
         adjustments, provided that delivery within the time period specified
         above of copies of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q prepared
         in compliance with the requirements therefor and filed with the
         Securities and Exchange Commission shall be deemed to satisfy the
         requirements of this Section 7.1(a);

                  (b) ANNUAL STATEMENTS -- within 120 days after the end of each
         fiscal year of the Company, duplicate copies of,

                           (i) a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and
                  its Subsidiaries, as at the end of such year, and

                           (ii) consolidated statements of income, changes in
                  shareholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its
                  Subsidiaries, for such year,

         setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the
         previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, prepared in accordance
         with GAAP, and accompanied by an opinion thereon of independent
         certified public accountants of recognized national standing, which
         opinion shall state that such financial statements present fairly, in
         all material respects, the financial position of the companies being
         reported upon and their results of operations and cash flows and have
         been prepared in conformity with GAAP, and that the examination of such
         accountants in connection with such financial statements has been made
         in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, and that such
         audit provides a reasonable basis for such opinion in the
         circumstances, provided that the delivery within the time period
         specified above of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for such
         fiscal year (together with the Company's annual report to shareholders,
         if any, prepared pursuant to Rule 14a-3 under the Exchange Act)
         prepared in accordance with the requirements therefor and filed with
         the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be deemed to satisfy the
         requirements of this Section 7.1(b);

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                       11
<PAGE>   17
                  (c) SEC AND OTHER REPORTS -- promptly upon their becoming
         available, one copy of (i) each financial statement, report, notice or
         proxy statement sent by the Company or any Subsidiary to public
         securities holders generally, and (ii) each regular or periodic report,
         each registration statement that shall have become effective (without
         exhibits except as expressly requested by such holder), and each final
         prospectus and all amendments thereto filed by the Company or any
         Subsidiary with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

                  (d) NOTICE OF DEFAULT OR EVENT OF DEFAULT -- promptly, and in
         any event within five Business Days after a Responsible Officer
         becoming aware of the existence of any Default or Event of Default, a
         written notice specifying the nature and period of existence thereof
         and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take with respect
         thereto;

                  (e) ERISA MATTERS -- promptly, and in any event within five
         Business Days after a Responsible Officer becoming aware of any of the
         following, a written notice setting forth the nature thereof and the
         action, if any, that the Company or an ERISA Affiliate proposes to take
         with respect thereto:

                           (i) with respect to any Plan, any reportable event,
                  as defined in section 4043(b) of ERISA and the regulations
                  thereunder (other than a reportable event of a technical and
                  routine nature which occurs as a result of a transaction
                  permitted under Section 10.8(b)), for which notice thereof has
                  not been waived pursuant to such regulations as in effect on
                  the date hereof; or

                           (ii) the taking by the PBGC of steps to institute, or
                  the threatening by the PBGC of the institution of, proceedings
                  under section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the
                  appointment of a trustee to administer, any Plan, or the
                  receipt by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate of a notice from
                  a Multiemployer Plan that such action has been taken by the
                  PBGC with respect to such Multiemployer Plan; or

                           (iii) any event, transaction or condition that could
                  result in the incurrence of any liability by the Company or
                  any ERISA Affiliate pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or the
                  penalty or excise tax provisions of the Code relating to
                  employee benefit plans, or in the imposition of any Lien on
                  any of the rights, properties or assets of the Company or any
                  ERISA Affiliate pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or such
                  penalty or excise tax provisions, if such liability or Lien,
                  taken together with any other such liabilities or Liens then
                  existing, would reasonably be expected to have a Material
                  Adverse Effect; and

                  (f) REQUESTED INFORMATION -- with reasonable promptness and to
         the extent not prohibited by applicable law, such other data and
         information relating to the business, operations, affairs, financial
         condition, assets or properties of the Company or any of its
         Subsidiaries or relating to the ability of the Company to perform its
         obligations hereunder and under the Notes as from time to time may be
         reasonably requested by any such holder of Notes, including, without
         limitation, any information required to determine whether the Company
         and its Subsidiaries are or will be Year 2000 Compliant.

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                       12

<PAGE>   18




         7.2      OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE.

         Each set of financial statements delivered to a holder of Notes
pursuant to Section 7.1(a) or Section 7.1(b) hereof shall be accompanied by a
certificate of a Senior Financial Officer setting forth:

                  (a) COVENANT COMPLIANCE -- the information (including detailed
         calculations) required in order to establish whether the Company was in
         compliance with the requirements of Section 10.3 through Section 10.9
         hereof, inclusive, during the quarterly or annual period covered by the
         statements then being furnished (including with respect to each such
         Section, where applicable, the calculations of the maximum or minimum
         amount, ratio or percentage, as the case may be, permissible under the
         terms of such Sections, and the calculation of the amount, ratio or
         percentage then in existence); and

                  (b) EVENT OF DEFAULT -- a statement that such officer has
         reviewed the relevant terms hereof and has made, or caused to be made,
         under his or her supervision, a review of the transactions and
         conditions of the Company and its Subsidiaries from the beginning of
         the quarterly or annual period covered by the statements then being
         furnished to the date of the certificate and that such review shall not
         have disclosed the existence during such period of any condition or
         event that constitutes a Default or an Event of Default or, if any such
         condition or event existed or exists (including, without limitation,
         any such event or condition resulting from the failure of the Company
         or any Subsidiary to comply with any Environmental Law),
         specifying the nature and period of existence thereof and what action
         the Company shall have taken or proposes to take with respect thereto.

         7.3      INSPECTION.

         The Company shall permit the representatives of each holder of Notes
that is an Institutional Investor:

                  (a) NO DEFAULT -- if no Default or Event of Default then
         exists, at the expense of such holder and upon reasonable prior notice
         to the Company, to visit the principal executive office of the Company,
         to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Company and its
         Subsidiaries with the Company's officers, and, with the consent of the
         Company (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld) to visit the
         other offices and properties of the Company and each Subsidiary, all at
         such reasonable times and as often as may be reasonably requested in
         writing; and

                  (b) DEFAULT -- if a Default or Event of Default then exists,
         at the expense of the Company to visit and inspect any of the offices
         or properties of the Company or any Subsidiary, to examine all their
         respective books of account, records, reports and other papers, to make
         copies and extracts therefrom, and to discuss their respective affairs,
         finances and accounts with their respective officers and independent
         public accountants (and by this provision the Company authorizes said
         accountants to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the
         Company and its Subsidiaries), all at such times and as often as may be
         requested.

8.       PREPAYMENT OF THE NOTES

         8.1      PAYMENT OF NOTES AT MATURITY.

         The entire outstanding principal amount of, and the interest then
accrued and unpaid on, the Notes shall be due and payable on June 1, 2009.

         8.2      OPTIONAL PREPAYMENTS WITH MAKE-WHOLE AMOUNT.




THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                       13

<PAGE>   19




         The Company may, at its option, upon notice as provided below, prepay
at any time all, or from time to time any part of, the Notes, in an amount not
less than 5% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding in
the case of a partial prepayment, at 100% of the principal amount so prepaid,
plus the Make-Whole Amount determined for the prepayment date with respect to
such principal amount. The Company will give each holder of Notes written notice
of each optional prepayment under this Section 8.2 not less than 30 days and not
more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for such prepayment. Each such notice
shall specify such date, the aggregate principal amount of the Notes to be
prepaid on such date, the principal amount of each Note held by such holder to
be prepaid (determined in accordance with Section 8.4), and the interest to be
paid on the prepayment date with respect to such principal amount being prepaid,
and shall be accompanied by a certificate of a Senior Financial Officer as to
the estimated Make-Whole Amount due in connection with such prepayment
(calculated as if the date of such notice were the date of the prepayment),
setting forth the details of such computation. Two Business Days prior to such
prepayment, the Company shall deliver to each holder of Notes a certificate of a
Senior Financial Officer specifying the calculation of such Make-Whole Amount as
of the specified prepayment date.

         8.3      CHANGE IN CONTROL.

                  (a) NOTICE OF CHANGE IN CONTROL OR CONTROL EVENT. The Company
         will, within five Business Days after any Responsible Officer has
         knowledge of the occurrence of any Change in Control or Control Event,
         give written notice of such Change in Control or Control Event to each
         holder of Notes unless notice in respect of such Change in Control (or
         the Change in Control contemplated by such Control Event) shall have
         been given pursuant to Section 8.3(b). If a Change in Control has
         occurred, such notice shall contain and constitute an offer to prepay
         Notes as described in Section 8.3(c) and shall be accompanied by the
         certificate described in Section 8.3(g).

                  (b) CONDITION TO COMPANY ACTION. The Company will not take any
         action that consummates or finalizes a Change in Control unless

                           (i) at least 30 days prior to such action it shall
                  have given to each holder of Notes written notice containing
                  and constituting an offer to prepay Notes as described in
                  Section 8.3(c), accompanied by the certificate described in
                  Section 8.3(g), and

                           (ii) contemporaneously with such action, it prepays
                  all Notes required to be prepaid in accordance with this
                  Section 8.3.

                  (c) OFFER TO PREPAY NOTES. The offer to prepay Notes
         contemplated by Section 8.3(a) and Section 8.3(b) shall be an offer to
         prepay, in accordance with and subject to this Section 8.3, all, but
         not less than all, the Notes held by each holder (in this case only,
         "holder" in respect of any Note registered in the name of a nominee for
         a disclosed beneficial owner shall mean such beneficial owner) on a
         date specified in such offer (the "PROPOSED PREPAYMENT DATE"). If such
         Proposed Prepayment Date is in connection with an offer contemplated by
         Section 8.3(a), such date shall be not less than 30 days and not more
         than 60 days after the date of such offer (if the Proposed Prepayment
         Date shall not be specified in such offer, the Proposed Prepayment Date
         shall be the 30th day after the date of such offer).

                  (d) ACCEPTANCE. A holder of Notes may accept the offer to
         prepay made pursuant to this Section 8.3 by causing a notice of such
         acceptance to be delivered to the Company at least five Business Days
         prior to the Proposed Prepayment Date. A failure by a holder of Notes
         to respond to



THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

                                       14
<PAGE>   20

         an offer to prepay made pursuant to this Section 8.3 shall be deemed to
         constitute an acceptance of such offer by such holder.

                  (e) PREPAYMENT. Prepayment of the Notes to be prepaid pursuant
         to this Section 8.3 shall be at 100% of the principal amount of such
         Notes, plus the Make-Whole Amount determined for the date of prepayment
         with respect to such principal amount, together with interest on such
         Notes accrued to the date of prepayment. On the Business Day preceding
         the date of prepayment, the Company shall deliver to each holder of
         Notes being prepaid a statement showing the Make-Whole Amount due in
         connection with such prepayment and setting forth the details of the
         computation of such amount. The prepayment shall be made on the
         Proposed Prepayment Date except as provided in Section 8.3(f).

                  (f) DEFERRAL OF OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE. The obligation of the
         Company to prepay Notes pursuant to the offers accepted in accordance
         with Section 8.3(d) is subject to the occurrence of the Change in
         Control in respect of which such offers and acceptances shall have been
         made. In the event that such Change in Control does not occur on the
         Proposed Prepayment Date in respect thereof, the prepayment shall be
         deferred until and shall be made on the date on which such Change in
         Control occurs. The Company shall keep each holder of Notes reasonably
         and timely informed of

                           (i) any such deferral of the date of prepayment,

                           (ii) the date on which such Change in Control and the
                  prepayment are expected to occur, and

                           (iii) any determination by the Company that efforts
                  to effect such Change in Control have ceased or been abandoned
                  (in which case the offers and acceptances made pursuant to
                  this Section 8.3 in respect of such Change in Control shall be
                  deemed rescinded).

                  (g) OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE. Each offer to prepay the Notes
         pursuant to this Section 8.3 shall be accompanied by a certificate,
         executed by a Senior Financial Officer of the Company and dated the
         date of such offer, specifying:

                           (i) the Proposed Prepayment Date;

                           (ii) that such offer is made pursuant to this Section
                  8.3;

                           (iii) the principal amount of each Note offered to be
                  prepaid;

                           (iv) the last date upon which the offer can be
                  accepted or rejected, and setting forth the consequences of
                  failing to provide an acceptance or rejection, as provided in
                  Section 8.3(d);

                           (v) the estimated Make-Whole Amount, if any, due in
                  connection with such prepayment (calculated as if the date of
                  such notice were the date of the prepayment), setting forth
                  the details of such computation;

                           (vi) the interest that would be due on each Note
                  offered to be prepaid, accrued to the Proposed Prepayment
                  Date;

                           (vii) that the conditions of this Section 8.3 have
                  been fulfilled; and



THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT



                                       15
<PAGE>   21

                           (viii) in reasonable detail, the nature and date or
                  proposed date of the Change in Control.

         8.4      ALLOCATION OF PARTIAL PREPAYMENTS.

         In the case of each partial prepayment of the Notes, the principal
amount of the Notes to be prepaid shall be allocated among all of the Notes at
the time outstanding in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the respective
unpaid principal amounts thereof not theretofore called for prepayment.

         8.5      MATURITY; SURRENDER, ETC.

         In the case of each prepayment of Notes pursuant to this Section 8, the
principal amount of each Note to be prepaid shall mature and become due and
payable on the date fixed for such prepayment, together with interest on such
principal amount accrued to such date and the applicable Make-Whole Amount, if
any. From and after such date, unless the Company shall fail to pay such
principal amount when so due and payable, together with the interest and
Make-Whole Amount, if any, as aforesaid, interest on such principal amount shall
cease to accrue. Any Note paid or prepaid in full shall be surrendered to the
Company and cancelled and shall not be reissued, and no Note shall be issued in
lieu of any prepaid principal amount of any Note.

         8.6      PURCHASE OF NOTES.

         Except as otherwise provided in this Section 8, the Company will not
and will not permit any Affiliate to purchase, redeem, prepay, or otherwise
acquire, directly or indirectly, any of the outstanding Notes except pursuant to
an offer to purchase (which offer may or may not include the Make-Whole Amount,
if any, or any portion thereof) made by the Company or an Affiliate pro rata to
the holders of all Notes at the time outstanding upon the same terms and
conditions, provided that at the time such offer is made and after giving effect
to such purchase, no Default or Event of Default shall exist. Any such offer
shall provide each holder with sufficient information to enable it to make an
informed decision with respect to such offer, shall contain a representation by
the Company that no Default or Event of Default exists or would exist after
giving effect to such proposed purchase of Notes, and shall remain open for at
least ten Business Days. If the holders of more than 50% of the principal amount
of the Notes then outstanding accept such offer, the Company shall promptly
notify the remaining holders of such fact and the expiration date for the
acceptance by holders of Notes of such offer shall be extended by the number of
days necessary to give each such remaining holder at least ten Business Days
from its receipt of such notice to accept such offer. The Company will promptly
cancel all Notes acquired by it or any Affiliate pursuant to any payment,
prepayment or purchase of Notes pursuant to any provision of this Agreement and
no Notes may be issued in substitution or exchange for any such Notes.

         8.7      MAKE-WHOLE AMOUNT.

         The term "MAKE-WHOLE AMOUNT" means, with respect to any Note, an amount
equal to the excess, if any, of the Discounted Value of the Remaining Scheduled
Payments with respect to the Called Principal of such Note over the amount of
such Called Principal, provided that the Make-Whole Amount may in no event be
less than zero. For the purposes of determining the Make-Whole Amount, the
following terms have the following meanings:

                  "CALLED PRINCIPAL" means, with respect to any Note, the
         principal of such Note that is to be prepaid pursuant to the terms
         hereof or has become or is declared to be immediately due and payable
         pursuant to Section 12.1, as the context requires.



THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT


                                       16
<PAGE>   22

                  "DISCOUNTED VALUE" means, with respect to the Called Principal
         of any Note, the amount obtained by discounting all Remaining Scheduled
         Payments with respect to such Called Principal from their respective
         scheduled due dates to the Settlement Date with respect to such Called
         Principal, in accordance with accepted financial practice and at a
         discount factor (applied on the same periodic basis as that on which
         interest on the Notes is payable) equal to the Reinvestment Yield with
         respect to such Called Principal.

                  "REINVESTMENT YIELD" means, with respect to the Called
         Principal of any Note, 0.50% over the yield to maturity implied by

                           (i) the yields reported, as of 10:00 A.M. (New York
                  City time) on the second Business Day preceding the Settlement
                  Date with respect to such Called Principal, on the display
                  designated as Page "PX1" on the Bloomberg Financial Market
                  Service (or such other display as may replace Page "PX1" on
                  the Bloomberg Financial Market Service) for actively traded
                  U.S. Treasury securities having a maturity equal to the
                  Remaining Average Life of such Called Principal as of such
                  Settlement Date, or

                           (ii) if such yields are not reported as of such time
                  or the yields reported as of such time are not ascertainable,
                  the Treasury Constant Maturity Series Yields reported, for the
                  latest day for which such yields have been so reported as of
                  the second Business Day preceding the Settlement Date with
                  respect to such Called Principal, in Federal Reserve
                  Statistical Release H.15 (519) (or any comparable successor
                  publication) for actively traded U.S. Treasury securities
                  having a constant maturity equal to the Remaining Average Life
                  of such Called Principal as of such Settlement Date.

         Such implied yield will be determined, if necessary, by (a) converting
         U.S. Treasury bill quotations to bond-equivalent yields in accordance
         with accepted financial practice and (b) interpolating linearly between
         (1) the actively traded U.S. Treasury security with the duration
         closest to and greater than the Remaining Average Life and (2) the
         actively traded U.S. Treasury security with the duration closest to and
         less than the Remaining Average Life.

                  "REMAINING AVERAGE LIFE" means, with respect to any Called
         Principal, the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth
         year) obtained by dividing (i) such Called Principal into (ii) the sum
         of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the principal component of
         each Remaining Scheduled Payment with respect to such Called Principal
         by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth year)
         that will elapse between the Settlement Date with respect to such
         Called Principal and the scheduled due date of such Remaining Scheduled
         Payment.

                  "REMAINING SCHEDULED PAYMENTS" means, with respect to the
         Called Principal of any Note, all payments of such Called Principal and
         interest thereon that would be due after the Settlement Date with
         respect to such Called Principal if no payment of such Called Principal
         were made prior to its scheduled due date, provided that if such
         Settlement Date is not a date on which interest payments are due to be
         made under the terms of the Notes, then the amount of the next
         succeeding scheduled interest payment will be reduced by the amount of
         interest accrued to such Settlement Date and required to be paid on
         such Settlement Date.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT



                                       17
<PAGE>   23


                  "SETTLEMENT DATE" means, with respect to the Called Principal
         of any Note, the date on which such Called Principal is to be prepaid
         pursuant to the terms hereof or has become or is declared to be
         immediately due and payable pursuant to Section 12.1, as the context
         requires.

9.       AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

         The Company covenants that so long as any of the Notes are outstanding:

         9.1      COMPLIANCE WITH LAW.

         The Company will and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to comply with
all laws, ordinances or governmental rules or regulations to which each of them
is subject, including, without limitation, Environmental Laws, and will obtain
and maintain in effect all licenses, certificates, permits, franchises and other
governmental authorizations necessary to the ownership of their respective
properties or to the conduct of their respective businesses, in each case to the
extent necessary to ensure that non-compliance with such laws, ordinances or
governmental rules or regulations or failures to obtain or maintain in effect
such licenses, certificates, permits, franchises and other governmental
authorizations would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the
aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

         9.2      INSURANCE.

         The Company will and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to maintain,
with financially sound and reputable insurers, insurance with respect to their
respective properties and businesses against such casualties and contingencies,
of such types, on such terms and in such amounts (including deductibles,
co-insurance and self-insurance, if adequate reserves are maintained with
respect thereto) so that such insurance, taken as a whole, shall be customary
for entities of established reputations engaged in the same or a similar
business and similarly situated.

         9.3      MAINTENANCE OF PROPERTIES.

         The Company will and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to maintain
and keep, or cause to be maintained and kept, their respective properties in
good repair, working order and condition (other than ordinary wear and tear), so
that the business carried on in connection therewith may be properly conducted
at all times, provided that this Section shall not prevent the Company or any
Subsidiary from discontinuing the operation and the maintenance of any of its
properties if such discontinuance is desirable in the conduct of its business
and the Company has concluded that such discontinuance would not, individually
or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

         9.4      PAYMENT OF TAXES.

         The Company will and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to file all
income tax or similar tax returns required to be filed in any jurisdiction and
to pay and discharge all taxes shown to be due and payable on such returns and
all other taxes, assessments, governmental charges, or levies payable by any of
them, to the extent such taxes and assessments have become due and payable and
before they have become delinquent, provided that neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary need pay any such tax or assessment if (i) the amount, applicability
or validity thereof is contested by the Company or such Subsidiary on a timely
basis in good faith and in appropriate proceedings, and the Company or a
Subsidiary has established adequate reserves therefor in accordance with GAAP on
the books of the Company or such Subsidiary or (ii) the nonpayment of all such
taxes and assessments in the aggregate would not reasonably be expected to have
a Material Adverse Effect.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT


                                       18
<PAGE>   24

         9.5      CORPORATE EXISTENCE, ETC.

         The Company will at all times preserve and keep in full force and
effect its corporate existence. Subject to Sections 10.2 and 10.8, the Company
will at all times preserve and keep in full force and effect the corporate
existence of each of its Subsidiaries (unless merged into the Company or a
Subsidiary) and all rights and franchises of the Company and its Subsidiaries
unless, in the good faith judgment of the Company, the termination of or failure
to preserve and keep in full force and effect such corporate existence, right or
franchise would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.

         9.6      PARI PASSU RANKING.

         The Notes shall at all times rank pari passu, without preference or
priority, with all other outstanding, unsecured, unsubordinated Indebtedness of
the Company, present and future, that have not been accorded preferential
rights.

         9.7      YEAR 2000 COMPLIANT.

         The Company and its Subsidiaries' internal computing systems will be
Year 2000 Compliant as of January 1, 2000, and the advent of the year 2000 and
its impact on such computer systems shall not have a Material Adverse Effect.

10.      NEGATIVE COVENANTS

         The Company covenants that so long as any of the Notes are outstanding:

         10.1     TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES.

         The Company will not and will not permit any Subsidiary to enter into
directly or indirectly any Material transaction or Material group of related
transactions (including, without limitation, the purchase, lease, sale or
exchange of properties of any kind or the rendering of any service) with any
Affiliate (other than the Company or another Subsidiary), except pursuant to the
reasonable requirements of the Company's or such Subsidiary's business and upon
fair and reasonable terms no less favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary
than would be obtainable in a comparable arm's-length transaction with a Person
not an Affiliate.

         10.2     MERGER, CONSOLIDATION, ETC.

         The Company will not consolidate with or merge with any other
corporation or convey, transfer or lease substantially all of its assets in a
single transaction or series of transactions to any Person unless:

                  (a) the successor formed by such consolidation or the survivor
         of such merger or the Person that acquires by conveyance, transfer or
         lease substantially all of the assets of the Company as an entirety
         (the "SURVIVOR"), as the case may be, shall be a solvent corporation
         organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state
         thereof or the District of Columbia, and, if the Company is not such
         corporation, such corporation shall have expressly assumed in writing,
         pursuant to such agreements and instruments as shall be reasonably
         satisfactory to the Required Holders, the due and punctual payment of
         the principal of and Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest on all of
         the Notes, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual
         performance and observance of each


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

                                       19
<PAGE>   25

         covenant and condition of this Agreement, the Other Agreements and the
         Notes to be performed or observed by the Company; and

                  (b) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no
         Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing.

No such conveyance, transfer or lease of substantially all of the assets of the
Company shall have the effect of releasing the Company or any successor
corporation that shall theretofore have become such in the manner prescribed in
this Section 10.2 from its liability under this Agreement or the Notes.

         10.3     CONSOLIDATED NET WORTH.

         The Company will not, at any time, permit Consolidated Net Worth to be
less than Two Hundred Forty Million Dollars ($240,000,000).

         10.4     INCURRENCE OF FUNDED DEBT.

          The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, directly
or indirectly, create, incur, assume, guarantee, or otherwise become directly or
indirectly liable with respect to, any Funded Debt, except:

                  (a) the Notes;

                  (b) Funded Debt owing to the Company or a Wholly-Owned
         Subsidiary;

                  (c) Funded Debt outstanding on the date hereof and disclosed
         in Schedule 5.15, and any renewals, extensions, and refundings thereof
         so long as (i) no Default or Event of Default shall exist, and (ii)
         there is no increase in the aggregate principal amount thereof
         outstanding, in each case on the date of any such renewal, extension or
         refunding; and

                  (d) additional Funded Debt so long as on the date the Company
         or such Subsidiary becomes liable with respect to any such Funded Debt
         and immediately after giving effect thereto and the concurrent
         retirement of any other Funded Debt,

                           (i) no Default or Event of Default exists,

                           (ii) the sum of (A) Consolidated Senior Funded Debt,
                  plus (B) the Clean-Down Amount of Consolidated Current Debt,
                  does not exceed 55% of Consolidated Total Capitalization, and

                           (iii) the sum of (A) Consolidated Funded Debt, plus
                  (B) the Clean-Down Amount of Consolidated Current Debt, does
                  not exceed 65% of Consolidated Total Capitalization.

         As used in this Section 10.4, the term "CLEAN-DOWN AMOUNT OF
CONSOLIDATED CURRENT DEBT" means, at any date, the lowest average daily amount
of Consolidated Current Debt outstanding during any period of thirty (30)
consecutive days occurring in the twelve consecutive calendar months most
recently ended as of such date (or on such date if such date shall be the last
day of a calendar month).

         For the purposes of this Section 10.4, any Person becoming a Subsidiary
after the date hereof shall be deemed, at the time it becomes a Subsidiary, to
have incurred all of its then outstanding Funded Debt, and

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT



                                       20
<PAGE>   26

any Person extending, renewing or refunding any Funded Debt shall be deemed to
have incurred such Funded Debt at the time of such extension, renewal or
refunding. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree
that the covenant set forth in this Section 10.4 is to be applied on and as of
each date upon which the Company or any Subsidiary shall, directly or
indirectly, create, incur, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or
indirectly liable with respect to (or, as described in the immediately preceding
sentence, be deemed, directly or indirectly, to create, incur, assume, guarantee
or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable with respect to), any Funded
Debt.

         10.5     INCURRENCE OF CURRENT DEBT.

         The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, directly
or indirectly, create, incur, assume, guarantee, or otherwise become directly or
indirectly liable with respect to, any Current Debt on any date unless no
Default or Event of Default shall exist on such date and there shall have been a
period of thirty (30) consecutive days occurring in the twelve consecutive
calendar months most recently ended as of such date (or on such date if such
date shall be the last day of a calendar month) on each day of which
Consolidated Current Debt shall not have been in excess of the amount of Funded
Debt that the Company and the Subsidiaries could have incurred, but did not
incur, on such day in accordance with Section 10.4(d).

         For the purposes of this Section 10.5, any Person becoming a Subsidiary
after the date hereof shall be deemed, at the time it becomes a Subsidiary, to
have incurred all of its then outstanding Current Debt, and any Person
extending, renewing or refunding any Current Debt shall be deemed to have
incurred such Current Debt at the time of such extension, renewal or refunding.
For the avoidance of doubt, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that the
covenant set forth in this Section 10.5 is to be applied on and as of each date
upon which the Company or any Subsidiary shall, directly or indirectly, create,
incur, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable with
respect to (or, as described in the immediately preceding sentence, be deemed,
directly or indirectly, to create, incur, assume, guarantee or otherwise become
directly or indirectly liable with respect to), any Current Debt.

         10.6     PRIORITY DEBT.

         The Company will not, at any date, permit Priority Debt to exceed 25%
of Consolidated Total Capitalization, determined as of the last day of the then
most recently ended fiscal quarter of the Company (or determined as of such date
if such date shall be the last day of a fiscal quarter of the Company).

         10.7     LIENS.

         The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to,
directly or indirectly create, incur, assume or permit to exist (upon the
happening of a contingency or otherwise) any Lien on or with respect to any
property or asset (including, without limitation, any document or instrument in
respect of goods or accounts receivable) of the Company or any such Subsidiary,
whether now owned or held or hereafter acquired, or any income or profits
therefrom (whether or not provision is made for the equal and ratable securing
of the Notes in accordance with the last paragraph of this Section 10.7), or
assign or otherwise convey any right to receive income or profits, except:

                  (a) Liens (other than any Lien imposed by ERISA) incurred or
         deposits made in the ordinary course of business

                           (i) in connection with workers' compensation,
                  unemployment insurance and other types of social security or
                  retirement benefits, or



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                           (ii) to secure (or to obtain letters of credit that
                  secure) the performance of tenders, statutory obligations,
                  surety bonds, bids, leases (other than Capital Leases),
                  performance bonds, purchase, construction or sales contracts
                  and other similar obligations, in each case not incurred or
                  made in connection with the borrowing of money, the obtaining
                  of advances or credit or the payment of the deferred purchase
                  price of property;

                  (b) statutory Liens of landlords and Liens of carriers,
         warehousemen, mechanics, materialmen and other similar Liens, in each
         case incurred in the ordinary course of business for sums not yet due
         and payable or the payment of which is not at the time required by
         Section 9.4;

                  (c) Liens arising from judicial attachments or judgments, or
         securing appeal bonds, and other similar Liens, provided that

                           (i) the execution or other enforcement of such Liens
                  is effectively stayed, and

                           (ii) the claims secured thereby are being actively
                  contested in good faith and adequate reserves in respect
                  thereof have been established by the Company or such
                  Subsidiary in accordance with GAAP;

                  (d) leases or subleases granted to others, easements,
         rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar charges or encumbrances,
         in each case incidental to, and not interfering with, the ordinary
         conduct of the business of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries,
         provided that such Liens do not, in the aggregate, materially impair
         the use of such property by the Company or such Subsidiary;

                  (e) Liens for taxes, assessments or other governmental charges
         which are not yet due and payable or the payment of which is not at the
         time required by Section 9.4;

                  (f) Liens on property of a Subsidiary, provided that such
         Liens secure only Debt owing to the Company or a Subsidiary; and

                  (g) other Liens not otherwise permitted by paragraphs (a)
         through (f) of this Section 10.7, so long as the Debt secured thereby
         can be

                           (i) incurred under Section 10.4(d), and

                           (ii) incurred and remain outstanding in accordance
                  with the requirements of Section 10.6.

         If, notwithstanding the prohibition contained herein, the Company
shall, or shall permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly
create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien, other than those Liens
permitted by the provisions of paragraphs (a) through (g) of this Section 10.7,
it will make or cause to be made effective provision whereby the Notes will be
secured equally and ratably with any and all other obligations thereby secured,
such security to be pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the
Required Holders and, in any such case, the Notes shall have the benefit, to the
fullest extent that, and with such priority as, the holders of the Notes may be
entitled under applicable law, of an equitable Lien on such property. Such
violation of this Section 10.7 will constitute an Event of Default, whether or
not provision is made for an equal and ratable Lien pursuant to this Section
10.7.



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         10.8     ASSET SALES.

                  (a) SALE OF ASSETS. The Company will not, and will not permit
         any Subsidiary to, make any Asset Disposition unless:

                           (i) in the good faith opinion of the Company, the
                  Asset Disposition is in exchange for consideration having a
                  Fair Market Value at least equal to that of the property
                  exchanged and is in the best interest of the Company or such
                  Subsidiary;

                           (ii) immediately after giving effect to the Asset
                  Disposition, no Default or Event of Default would exist; and

                           (iii) immediately after giving effect to the Asset
                  Disposition, the sum of the Disposition Values in respect of
                  all property that was the subject of any Asset Disposition
                  occurring in the period commencing with the first day of the
                  Current Four Quarter Period and ending with and including the
                  date of such Asset Disposition would not exceed 15% of
                  Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the then most
                  recently ended fiscal year of the Company. As used in this
                  Section 10.8(a)(iii), the term "CURRENT FOUR QUARTER PERIOD"
                  means, as of any date, the period of four consecutive fiscal
                  quarters of the Company ending on the last day of the then
                  current fiscal quarter of the Company.

         If the Company shall give written notice to the holders of the Notes
         prior to consummation of any Transfer that it intends to apply the Net
         Proceeds Amount arising therefrom to a Debt Prepayment Application or a
         Property Reinvestment Application within 365 days after such Transfer,
         then such Transfer, only for the purpose of determining compliance with
         subsection (iii) of this Section 10.8(a), shall be deemed not to be an
         Asset Disposition. If the Company shall fail to apply such Net Proceeds
         Amount as stated in such notice within such period, such failure shall
         constitute an Event of Default.

                  (b) DISPOSAL OF OWNERSHIP OF A SUBSIDIARY. The Company will
         not, and will not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, Transfer any
         shares of Subsidiary Stock (including, without limitation, pursuant to
         any merger, consolidation or other transaction specified in Section
         10.2 hereof), nor will the Company permit any such Subsidiary to issue
         or Transfer any shares of its own Subsidiary Stock, provided that the
         foregoing restrictions do not apply to:

                  (i) the issue of directors' qualifying shares by any such
         Subsidiary;

                  (ii) any such Transfer of Subsidiary Stock constituting a
         Transfer described in clause (a) of the definition of "Asset
         Disposition"; and

                  (iii) the Transfer of all of the Subsidiary Stock of a
         Subsidiary owned by the Company and the other Subsidiaries if:

                           (A) such Transfer satisfies the requirements of
                  Section 10.8(a) hereof,

                           (B) in connection with such Transfer the entire
                  investment (whether represented by stock, Debt, claims or
                  otherwise) of the Company and the other Subsidiaries in such
                  Subsidiary is sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of to a
                  Person other than (1) the


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                  Company, (2) another Subsidiary not being simultaneously
                  disposed of, or (3) an Affiliate, and

                           (C) the Subsidiary being disposed of has no
                  continuing investment in any other Subsidiary not being
                  simultaneously disposed of or in the Company.

         10.9     SALE-AND-LEASEBACK TRANSACTIONS.

         The Company will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into
or permit to continue any Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction unless either (a) the
Attributable Debt associated therewith can be incurred and remain outstanding in
accordance with the requirements of Section 10.6 or (b) the Company shall give
written notice to the holders of the Notes prior to consummation of any such
transaction that it intends to apply the Net Proceeds Amount arising therefrom
to a Debt Prepayment Application or a Property Reinvestment Application within
365 days after such consummation, in which event such transaction, only for the
purpose of determining compliance with this Section 10.9, shall be deemed not to
be a Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction. If the Company shall fail to apply such Net
Proceeds Amount as stated in such notice within such period, such failure shall
constitute an Event of Default.

         10.10    LINE OF BUSINESS.

         The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to
engage in any business if, as a result, the general nature of the business in
which the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, would then be engaged
would be substantially changed from the general nature of the business in which
the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are engaged on the date of
this Agreement as described in the Memorandum.

11.      EVENTS OF DEFAULT

         An "EVENT OF DEFAULT" shall exist if any of the following conditions or
events shall occur and be continuing:

                  (a) the Company defaults in the payment of any principal or
         Make-Whole Amount, if any, on any Note when the same becomes due and
         payable, whether at maturity or at a date fixed for prepayment or by
         declaration or otherwise; or

                  (b) the Company defaults in the payment of any interest on any
         Note for more than ten Business Days after the same becomes due and
         payable; or

                  (c) the Company defaults in the performance of or compliance
         with any term contained in any one or more of Section 7.1(d) or
         Sections 10.2 through 10.9, inclusive; or

                  (d) the Company defaults in the performance of or compliance
         with any term contained herein (other than those referred to in Section
         11(a)), Section 11(b) or Section 11(c)) and such default is not
         remedied within 30 days after the earlier of (i) a Responsible Officer
         obtaining actual knowledge of such default and (ii) the Company
         receiving written notice of such default from any holder of a Note (any
         such written notice to be identified as a "notice of default" and to
         refer specifically to this Section 11(d)); or



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                  (e) any representation or warranty made in writing by or on
         behalf of the Company or by any officer of the Company in this
         Agreement or in any writing furnished in connection with the
         transactions contemplated hereby proves to have been false or incorrect
         in any material respect on the date as of which made; or

                  (f) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary

                           (i) is in default (as principal or as guarantor or
                  other surety) in the payment of any principal of or premium or
                  Make-Whole Amount or interest on any Indebtedness (other than
                  Indebtedness under this Agreement and the Notes) that is
                  outstanding in an aggregate principal amount of at least
                  $5,000,000 beyond any period of grace provided with respect
                  thereto (after giving effect to any consents or waivers in
                  respect thereof), or

                           (ii) is in default in the performance of or
                  compliance with any term of any evidence of any Indebtedness
                  in an aggregate outstanding principal amount of at least
                  $15,000,000 or of any mortgage, indenture or other agreement
                  relating thereto or any other condition exists, and as a
                  consequence of such default or condition such Indebtedness has
                  become, or has been declared due and payable before its stated
                  maturity or before its regularly scheduled dates of payment;
                  or

                  (g) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary

                           (i) is generally not paying, or admits in writing its
                  inability to pay, its debts as they become due,

                           (ii) files, or consents by answer or otherwise to the
                  filing against it of, a petition for relief or reorganization
                  or arrangement or any other petition in bankruptcy, for
                  liquidation or to take advantage of any bankruptcy,
                  insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar law of
                  any jurisdiction,

                           (iii) makes an assignment for the benefit of its
                  creditors,

                           (iv) consents to the appointment of a custodian,
                  receiver, trustee or other officer with similar powers with
                  respect to it or with respect to any substantial part of its
                  property,

                           (v) is adjudicated as insolvent or to be liquidated,
                  or

                           (vi) takes corporate action for the purpose of any of
                  the foregoing; or

                  (h) a court or governmental authority of competent
         jurisdiction enters an order appointing, without consent by the Company
         or any of its Significant Subsidiaries, a custodian, receiver, trustee
         or other officer with similar powers with respect to it or with respect
         to any substantial part of its property, or constituting an order for
         relief or approving a petition for relief or reorganization or any
         other petition in bankruptcy or for liquidation or to take advantage of
         any bankruptcy or insolvency law of any jurisdiction, or ordering the
         dissolution, winding-up or liquidation of the Company or any of its
         Significant Subsidiaries, or any such petition shall be filed against
         the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries and such petition
         shall not be dismissed within 90 days; or


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                                       25
<PAGE>   31

                  (i) a final judgment or judgments for the payment of money
         aggregating in excess of $15,000,000 are rendered against one or more
         of the Company and its Significant Subsidiaries and which judgments are
         not, within 30 days after entry thereof, bonded, discharged or stayed
         pending appeal, or are not discharged within 30 days after the
         expiration of such stay; or

                  (j) if

                            (i) any Plan shall fail to satisfy the minimum
                  funding standards of ERISA or the Code for any plan year or
                  part thereof or a waiver of such standards or extension of any
                  amortization period is sought or granted under section 412 of
                  the Code,

                           (ii) a notice of intent to terminate any Plan shall
                  have been or is reasonably expected to be filed with the PBGC
                  or the PBGC shall have instituted proceedings under ERISA
                  section 4042 to terminate or appoint a trustee to administer
                  any Plan or the PBGC shall have notified the Company or any
                  ERISA Affiliate that a Plan may become a subject of any such
                  proceedings,

                           (iii) the aggregate "amount of unfunded benefit
                  liabilities" (within the meaning of section 4001(a)(18) of
                  ERISA) under all Plans, determined in accordance with Title IV
                  of ERISA, shall exceed $15,000,000,

                           (iv) the Company or any ERISA Affiliate shall have
                  incurred or is reasonably expected to incur any liability
                  pursuant to Title I or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise
                  tax provisions of the Code relating to employee benefit plans,

                           (v) the Company or any ERISA Affiliate withdraws from
                  any Multiemployer Plan for which there is unfunded withdrawal
                  liability in excess of $15,000,000, or

                           (vi) the Company or any Subsidiary establishes or
                  amends any employee welfare benefit plan that provides
                  post-employment welfare benefits in a manner that would
                  increase the liability of the Company or any Subsidiary
                  thereunder;

         and any such event or events described in clauses (i) through (vi)
         above, either individually or together with any other such event or
         events, would reasonably be expected to have a Materially Adverse
         Effect.

As used in Section 11(j), the terms "EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN" and "EMPLOYEE
WELFARE BENEFIT PLAN" shall have the respective meanings assigned to such terms
in Section 3 of ERISA.

12.      REMEDIES ON DEFAULT, ETC.

         12.1     ACCELERATION.

                  (a) If an Event of Default with respect to the Company
         described in paragraph (g) or (h) of Section 11 (other than an Event of
         Default described in clause (i) of paragraph (g) or described in clause
         (vi) of paragraph (g) by virtue of the fact that such clause
         encompasses clause (i) of paragraph (g)) has occurred, all the Notes
         then outstanding shall automatically become immediately due and
         payable.


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                  (b) If any other Event of Default has occurred and is
         continuing, any holder or holders of a majority in principal amount of
         the Notes at the time outstanding may at any time at its or their
         option, by notice or notices to the Company, declare all the Notes then
         outstanding to be immediately due and payable.

                  (c) If any Event of Default described in paragraph (a) or (b)
         of Section 11 has occurred and is continuing, any holder or holders of
         Notes at the time outstanding affected by such Event of Default may at
         any time, at its or their option, by notice or notices to the Company,
         declare all the Notes held by it or them to be immediately due and
         payable.

         Upon any Notes becoming due and payable under this Section 12.1,
whether automatically or by declaration, such Notes will forthwith mature and
the entire unpaid principal amount of such Notes, plus (x) all accrued and
unpaid interest thereon and (y) the Make-Whole Amount determined in respect of
such principal amount (to the full extent permitted by applicable law), shall
all be immediately due and payable, in each and every case without presentment,
demand, protest or further notice, all of which are hereby waived. The Company
acknowledges, and the parties hereto agree, that each holder of a Note has the
right to maintain its investment in the Notes free from repayment by the Company
(except as herein specifically provided for) and that the provision for payment
of a Make-Whole Amount by the Company in the event that the Notes are prepaid or
are accelerated as a result of an Event of Default, is intended to provide
compensation for the deprivation of such right under such circumstances.

         12.2     OTHER REMEDIES.

         If any Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, and
irrespective of whether any Notes have become or have been declared immediately
due and payable under Section 12.1, the holder of any Note at the time
outstanding may proceed to protect and enforce the rights of such holder by an
action at law, suit in equity or other appropriate proceeding, whether for the
specific performance of any agreement contained herein or in any Note, or for an
injunction against a violation of any of the terms hereof or thereof, or in aid
of the exercise of any power granted hereby or thereby or by law or otherwise.

         12.3     RESCISSION.

         At any time after any Notes have been declared due and payable pursuant
to clause (b) or (c) of Section 12.1, the holders of not less than 75% in
principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, by written notice to the
Company, may rescind and annul any such declaration and its consequences if (a)
the Company has paid all overdue interest on the Notes, all principal of and
Make-Whole Amount, if any, on any Notes that are due and payable and are unpaid
other than by reason of such declaration, and all interest on such overdue
principal and Make-Whole Amount, if any, and (to the extent permitted by
applicable law) any overdue interest in respect of the Notes, at the Default
Rate, (b) all Events of Default and Defaults, other than non-payment of amounts
that have become due solely by reason of such declaration, have been cured or
have been waived pursuant to Section 17, and (c) no judgment or decree has been
entered for the payment of any monies due pursuant hereto or to the Notes. No
rescission and annulment under this Section 12.3 will extend to or affect any
subsequent Event of Default or Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

         12.4     NO WAIVERS OR ELECTION OF REMEDIES, EXPENSES, ETC.

         No course of dealing and no delay on the part of any holder of any Note
in exercising any right, power or remedy shall operate as a waiver thereof or
otherwise prejudice such holder's rights, powers or remedies. No right, power or
remedy conferred by this Agreement or by any Note upon any holder thereof shall
be


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                                       27
<PAGE>   33

exclusive of any other right, power or remedy referred to herein or therein or
now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise. Without
limiting the obligations of the Company under Section 15, the Company will pay
to the holder of each Note on demand such further amount as shall be sufficient
to cover all costs and expenses of such holder incurred in any enforcement or
collection under this Section 12, including, without limitation, reasonable
attorneys' fees, expenses and disbursements.

13.      REGISTRATION; EXCHANGE; SUBSTITUTION OF NOTES.

         13.1     REGISTRATION OF NOTES.

         The Company shall keep at its principal executive office a register for
the registration and registration of transfers of Notes. The name and address of
each holder of one or more Notes, each transfer thereof and the name and address
of each transferee of one or more Notes shall be registered in such register.
Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer, the Person in whose name
any Note shall be registered shall be deemed and treated as the owner and holder
thereof for all purposes hereof, and the Company shall not be affected by any
notice or knowledge to the contrary. The Company shall give to any holder of a
Note that is an Institutional Investor promptly upon request therefor, a
complete and correct copy of the names and addresses of all registered holders
of Notes.

         13.2     TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE OF NOTES.

         Upon surrender of any Note at the principal executive office of the
Company for registration of transfer or exchange (and in the case of a surrender
for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or accompanied by a written
instrument of transfer duly executed by the registered holder of such Note or
his attorney duly authorized in writing and accompanied by the address for
notices of each transferee of such Note or part thereof), the Company shall
execute and deliver within five Business Days, at the Company's expense (except
as provided below), one or more new Notes (as requested by the holder thereof)
in exchange therefor, in an aggregate principal amount equal to the unpaid
principal amount of the surrendered Note. Each such new Note shall be payable to
such Person as such holder may request and shall be substantially in the form of
Exhibit 1. Each such new Note shall be dated and bear interest from the date to
which interest shall have been paid on the surrendered Note or dated the date of
the surrendered Note if no interest shall have been paid thereon. The Company
may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any stamp tax or governmental
charge imposed in respect of any such transfer of Notes. Notes shall not be
transferred in denominations of less than $100,000, provided that if necessary
to enable the registration of transfer by a holder of its entire holding of
Notes, one Note may be in a denomination of less than $100,000. Any transferee,
by its acceptance of a Note registered in its name (or the name of its nominee),
shall be deemed to have made the representation set forth in the last sentence
of Section 6.1 and in Section 6.2.

         13.3     REPLACEMENT OF NOTES.

         Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it
of the ownership of and the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of any Note
(which evidence shall be, in the case of an Institutional Investor, notice from
such Institutional Investor of such ownership and such loss, theft, destruction
or mutilation), and

                  (a) in the case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity
         reasonably satisfactory to it (provided that if the holder of such Note
         is, or is a nominee for, an original Purchaser or an Institutional
         Investor, such Person's own unsecured agreement of indemnity shall be
         deemed to be satisfactory), or



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                  (b) in the case of mutilation, upon surrender and cancellation
         thereof,

the Company at its own expense shall execute and deliver within five Business
Days, in lieu thereof, a new Note, dated and bearing interest from the date to
which interest shall have been paid on such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated
Note or dated the date of such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Note if no
interest shall have been paid thereon.

14.      PAYMENTS ON NOTES

         14.1     PLACE OF PAYMENT.

         Subject to Section 14.2, payments of principal, Make-Whole Amount, if
any, and interest becoming due and payable on the Notes shall be made in
Orrville, Ohio at the principal office of the Company in such jurisdiction. The
Company may at any time, by notice to each holder of a Note, change the place of
payment of the Notes so long as such place of payment shall be either the
principal office of the Company in such jurisdiction or the principal office of
a bank or trust company in such jurisdiction.

         14.2     HOME OFFICE PAYMENT.

         So long as you or your nominee shall be the holder of any Note, and
notwithstanding anything contained in Section 14.1 or in such Note to the
contrary, the Company will pay all sums becoming due on such Note for principal,
Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest by the method and at the address
specified for such purpose below your name in Schedule A, or by such other
method or at such other address as you shall have from time to time specified to
the Company in writing for such purpose, without the presentation or surrender
of such Note or the making of any notation thereon, except that upon written
request of the Company made concurrently with or reasonably promptly after
payment or prepayment in full of any Note, you shall surrender such Note for
cancellation, reasonably promptly after any such request, to the Company at its
principal executive office or at the place of payment most recently designated
by the Company pursuant to Section 14.1. Prior to any sale or other disposition
of any Note held by you or your nominee you will, at your election, either
endorse thereon the amount of principal paid thereon and the last date to which
interest has been paid thereon or surrender such Note to the Company in exchange
for a new Note or Notes pursuant to Section 13.2. The Company will afford the
benefits of this Section 14.2 to any Institutional Investor that is the direct
or indirect transferee of any Note purchased by you under this Agreement and
that has made the same agreement relating to such Note as you have made in this
Section 14.2.

15.      EXPENSES, ETC.

         15.1     TRANSACTION EXPENSES.

         Whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated,
the Company will pay all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including reasonable
attorneys' fees of a special counsel and, if reasonably required, local or other
counsel) incurred by you and each Other Purchaser or holder of a Note in
connection with such transactions and in connection with any amendments, waivers
or consents under or in respect of this Agreement or the Notes (whether or not
such amendment, waiver or consent becomes effective), including, without
limitation: (a) the costs and expenses incurred in enforcing or defending (or
determining whether or how to enforce or defend) any rights under this Agreement
or the Notes as against the Company or in responding to any subpoena or other
legal process or informal investigative demand issued in connection with this
Agreement or the Notes, or by reason of being a holder of any Note, and (b) the
costs and expenses, including financial advisors' fees, incurred in connection
with the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company or any

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<PAGE>   35


Subsidiary or in connection with any work-out or restructuring of the
transactions contemplated hereby and by the Notes. The Company will pay, and
will save you and each other holder of a Note harmless from, all claims in
respect of any fees, costs or expenses if any, of brokers and finders (other
than those retained by you).

         15.2     SURVIVAL.

         The obligations of the Company under this Section 15 will survive the
payment or transfer of any Note, the enforcement, amendment or waiver of any
provision of this Agreement or the Notes, and the termination of this Agreement.

16.      SURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; ENTIRE AGREEMENT

         All representations and warranties contained herein shall be deemed
made at and as of the date of the Closing and shall speak only as of such date.
The accuracy of such representations and warranties as at the date of the
Closing shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
Notes, the purchase or transfer by you of any Note or portion thereof or
interest therein and the payment of any Note, and may be relied upon by any
subsequent holder of a Note, regardless of any investigation made at any time by
or on behalf of you or any other holder of a Note. All statements contained in
any certificate or other instrument delivered by or on behalf of the Company
pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed representations and warranties of the
Company under this Agreement. Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement
and the Notes embody the entire agreement and understanding between you and the
Company and supersede all prior agreements and understandings relating to the
subject matter hereof.

17.      AMENDMENT AND WAIVER

         17.1     REQUIREMENTS.

         This Agreement and the Notes may be amended, and the observance of any
term hereof or of the Notes may be waived (either retroactively or
prospectively), with (and only with) the written consent of the Company and the
Required Holders, except that (a) no amendment or waiver of any of the
provisions of Section 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 hereof, or any defined term (as it is
used therein), will be effective as to you unless consented to by you in
writing, and (b) no such amendment or waiver may, without the written consent of
the holder of each Note at the time outstanding affected thereby, (i) subject to
the provisions of Section 12 relating to acceleration or rescission, change the
amount or time of any prepayment or payment of principal of, or reduce the rate
or change the time of payment or method of computation of interest or of the
Make-Whole Amount on, the Notes, (ii) change the percentage of the principal
amount of the Notes the holders of which are required to consent to any such
amendment or waiver, or (iii) amend any of Sections 8, 11(a), 11(b), 12, 17 or
20.

         17.2     SOLICITATION OF HOLDERS OF NOTES.

                  (a) SOLICITATION. The Company will provide each holder of the
         Notes (irrespective of the amount of Notes then owned by it) with all
         information that the Company reasonably believes is sufficient, and all
         other information requested by any of the holders, sufficiently far in
         advance of the date a decision is required, to enable such holder to
         make an informed and considered decision with respect to any proposed
         amendment, waiver or consent in respect of any of the provisions hereof
         or of the Notes. The Company will deliver executed or true and correct
         copies of each amendment, waiver or consent effected pursuant to the
         provisions of this Section 17 to each holder of outstanding Notes
         promptly following the date on which it is executed and delivered by,
         or receives the consent or approval of, the requisite holders of Notes.



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                  (b) PAYMENT. The Company will not directly or indirectly pay
         or cause to be paid any remuneration, whether by way of supplemental or
         additional interest, fee or otherwise, or grant any security, to any
         holder of Notes as consideration for or as an inducement to the
         entering into by any holder of Notes or any waiver or amendment of any
         of the terms and provisions hereof unless such remuneration is
         concurrently paid, or security is concurrently granted, on the same
         terms, ratably to each holder of Notes then outstanding even if such
         holder did not consent to such waiver or amendment.

                  (c) SCOPE OF CONSENT. Any amendment or waiver made pursuant to
         this Section 17.2 by a holder of Notes that has transferred or has
         agreed to transfer its Notes to the Company, any Subsidiary or any
         Affiliate and has provided or has agreed to provide such amendment or
         waiver as a condition to such transfer shall be void and of no force
         and effect except solely as to such holder, and any amendments effected
         or waivers granted that would not have been or would not be so effected
         or granted but for such amendment or waiver (and the amendments or
         waivers of all other holders of Notes that were acquired under the same
         or similar conditions) shall be void and of no force and effect,
         retroactive to the date such amendment or waiver initially took or
         takes effect, except solely as to such holder.

         17.3     BINDING EFFECT, ETC.

         Any amendment or waiver consented to as provided in this Section 17
applies equally to all holders of Notes and is binding upon them and upon each
future holder of any Note and upon the Company without regard to whether such
Note has been marked to indicate such amendment or waiver. No such amendment or
waiver will extend to or affect any obligation, covenant, agreement, Default or
Event of Default not expressly amended or waived or impair any right consequent
thereon. No course of dealing between the Company and the holder of any Note nor
any delay in exercising any rights hereunder or under any Note shall operate as
a waiver of any rights of any holder of such Note. As used herein, the term
"THIS AGREEMENT" and references thereto shall mean this Agreement as it may from
time to time be amended or supplemented.

         17.4     NOTES HELD BY COMPANY, ETC.

         Solely for the purpose of determining whether the holders of the
requisite percentage of the aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding
approved or consented to any amendment, waiver or consent to be given under this
Agreement or the Notes, or have directed the taking of any action provided
herein or in the Notes to be taken upon the direction of the holders of a
specified percentage of the aggregate principal amount of Notes then
outstanding, Notes directly or indirectly owned by the Company or any of its
Affiliates shall be deemed not to be outstanding.

18.      NOTICES

         All notices and communications provided for hereunder shall be in
writing and sent (a) by telecopy if the sender on the same day sends a
confirming copy of such notice by a recognized overnight delivery service
(charges prepaid), or (b) by registered or certified mail with return receipt
requested (postage prepaid), or (c) by a recognized overnight delivery service
(with charges prepaid). Any such notice must be sent:

                           (i) if to you or your nominee, to you or it at the
                  address specified for such communications in Schedule A, or at
                  such other address as you or it shall have specified to the
                  Company in writing,


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

                                       31
<PAGE>   37

                           (ii) if to any other holder of any Note, to such
                  holder at such address as such other holder shall have
                  specified to the Company in writing, or

                           (iii) if to the Company, to the Company at its
                  address set forth at the beginning hereof to the attention of
                  the "Treasurer," with a copy to the attention of the "Legal
                  Department," or at such other address as the Company shall
                  have specified to the holder of each Note in writing.

Notices under this Section 18 will be deemed given only when actually received.

19.      REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS

         This Agreement and all documents relating thereto, including, without
limitation, (a) consents, waivers and modifications that may hereafter be
executed, (b) documents received by you at the Closing (except the Notes
themselves), and (c) financial statements, certificates and other information
previously or hereafter furnished to you, may be reproduced by you by any
photographic, photostatic, microfilm, microcard, miniature photographic or other
similar process and you may destroy any original document so reproduced. The
Company agrees and stipulates that, to the extent permitted by applicable law,
any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in
any judicial or administrative proceeding (whether or not the original is in
existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by you in the regular
course of business) and any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction of
such reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence. This Section 19
shall not prohibit the Company or any other holder of Notes from contesting any
such reproduction to the same extent that it could contest the original, or from
introducing evidence to demonstrate the inaccuracy of any such reproduction.

20.      CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

         For the purposes of this Section 20, "CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION" means
information delivered to you by or on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary in
connection with the transactions contemplated by or otherwise pursuant to this
Agreement that is proprietary in nature and that was clearly marked or labeled
or otherwise adequately identified when received by you as being confidential
information of the Company or such Subsidiary, provided that such term does not
include information that

                  (a) was publicly known or otherwise known to you prior to the
         time of such disclosure,

                  (b) subsequently becomes publicly known through no act or
         omission by you or any Person acting on your behalf,

                  (c) otherwise becomes known to you other than through
         disclosure by the Company or any Subsidiary or

                  (d) constitutes financial statements delivered to you under
         Section 7.1 that are otherwise publicly available.

You will maintain the confidentiality of such Confidential Information in
accordance with procedures adopted by you in good faith to protect confidential
information of third parties delivered to you, provided that you may deliver or
disclose Confidential Information to



THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT


                                       32
<PAGE>   38

                           (i) your directors, officers, employees, agents,
                  attorneys and affiliates, (to the extent such disclosure
                  reasonably relates to the administration of the investment
                  represented by your Notes and is not used in connection with
                  the analysis of any other investment in the Company except in
                  a manner that is in compliance with applicable securities
                  laws),

                           (ii) your financial advisors and other professional
                  advisors who agree to hold confidential the Confidential
                  Information substantially in accordance with the terms of this
                  Section 20,

                           (iii)    any other holder of any Note,

                           (iv) any Institutional Investor to which you sell or
                  offer to sell such Note or any part thereof or any
                  participation therein (if such Person has agreed in writing
                  prior to its receipt of such Confidential Information to be
                  bound by the provisions of this Section 20),

                           (v) any Person from which you offer to purchase any
                  Security of the Company (if such Person has agreed in writing
                  prior to its receipt of such Confidential Information to be
                  bound by the provisions of this Section 20),

                           (vi) any federal or state regulatory authority having
                  jurisdiction over you,

                           (vii) the National Association of Insurance
                  Commissioners or any similar organization, or any nationally
                  recognized rating agency that requires access to information
                  about your investment portfolio, or

                           (viii) any other Person to which such delivery or
                  disclosure may be necessary or appropriate

                           (w) to effect compliance with any law, rule,
                  regulation or order applicable to you,

                           (x) in response to any subpoena or other legal
                  process,

                           (y) in connection with any litigation to which you
                  are a party or

                           (z) if an Event of Default has occurred and is
                  continuing, to the extent you may reasonably determine such
                  delivery and disclosure to be necessary or appropriate in the
                  enforcement or for the protection of the rights and remedies
                  under your Notes and this Agreement.

Each holder of a Note, by its acceptance of a Note, will be deemed to have
agreed to be bound by and to be entitled to the benefits of this Section 20 as
though it were a party to this Agreement. On reasonable request by the Company
in connection with the delivery to any holder of a Note of information required
to be delivered to such holder under this Agreement or requested by such holder
(other than a holder that is a party to this Agreement or its nominee), such
holder will enter into an agreement with the Company embodying the provisions of
this Section 20.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT


                                       33
<PAGE>   39

21.      MISCELLANEOUS

         21.1     SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS.

         All covenants and other agreements contained in this Agreement by or on
behalf of any of the parties hereto bind and inure to the benefit of their
respective successors and assigns (including, without limitation, any subsequent
holder of a Note) whether so expressed or not.

         21.2     PAYMENTS DUE ON NON-BUSINESS DAYS.

         Anything in this Agreement or the Notes to the contrary
notwithstanding, any payment of principal of or Make-whole Amount or interest on
any Note that is due on a date other than a Business Day shall be made on the
next succeeding Business Day without including the additional days elapsed in
the computation of the interest payable on such next succeeding Business Day.

         21.3     SEVERABILITY.

         Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in
any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of
such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining
provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any
jurisdiction shall (to the full extent permitted by law) not invalidate or
render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

         21.4     CONSTRUCTION.

         Each covenant contained herein shall be construed (absent express
provision to the contrary) as being independent of each other covenant contained
herein, so that compliance with any one covenant shall not (absent such an
express contrary provision) be deemed to excuse compliance with any other
covenant. Where any provision herein refers to action to be taken by any Person,
or which such Person is prohibited from taking, such provision shall be
applicable whether such action is taken directly or indirectly by such Person.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT



                                       34
<PAGE>   40



         21.5     COUNTERPARTS.

         This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which shall be an original but all of which together shall constitute one
instrument. Each counterpart may consist of a number of copies hereof, each
signed by less than all, but together signed by all, of the parties hereto.

         21.6     GOVERNING LAW.

         THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, AND
THE RIGHTS OF THE PARTIES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
EXCLUDING CHOICE-OF-LAW PRINCIPLES OF THE LAW OF SUCH STATE THAT WOULD REQUIRE
THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF A JURISDICTION OTHER THAN SUCH STATE.


      [Remainder of page intentionally blank; next page is signature page.]



THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT




                                       35
<PAGE>   41
         If you are in agreement with the foregoing, please sign the form of
agreement on the accompanying counterpart of this Agreement and return it to the
Company, whereupon the foregoing shall become a binding agreement between you
and the Company.

                                                   Very truly yours,

                                                   THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY

                                                   By: /s/ Richard K. Smucker
                                                      --------------------------
                                                   Name: Richard K. Smucker
                                                   Title: President

The foregoing is hereby
agreed to as of the
date thereof.

HARTFORD LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By The Hartford Investment Management Company
and by Hartford Investment Services, Inc.
Its Agents and Attorneys-in-Fact

By: /s/ Betsy Roberts
   ------------------
Name: Betsy Roberts
Title: Senior Vice President

NATIONWIDE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

By: /s/ Mark W. Poeppelman
    ----------------------
Name: Mark W. Poeppelman
Title: Authorized Signatory

NATIONWIDE INDEMNITY COMPANY

By: /s/ Mark W. Poeppelman
    ----------------------
Name: Mark W. Poeppelman
Title: Authorized Signatory

AMCO INSURANCE COMPANY

By: /s/ Mark W. Poeppelman
    ----------------------
Name: Mark W. Poeppelman
Title: Authorized Signatory

NATIONWIDE INSURANCE COMPANY OF FLORIDA

By: /s/ Mark W. Poeppelman
    ----------------------
Name: Mark W. Poeppelman
Title: Authorized Signatory

CONNECTICUT GENERAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By: CIGNA Investments, Inc. (authorized agent)

By: /s/ Denise T. Duffee
    --------------------
Name: Denise T. Duffee
Title: Managing Director

THE TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY

By: /s/ Teresa M. Torrey
   ---------------------
Name: Teresa M. Torrey
Title: Second Vice President

THE TRAVELERS LIFE AND ANNUITY COMPANY

By: /s/ Teresa M. Torrey
   ---------------------
Name: Teresa M. Torrey
Title: Second Vice President

MUTUAL TRUST LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Thomas G. Meyer
   --------------------
Name: Thomas G. Meyer
Title: Vice President

NATIONAL TRAVELERS LIFE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Thomas G. Meyer
   --------------------
Name: Thomas G. Meyer
Title: Vice President

GUARANTEE RESERVE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Thomas G. Meyer
   --------------------
Name: Thomas G. Meyer
Title: Vice President

PIONEER MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Thomas G. Meyer
   --------------------
Name: Thomas G. Meyer
Title: Vice President

THE CATHOLIC AID ASSOCIATION
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Loren Haugland
   -------------------
Name: Loren Haugland
Title: Vice President

PROJECTED HOME MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Loren Haugland
   -------------------
Name: Loren Haugland
Title: Vice President

THE RELIABLE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Loren Haugland
   -------------------
Name: Loren Haugland
Title: Vice President

GREAT WESTERN INSURANCE COMPANY
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Loren Haugland
   -------------------
Name: Loren Haugland
Title: Vice President

THE NORTH WEST LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA
By: Advantus Capital Management, Inc.

By: /s/ Loren Haugland
   -------------------
Name: Loren Haugland
Title: Vice President

MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA

By: /s/ Clyde C. Schoeck
   ---------------------
Name: Clyde C. Schoeck
Title: President




<PAGE>   42



                                   SCHEDULE B

                                  DEFINED TERMS
                                  -------------

         As used herein, the following terms have the respective meanings set
forth below or set forth in the Section hereof following such term:

         "AFFILIATE" means, at any time, and with respect to any Person, any
other Person that at such time directly or indirectly through one or more
intermediaries Controls, or is Controlled by, or is under common Control with,
such first Person. As used in this definition, "CONTROL" means the possession,
directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the
management and policies of a Person, whether through the ownership of voting
securities, by contract or otherwise. Unless the context otherwise clearly
requires, any reference to an "Affiliate" is a reference to an Affiliate of the
Company.

         "ASSET DISPOSITION" means any Transfer except :

                  (a)      any

                           (i) Transfer from a Subsidiary to the Company or a
                  Wholly-Owned Subsidiary;

                           (ii) Transfer from the Company to a Wholly-Owned
                  Subsidiary; and

                           (iii) Transfer from the Company to a Subsidiary
                  (other than a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary) or from a Subsidiary to
                  another Subsidiary (other than a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary),
                  which in either case is for Fair Market Value,

         so long as immediately before and immediately after the consummation of
         any such Transfer and after giving effect thereto, no Default or Event
         of Default exists; or

                  (b) any Transfer made in the ordinary course of business and
         involving only property that is either (i) inventory held for sale or
         (ii) equipment, fixtures, supplies or materials no longer required in
         the operation of the business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
         or that is obsolete.

         "ATTRIBUTABLE DEBT" means, as to any particular lease relating to a
Sale-and-Leaseback Transaction, the present value of all Lease Rentals required
to be paid by the Company or any Subsidiary under such lease during the
remaining term thereof (determined in accordance with generally accepted
financial practice using a discount factor equal to the interest rate implicit
in such lease if known or, if not known, an interest rate of 10% per annum).

         "BUSINESS DAY" means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day
on which commercial banks in New York City, New York are required or authorized
to be closed.

         "CAPITAL LEASE" means, at any time, a lease with respect to which the
lessee is required concurrently to recognize the acquisition of an asset and the
incurrence of a liability in accordance with GAAP.

         "CHANGE IN CONTROL" means either:

                  (a) the failure of the Smucker Family to hold, in the
         aggregate, not less than the greater of: (i) 35% of the total voting
         power of all classes of the Voting Stock of the Company; and (ii) 200%


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-1
<PAGE>   43

         of the voting power of all classes of the Voting Stock of the Company
         possessed by any person (as such term is used in section 13(d) and
         section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of the
         Closing) or related persons constituting a group (as such term is used
         in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of the
         Closing), other than the Smucker Family ; or

                  (b) all or substantially all of the assets of the Company are
         sold or otherwise transferred, in a single transaction or a series of
         related transactions, to any person (as such term is used in section
         13(d) and section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date
         of the Closing) or related persons constituting a group (as such term
         is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date
         of the Closing).

         "CLOSING" is defined in Section 3.

         "CODE" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to
time, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder from time to time.

         "COMPANY" is defined in the introductory sentence of this Agreement.

         "CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION"  is defined in Section 20.

         "CONSOLIDATED ATTRIBUTABLE DEBT" means, as of any date of
determination, the total of all Attributable Debt of the Company and its
Subsidiaries outstanding on such date, after eliminating all offsetting debits
and credits between the Company and its Subsidiaries and all other items
required to be eliminated in the course of the preparation of consolidated
financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with
GAAP.

         "CONSOLIDATED CURRENT DEBT" means, as of any date of determination, the
total of all Current Debt of the Company and its Subsidiaries outstanding on
such date, after eliminating all offsetting debits and credits between the
Company and its Subsidiaries and all other items required to be eliminated in
the course of the preparation of consolidated financial statements of the
Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

         "CONSOLIDATED FUNDED DEBT" means, as of any date of determination, the
total of all Funded Debt of the Company and its Subsidiaries outstanding on such
date, after eliminating all offsetting debits and credits between the Company
and its Subsidiaries and all other items required to be eliminated in the course
of the preparation of consolidated financial statements of the Company and its
Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

         "CONSOLIDATED NET WORTH" means, at any time,

                  (a) the sum of (i) the par value (or value stated on the books
         of the corporation) of the capital stock (but excluding treasury stock,
         capital stock subscribed and unissued and Preferred Stock redeemable
         prior to the maturity date of the Notes) of the Company and its
         Subsidiaries plus (ii) the amount of the paid-in capital and retained
         earnings of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case as such
         amounts would be shown on a consolidated balance sheet of the Company
         and its Subsidiaries as of such time prepared in accordance with GAAP,
         minus

                  (b) to the extent included in clause (a), all amounts properly
         attributable to minority interests, if any, in the stock and surplus of
         Subsidiaries.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-2
<PAGE>   44

         "CONSOLIDATED SENIOR FUNDED DEBT" means all Senior Funded Debt of the
Company and the Subsidiaries, after eliminating all offsetting debits and
credits between the Company and its Subsidiaries and all other items required to
be eliminated in the course of the preparation of consolidated financial
statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

         "CONSOLIDATED TOTAL ASSETS" means, at any time, the total assets of the
Company and the Subsidiaries which would be shown as assets on a consolidated
balance sheet of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of such time prepared in
accordance with GAAP, after eliminating all amounts properly attributable to
minority interests, if any, in the stock and surplus of Subsidiaries.

         "CONSOLIDATED TOTAL CAPITALIZATION" means, at any time, the sum of
Consolidated Net Worth and Consolidated Funded Debt.

         "CONTROL EVENT" means:

                  (a) the execution, by the holders of Voting Stock of the
         Company (together with their respective executors, heirs,
         beneficiaries, successors and assigns) or (in the case of any natural
         Person) their respective Families or Family Trusts, or by the Company
         or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, of any agreement or letter of
         intent with respect to any proposed transaction or event or series of
         transactions or events which, individually or in the aggregate, may
         reasonably be expected to result in a Change in Control;

                  (b) the execution of any written agreement which, when fully
         performed by the parties thereto, would result in a Change in Control;
         or

                  (c) the making of any written offer by any person (as such
         term is used in section 13(d) and section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act
         as in effect on the Closing Date) or related persons constituting a
         group (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act as in
         effect on the Closing Date) to the holders of the Voting Stock of the
         Company, which offer, if accepted by the requisite number of holders,
         would result in a Change in Control.

         "CURRENT DEBT" means, with respect to any Person, all Debt of such
Person which by its terms or by the terms of any instrument or agreement
relating thereto matures on demand or within one year from the date of the
creation thereof and is not directly or indirectly renewable or extendible at
the option of the obligor in respect thereof to a date one year or more from
such date, provided that (a) Debt outstanding under a revolving credit or
similar agreement which obligates the lender or lenders to extend credit over a
period of one year or more and (b) Current Maturities of Funded Debt shall
constitute Funded Debt and not Current Debt, even though such Debt by its terms
matures on demand or within one year from such date.

         "CURRENT MATURITIES OF FUNDED DEBT" means, at any time and with respect
to any item of Funded Debt, the portion of such Funded Debt outstanding at such
time which by the terms of such Funded Debt or the terms of any instrument or
agreement relating thereto is due on demand or within one year from such time
(whether by sinking fund, other required prepayment or final payment at
maturity) and is not directly or indirectly renewable, extendible or refundable
at the option of the obligor under an agreement or firm commitment in effect at
such time to a date one year or more from such time.

         "DEBT" means, with respect to any Person, without duplication:


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-3
<PAGE>   45

                  (a) its liabilities for borrowed money;

                  (b) its liabilities for the deferred purchase price of
         property acquired by such Person (excluding accounts payable arising in
         the ordinary course of business but including, without limitation, all
         liabilities created or arising under any conditional sale or other
         title retention agreement with respect to any such property);

                  (c) all liabilities appearing on its balance sheet in
         accordance with GAAP in respect of Capital Leases;

                  (d) all liabilities for borrowed money secured by any Lien
         with respect to any property owned by such Person (whether or not it
         has assumed or otherwise become liable for such liabilities); and

                  (e) any Guaranty of such Person with respect to liabilities of
         a type described in any of clauses (a) through (d) hereof.

Debt of any Person shall include all obligations of such Person of the character
described in clauses (a) through (e) to the extent such Person remains legally
liable in respect thereof notwithstanding that any such obligation is deemed to
be extinguished under GAAP.

         "DEBT PREPAYMENT APPLICATION" means, with respect to any Transfer of
property, the application by the Company or its Subsidiaries of cash in an
amount equal to the Net Proceeds Amount with respect to such Transfer to pay
Senior Funded Debt of the Company (other than Senior Funded Debt owing to the
Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any Affiliate and Senior Funded Debt in
respect of any revolving credit or similar credit facility providing the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries with the right to obtain loans or other extensions of
credit from time to time, except to the extent that in connection with such
payment of Senior Funded Debt the availability of credit under such credit
facility is permanently reduced by an amount not less than the amount of such
proceeds applied to the payment of such Senior Funded Debt).

         "DEFAULT" means an event or condition the occurrence or existence of
which would, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice or both, become an
Event of Default.

         "DEFAULT RATE" means that rate of interest that is the greater of (i)
8.77% per annum above the rate of interest stated in clause (a) of the first
paragraph of the Notes or (ii) 2% over the rate of interest publicly announced
from time to time by Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York (or its
successor) in New York City as its "base" or "prime" rate.

         "DISPOSITION VALUE" means, at any time, with respect to any property

                  (a) in the case of property that does not constitute
         Subsidiary Stock, the book value thereof, valued at the time of such
         disposition in good faith by the Company, and

                  (b) in the case of property that constitutes Subsidiary Stock,
         an amount equal to that percentage of book value of the assets of the
         Subsidiary that issued such stock as is equal to the percentage that
         the book value of such Subsidiary Stock represents of the book value of
         all of the outstanding capital stock of such Subsidiary (assuming, in
         making such calculations, that all Securities convertible into such
         capital stock are so converted and giving full effect to all
         transactions that would


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-4
<PAGE>   46


         occur or be required in connection with such conversion) determined at
         the time of the disposition thereof, in good faith by the Company.

         "ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS" means any and all federal, state, local, and
foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders,
decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or
governmental restrictions relating to pollution and the protection of the
environment or the release of any materials into the environment, including but
not limited to those related to hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions
and discharges to waste or public systems.

         "ERISA" means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder
from time to time in effect.

         "ERISA AFFILIATE" means any trade or business (whether or not
incorporated) that is treated as a single employer together with the Company
under section 414 of the Code.

         "EVENT OF DEFAULT" is defined in Section 11.

         "EXCHANGE ACT" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

         "FAIR MARKET VALUE" means, on any date and with respect to any property
that is to be the subject of a Transfer, the sale value of such property that
would be realized in an arm's-length sale at such time between an informed and
willing buyer and an informed and willing seller (neither being under a
compulsion to buy or sell), as determined by:

                  (i) an appraiser of established reputation in appraising
         property of the kind to be subject to such Transfer;

                  (ii) the highest price offered for such property in a
         competitive bidding process in which at least three potential bidders
         have been requested to participate so long as the Company had a
         reasonable basis on which to make such request (in terms of such
         potential bidders' financial resources and interest in such property);
         or

                  (iii) an analysis prepared by the Company which in addition to
         taking into account the standard set forth in this definition prior to
         clause (i) shall take into account the operating costs that would be
         saved by disposing of such property, and the relative tax benefits
         attributable to continued ownership and to disposition of such
         property; provided, however, that the sum of the Disposition Value of
         such property, plus the Disposition Value of all other such property
         Transferred during the 365 day period ending on such date, shall not
         exceed an amount equal to 3% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end
         of the then most recently ended fiscal year of the Company (exclusive
         of the Disposition Value of the real property of the Company located in
         Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and the plant and equipment located thereon,
         related to the "Mrs.'s Smith's" frozen pie business). Any such
         evaluation shall be delivered to the holders of the Notes together with
         an Officer's Certificate, signed by a Senior Financial Officer,
         certifying as to the accuracy and completeness of such evaluation.

         "FAMILY" means, in respect of any individual, the heirs, legatees,
descendants and blood relatives to the fifth degree of consanguinity of such
individual.

         "FAMILY TRUSTS" means, in respect of any individual, any trusts for the
exclusive benefit of such individual, his or her spouse and lineal descendants.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-5
<PAGE>   47

         "FUNDED DEBT" means, with respect to any Person, all Debt of such
Person which by its terms or by the terms of any instrument or agreement
relating thereto matures, or which is otherwise payable or unpaid, one year or
more from, or is directly or indirectly renewable or extendible at the option of
the obligor in respect thereof to a date one year or more (including, without
limitation, an option of such obligor under a revolving credit or similar
agreement obligating the lender or lenders to extend credit over a period of one
year or more) from, the date of the creation thereof.

         "GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles as in effect from
time to time in the United States of America.

         "GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY"  means

                  (a) the government of

                           (i) the United States of America or any state or
                  other political subdivision thereof, or

                           (ii) any jurisdiction in which the Company or any
                  Subsidiary conducts all or any part of its business, or which
                  asserts jurisdiction over any properties of the Company or any
                  Subsidiary, or

                  (b) any entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial,
         regulatory or administrative functions of, or pertaining to, any such
         government.

         "GUARANTY" means, with respect to any Person, any obligation (except
the endorsement in the ordinary course of business of negotiable instruments for
deposit or collection) of such Person guaranteeing or in effect guaranteeing any
indebtedness, dividend or other obligation of any other Person in any manner,
whether directly or indirectly, including (without limitation) obligations
incurred through an agreement, contingent or otherwise, by such Person:

                  (a) to purchase such indebtedness or obligation or any
         property constituting security therefor;

                  (b) to advance or supply funds (i) for the purchase or payment
         of such indebtedness or obligation, or (ii) to maintain any working
         capital or other balance sheet condition or any income statement
         condition of any other Person or otherwise to advance or make available
         funds for the purchase or payment of such indebtedness or obligation;

                  (c) to lease properties or to purchase properties or services
         primarily for the purpose of assuring the owner of such indebtedness or
         obligation of the ability of any other Person to make payment of the
         indebtedness or obligation; or

                  (d) otherwise to assure the owner of such indebtedness or
         obligation against loss in respect thereof.

In any computation of the indebtedness or other liabilities of the obligor under
any Guaranty, the indebtedness or other obligations that are the subject of such
Guaranty shall be assumed to be direct obligations of such obligor.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-6
<PAGE>   48

         "HOLDER" means, with respect to any Note, the Person in whose name such
Note is registered in the register maintained by the Company pursuant to Section
13.1.

         "INDEBTEDNESS" with respect to any Person means, at any time, without
duplication:

                  (a) its liabilities for borrowed money and its redemption
         obligations in respect of mandatorily redeemable Preferred Stock;

                  (b) its liabilities for the deferred purchase price of
         property acquired by such Person (excluding accounts payable arising in
         the ordinary course of business but including all liabilities created
         or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention
         agreement with respect to any such property);

                  (c) all liabilities appearing on its balance sheet in
         accordance with GAAP in respect of Capital Leases;

                  (d) all liabilities for borrowed money secured by any Lien
         with respect to any property owned by such Person (whether or not it
         has assumed or otherwise become liable for such liabilities);

                  (e) all its liabilities in respect of letters of credit or
         instruments serving a similar function issued or accepted for its
         account by banks and other financial institutions (whether or not
         representing obligations for borrowed money);

                  (f) Swaps of such Person; and

                  (g) any Guaranty of such Person with respect to liabilities of
         a type described in any of clauses (a) through (f) hereof.

         "INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR" means (a) any original purchaser of a Note,
(b) any holder of a Note holding more than 5% of the aggregate principal amount
of the Notes then outstanding, and (c) any bank, trust company, savings and loan
association or other financial institution, any pension plan, any investment
company, any insurance company, any broker or dealer, or any other similar
financial institution or entity, regardless of legal form.

         "LEASE RENTALS" means, with respect to any period, the sum of the
minimum amount of rental and other obligations required to be paid during such
period by the Company or any Subsidiary as lessee under all leases of real or
personal property (other than Capital Leases), excluding any amounts required to
be paid by the lessee (whether or not therein designated as rental or additional
rental) (a) which are on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes,
assessments, water rates and similar charges, or (b) which are based on profits,
revenues or sales realized by the lessee from the leased property or otherwise
based on the performance of the lessee.

         "LIEN" means, with respect to any Person, any mortgage, lien, pledge,
charge, security interest or other encumbrance, or any interest or title of any
vendor, lessor, lender or other secured party to or of such Person under any
conditional sale or other title retention agreement or Capital Lease, upon or
with respect to any property or asset of such Person (including in the case of
stock, stockholder agreements, voting trust agreements and all similar
arrangements).


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-7
<PAGE>   49

         "MAKE-WHOLE AMOUNT" is defined in Section 8.7.

         "MATERIAL" means material in relation to the business, operations,
affairs, financial condition, assets, or properties of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

         "MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT" means a material adverse effect on (a) the
business, operations, affairs, financial condition, assets or properties of the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, or (b) the ability of the Company
to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Notes, or (c) the
validity or enforceability of this Agreement or the Notes.

         "MEMORANDUM" is defined in Section 5.3.

         "MULTIEMPLOYER PLAN" means any Plan that is a "multiemployer plan" (as
such term is defined in section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA).

         "NET PROCEEDS AMOUNT" means, with respect to any Transfer of any
property by any Person, an amount equal to the difference of

                  (a) the aggregate amount of the consideration (valued at the
         Fair Market Value of such consideration at the time of the consummation
         of such Transfer) received by such Person in respect of such Transfer,
         minus

                  (b) all ordinary and reasonable out-of-pocket costs and
         expenses actually incurred by such Person in connection with such
         Transfer.

         "NOTES" is defined in Section 1.

         "OFFEREE LETTER" is defined in Section 5.13.

         "OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE" means a certificate of a Senior Financial
Officer or of any other officer of the Company whose responsibilities extend to
the subject matter of such certificate.

         "OTHER AGREEMENTS" is defined in Section 2.

         "OTHER PURCHASERS" is defined in Section 2.

         "PBGC" means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and
defined in ERISA or any successor thereto.

         "PERSON" means an individual, partnership, corporation, limited
liability company, association, trust, unincorporated organization, or a
government or agency or political subdivision thereof.

         "PLAN" means an "employee benefit plan" (as defined in section 3(3) of
ERISA) that is or, within the preceding five years, has been established or
maintained, or to which contributions are or, within the preceding five years,
have been made or required to be made, by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate or
with respect to which the Company or any ERISA Affiliate may have any liability.


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-8
<PAGE>   50


         "PREFERRED STOCK" means any class of capital stock of a corporation
that is preferred over any other class of capital stock of such corporation as
to the payment of dividends or the payment of any amount upon liquidation or
dissolution of such corporation.

         "PRIORITY DEBT" means the sum of (a) all Debt of the Company secured by
Liens permitted by Section 10.7(g), (b) all Debt of Subsidiaries (other than
Debt held by the Company or a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary) and (c) Consolidated
Attributable Debt.

         "PROPERTY" or "PROPERTIES" means, unless otherwise specifically
limited, real or personal property of any kind, tangible or intangible, choate
or inchoate.

         "PROPERTY REINVESTMENT APPLICATION" means, with respect to any Transfer
of property, the satisfaction of each of the following conditions:

                  (a) an amount equal to the Net Proceeds Amount with respect to
         such Transfer shall have been applied to the acquisition by the
         Company, or any of its Subsidiaries making such Transfer, of property
         that upon such acquisition is unencumbered by any Lien (other than
         Liens described in subparagraphs (a) through (f), inclusive, of Section
         10.7) and that

                           (i) constitutes property that is (x) property
                  classifiable under GAAP as non-current to the extent that such
                  proceeds are derived from the Transfer of property that was
                  properly classifiable as non-current, and otherwise properly
                  classifiable as either current or non-current, and (y) to be
                  used in the ordinary course of business of the Company and the
                  Subsidiaries, or

                           (ii) constitutes equity interests of a Person that
                  shall be, on or prior to the time of such acquisition, a
                  Subsidiary of the Company, and that shall invest the proceeds
                  of such acquisition in property of the nature described in the
                  immediately preceding clause (i); and

                  (b) the Company shall have delivered a certificate of a
         Responsible Officer of the Company to each holder of a Note referring
         to Section 10.8 or Section 10.9, as applicable, and identifying the
         property that was the subject of such Transfer, the Disposition Value
         of such property, and the nature, terms, amount and application of the
         proceeds from the Transfer.

         "PROPOSED PREPAYMENT DATE" is defined in Section 8.3(c).

         "PTE" means a United States Department of Labor Prohibited Transaction
Class Exemption.

         "QPAM EXEMPTION" is defined in Section 6.2(c).

         "REQUIRED HOLDERS" means, at any time, the holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding (exclusive of
Notes then owned by the Company or any of its Affiliates).

         "RESPONSIBLE OFFICER" means any Senior Financial Officer and any other
officer of the Company with responsibility for the administration of the
relevant portion of this agreement.

         "SALE-AND-LEASEBACK TRANSACTION" means a transaction or series of
transactions pursuant to which the Company or any Subsidiary shall sell or
transfer to any Person (other than the Company


THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-9

<PAGE>   51


or a Subsidiary) any property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, and, as
part of the same transaction or series of transactions, the Company or any
Subsidiary shall rent or lease as lessee (other than pursuant to a Capital
Lease), or similarly acquire the right to possession or use of, such property or
one or more properties which it intends to use for the same purpose or purposes
as such property.

         "SECURITIES ACT" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time
to time.

         "SECURITY" has the meaning set forth in Section 2(1) of the Securities
Act.

         "SENIOR FINANCIAL OFFICER" means the Vice President - Administration,
principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller of the Company.

         "SENIOR FUNDED DEBT" means all Funded Debt of the Company (other than
Subordinated Funded Debt) and all Funded Debt of Subsidiaries.

         "SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDIARY" means at any time any Subsidiary that would at
such time constitute a "significant subsidiary" (as such term is defined in
Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission as in effect on the
date of the Closing) of the Company.

         "SOURCE" is defined in Section 6.2.

         "SMUCKER FAMILY" means and includes Lorraine E. Smucker, Timothy P.
Smucker, Richard K. Smucker, Susan Smucker Wagstaff and Marcella Smucker Clark,
and their respective Families and Family Trusts.

         "SUBORDINATED FUNDED DEBT" means any Funded Debt of the Company that is
subordinated in right of payment or security to Funded Debt evidenced by the
Notes, in each case, upon written terms and conditions reasonably satisfactory
to the Required Holders.

         "SUBSIDIARY" means, as to any Person, any corporation, association or
other business entity in which such Person or one or more of its Subsidiaries or
such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries owns sufficient equity or voting
interests to enable it or them (as a group) ordinarily, in the absence of
contingencies, to elect a majority of the directors (or Persons performing
similar functions) of such entity, and any partnership or joint venture if more
than a 50% interest in the profits or capital thereof is owned by such Person or
one or more of its Subsidiaries or such Person and one or more of its
Subsidiaries (unless such partnership can and does ordinarily take major
business actions without the prior approval of such Person or one or more of its
Subsidiaries). Unless the context otherwise clearly requires, any reference to a
"Subsidiary" is a reference to a Subsidiary of the Company.

         "SUBSIDIARY STOCK" means, with respect to any Person, the stock (or any
options or warrants to purchase stock or other Securities exchangeable for or
convertible into stock) of any Subsidiary of such Person.

         "SWAPS" means, with respect to any Person, payment obligations with
respect to interest rate swaps, currency swaps and similar obligations
obligating such Person to make payments, whether periodically or upon the
happening of a contingency. For the purposes of this Agreement, the amount of
the obligation under any Swap shall be the amount determined in respect thereof
as of the end of the then most recently ended fiscal quarter of such Person,
based on the assumption that such Swap had terminated at the end of such fiscal
quarter, and in making such determination, if any agreement relating to such
Swap provides for the netting of amounts payable by and to such Person
thereunder or if any such agreement provides for the simultaneous

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-10
<PAGE>   52


payment of amounts by and to such Person, then in each such case, the amount of
such obligation shall be the net amount so determined.

         "TRANSFER" means, with respect to any Person, any transaction in which
such Person sells, conveys, transfers or leases (as lessor) any of its property,
including, without limitation, Subsidiary Stock. For purposes of determining the
application of the Net Proceeds Amount in respect of any Transfer, the Company
may designate any Transfer as one or more separate Transfers each yielding a
separate Net Proceeds Amount. In any such case, the Disposition Value of any
property subject to each such separate Transfer shall be determined by ratably
allocating the aggregate Disposition Value of all property subject to all such
separate Transfers to each such separate Transfer on a proportionate basis.

         "VOTING STOCK" means capital stock of any class or classes of a Person
the holders of which are ordinarily, in the absence of contingencies, entitled
to elect corporate directors (or Persons performing similar functions).

         "WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY" means, at any time, any Subsidiary one
hundred percent (100%) of all of the equity interests (except directors'
qualifying shares) and voting interests of which are owned by any one or more of
the Company and the Company's other Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries at such time.

         "YEAR 2000 COMPLIANT" means all computer applications that are material
to the Company's and the Subsidiaries' business and operations will on a timely
basis be able to perform properly date-sensitive functions involving dates on or
after January 1, 2000.

THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY                                 NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                                  Schedule B-11
<PAGE>   53



                                                                       EXHIBIT 1

                                  FORM OF NOTE


                            THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY

                       6.77% SENIOR NOTE DUE JUNE 1, 2009

No. R-___                                                                 [Date]
$_______                                                       PPN: 832696 A@ 7

         FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned, THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY (herein
called the "COMPANY"), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of
the State of Ohio, hereby promises to pay to ________________________, or
registered assigns, the principal sum of ___________________ DOLLARS ($________)
on _____________, ____, with interest (computed on the basis of a 360-day year
of twelve 30-day months) (a) on the unpaid balance thereof at the rate of 6.77%
per annum from the date hereof, payable semiannually, on the first day of June
and December in each year, commencing with the June 1 or December 1 next
succeeding the date hereof, until the principal hereof shall have become due and
payable, and (b) to the extent permitted by law on any overdue payment
(including any overdue prepayment) of principal, any overdue payment of interest
and any overdue payment of any Make-Whole Amount (as defined in the Note
Purchase Agreements referred to below), payable semiannually as aforesaid (or,
at the option of the registered holder hereof, on demand), at a rate per annum
from time to time equal to the greater of (i) 8.77% or (ii) 2% over the rate of
interest publicly announced from time to time by Morgan Guaranty Trust Company
of New York in New York City, New York as its "base" or "prime" rate.

         Payments of principal of, interest on and any Make-Whole Amount with
respect to this Note are to be made in lawful money of the United States of
America at the address shown in the register maintained by the Company for such
purpose or at such other place as the Company shall have designated by written
notice to the holder of this Note as provided in the Note Purchase Agreements
referred to below.

         This Note is one of a series of Senior Notes (herein called the
"NOTES") issued pursuant to separate Note Purchase Agreements, dated as of June
16, 1999 (as from time to time amended, the "NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENTS"), between
the Company and the respective Purchasers named therein and is entitled to the
benefits thereof. Each holder of this Note will be deemed, by its acceptance
hereof, (i) to have agreed to the confidentiality provisions set forth in
Section 20 of the Note Purchase Agreements and (ii) to have made the
representations set forth in the last sentence of Section 6.1 and in Section 6.2
of the Note Purchase Agreements.

         This Note is a registered Note and, as provided in the Note Purchase
Agreements, upon surrender of this Note for registration of transfer, duly
endorsed, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer duly executed, by
the registered holder hereof or such holder's attorney duly authorized in
writing, a new Note for a like principal amount will be issued to, and
registered in the name of, the transferee. Prior to due presentment for
registration of transfer, the Company may treat the person in whose name this
Note is registered as the owner hereof for the purpose of receiving payment and
for all other purposes, and the Company will not be affected by any notice to
the contrary.

         This Note is subject to optional prepayment, in whole or from time to
time in part, at the times and on the terms specified in the Note Purchase
Agreements, but not otherwise.



                                                                    FORM OF NOTE
                                   Exhibit 1-1

<PAGE>   54




         If an Event of Default, as defined in the Note Purchase Agreements,
occurs and is continuing, the principal of this Note may be declared or
otherwise become due and payable in the manner, at the price (including any
applicable Make-Whole Amount) and with the effect provided in the Note Purchase
Agreements.

         THIS NOTE AND THE NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENTS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND
CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK,
EXCLUDING CHOICE-OF-LAW PRINCIPLES OF THE LAW OF SUCH STATE THAT WOULD REQUIRE
THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF A JURISDICTION OTHER THAN SUCH STATE.

                                            THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY


                                            By:_________________________
                                            Name:
                                            Title:





                                                                    FORM OF NOTE
                                   Exhibit 1-2

<PAGE>   55



                                                                  EXHIBIT 4.4(a)

                    FORM OF OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY



                                             [Date of the Closing]


To the Persons Listed
 on Annex 1 hereto

         Re:      $75,000,000 6.77% Senior Notes due June 1, 2009 of The J.M.
                  Smucker Company

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         Reference is made to the separate Note Purchase Agreements
(collectively, the "NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT"), each dated as of June 16, 1999,
between The J.M. Smucker Company (the "COMPANY") and each of you, pursuant to
which the Company has issued to you today its 6.77% Senior Notes due June 1,
2009 in the aggregate principal amount of $75,000,000. Unless otherwise defined
herein, all terms used herein that are defined in the Note Purchase Agreement
have the respective meanings specified in the Note Purchase Agreement. This
letter is being delivered to you in satisfaction of the condition set forth in
Section 4.4(a) of the Note Purchase Agreement and with the understanding that
you are purchasing the Notes in reliance on the opinions expressed herein.

         I am the Vice President - Administration, Secretary and General Counsel
of the Company and have acted as counsel for the Company in connection with the
transactions contemplated by the Note Purchase Agreement.

         In acting as such counsel, I have examined:

                  (a) an execution copy of the Note Purchase Agreement;

                  (b) execution copies of each of the Company's 6.77% Senior
         Notes due June 1, 2009, each dated the date hereof, in the form of
         Exhibit 1 to the Note Purchase Agreement and registered in the names,
         in the principal amounts and with the registration numbers set forth in
         Schedule A to the Note Purchase Agreement (collectively, the "NOTES");

                  (c) a long-form good standing certificate for the Company from
         the State of Ohio, and foreign good standing certificates for the
         Company from each of the states where the Company is qualified to do
         business;

                  (d) a certified copy of the Articles of Incorporation of the
         Company, the Regulations of the Company, and resolutions adopted by the
         board of directors of the Company authorizing the Note Purchase
         Agreement and the Notes, as certified by the Secretary of the Company;

                  (e) a letter to Hebb & Gitlin and the Company from William
         Blair & Company, dated the date hereof, describing the manner of the
         offering of the Notes (the "OFFEREE LETTER"); and

                                                              FORM OF OPINION OF
                                                          COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY
                                Exhibit 4.4(a)-1

<PAGE>   56




                  (f) originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to
         my satisfaction, of such other documents, records, instruments and
         certificates of public officials and officers and representatives of
         the Company as I have deemed necessary or appropriate to enable me to
         render this opinion.

         In rendering my opinion, I have assumed that all signatures (other than
signatures of officers and directors of the Company) are genuine, that all
documents submitted to me as originals are genuine, that all copies submitted to
me as copies conform to the originals, that all natural Persons have legal
capacity and, as to documents executed by or on behalf of Persons other than the
Company, that each such Person executing documents had the power to enter into
and perform its obligations under such documents and that such documents have
been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and are binding upon and
enforceable against, such Persons. I have no actual knowledge of any information
that would indicate that any of my assumptions are invalid.

         In rendering my opinion, I have relied, to the extent I deem necessary
and proper, on:

                  (i) warranties and representations as to certain factual
         matters contained in the Note Purchase Agreement; and

                  (ii) the Offeree Letter.

I have no actual knowledge of any material inaccuracies in any of the facts
contained in the documents listed in item (i) or item (ii) above.

         I am admitted to the practice of law solely in the State of Ohio and
the opinions expressed herein are limited to the laws of the State of Ohio and
the federal law of the United States. No opinion is expressed herein as to the
laws of any other jurisdiction. I call your attention to the fact that the Note
Purchase Agreement and the Notes are governed by the laws of the State of New
York. In rendering the opinion in paragraph 5 below, I have assumed that the
laws of the State of New York are the same as the laws of the State of Ohio
(excluding choice of law rules, as to which I express no opinion).

         Based on the foregoing, and subject to the further assumptions,
exceptions and limitations set forth below, it is my opinion that:

         1. The Company is a corporation validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the State of Ohio and has all requisite corporate power and
authority to carry on its business as presently conducted and own its property.
Each of the Significant Subsidiaries is a corporation validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has all
requisite corporate power and authority to carry on its business as presently
conducted and own its property.

         2. Each of the Company and the Significant Subsidiaries is qualified
and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction where the
character of its properties or the nature of its activities makes such
qualification necessary, except where the failure to so qualify and be in good
standing would not have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company
to perform its obligations under the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes.

         3. To the best of my knowledge after due inquiry, there is no judgment,
order, action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, order or investigation, at law or in
equity, before any court or governmental authority, arbitration board or
tribunal, pending or threatened against the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of
their
                                                              FORM OF OPINION OF
                                                          COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY

                                Exhibit 4.4(a)-2

<PAGE>   57



respective properties which would have a material adverse effect on the ability
of the Company to perform its obligations under the Note Purchase Agreement and
the Notes.

         4. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to
execute and deliver each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes and to
perform its obligations set forth in each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the
Notes. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to offer,
issue and sell the Notes.

         5. Each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes has been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company (no
action on the part of the stockholders of the Company being required with
respect thereto), has been executed and delivered by one or more duly authorized
officers of the Company and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of
the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.

         6. The execution and delivery by the Company of each of the Note
Purchase Agreement and the Notes, the offer, issue and sale of the Notes by the
Company and the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Note
Purchase Agreement and the Notes will not conflict with, constitute a violation
of, result in a breach of any provision of, constitute a default under, or
result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any of the property of the
Company pursuant to its Articles of Incorporation or Regulations, any applicable
statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement or
instrument relating to the borrowing of money to which the Company is a party or
by which its property may be bound.

         7. Other than routine filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, all consents, approvals and authorizations of, and all designations,
declarations, filings, registrations, qualifications and recordations with,
Governmental Authorities required on the part of the Company in connection with
the execution and delivery of each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes,
the offer, issue and sale of the Notes and the use of the proceeds thereof have
been obtained.

         8. Based on the accuracy of the terms of the Offerree Letter, and the
accuracy of your representations and warranties set forth in the Note Purchase
Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Notes to each of you, under the
circumstances contemplated by the Note Purchase Agreement, are not subject to
the registration requirements under the Securities Act, and the Company is not
required to qualify an indenture with respect to the Notes under the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

         9. Neither the issuance of the Notes nor the intended use of the
proceeds of the Notes (as set forth in Section 5.14 of the Note Purchase
Agreement) will violate Regulations T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.

         10. The Company is not an "investment company" within the meaning of
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or a "holding company" or an
"affiliate" of a "holding company," or a "subsidiary company" of a "holding
company," or a "public utility" within the meaning of the Public Utility Holding
Company Act of 1935, as amended.

         All opinions herein contained with respect to the enforceability of
agreements and instruments are qualified to the extent that:

                  (a) the availability of equitable remedies, including, without
         limitation, specific enforcement and injunctive relief, is subject to
         the discretion of the court before which any proceedings therefor may
         be brought; and

                                                              FORM OF OPINION OF
                                                          COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY
                                Exhibit 4.4(a)-3

<PAGE>   58




                  (b) the enforceability of certain terms provided in the Note
         Purchase Agreement and the Notes may be limited by applicable
         bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, insolvency, moratorium or
         similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally
         as at the time in effect, and general principles of equity and the
         discretion of a court in granting equitable remedies (whether
         enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).

         I acknowledge that this opinion is being issued at the request of the
Company pursuant to paragraph 4.4(a) of the Note Purchase Agreement and I agree
that you and each of your respective successors and assigns (including, without
limitation, subsequent holders of the Notes) may rely on this opinion as if it
were addressed to them. Hebb & Gitlin may rely on this opinion for the sole
purpose of rendering their opinion to be rendered pursuant to paragraph 4.4(b)
of the Note Purchase Agreement.

                                       Very truly yours,

                                       Steven J. Ellcessor
                                       Vice President - Administration,
                                       Secretary, and General Counsel








                                                              FORM OF OPINION OF
                                                          COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY
                                Exhibit 4.4(a)-4

<PAGE>   59



                                                                  EXHIBIT 4.4(b)


              FORM OF OPINION OF SPECIAL COUNSEL TO THE PURCHASERS

                          [Letterhead of Hebb & Gitlin]





                                                         [Date of the Closing]


To the Persons Listed
 on Annex 1 hereto

         Re:      $75,000,000 6.77% Senior Notes due June 1, 2009 of The J.M.
                  Smucker Company

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         Reference is made to the separate Note Purchase Agreements
(collectively, the "NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT"), each dated as of June 16, 1999,
between The J.M. Smucker Company (the "COMPANY") and each of you, pursuant to
which the Company has issued to you today its 6.77% Senior Notes due June 1,
2009 in the aggregate principal amount of $75,000,000. Unless otherwise defined
herein, all terms used herein that are defined in the Note Purchase Agreement
have the respective meanings specified in the Note Purchase Agreement. This
opinion is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 4.4(b) of the Note
Purchase Agreement.

         We have acted as your special counsel in connection with the
transactions contemplated by the Note Purchase Agreement. In acting as such
counsel, we have examined:

                  (a) the Note Purchase Agreement;

                  (b) the Company's 6.77% Senior Notes due June 1, 2009, each
         dated the date hereof, in the form of Exhibit 1 to the Note Purchase
         Agreement and registered in the names, in the principal amounts and
         with the registration numbers set forth on Schedule A to the Note
         Purchase Agreement (the "NOTES");

                  (c) an Officer's Certificate, dated the date hereof,
         certifying that the conditions specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.9
         of the Note Purchase Agreement have been fulfilled;

                  (d) a certificate of the Secretary of the Company, dated the
         date hereof, certifying, among other things, attached copies of the
         Articles of Incorporation and Regulations of the Company and
         resolutions adopted by the board of directors of the Company
         authorizing the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes;

                  (e) the opinion, dated the date hereof and delivered to you
         pursuant to Section 4.4(a) of the Note Purchase Agreement, of Steven J.
         Ellcessor, Esq., General Counsel of the Company;

                  (f) a letter to Hebb & Gitlin and the Company from William
         Blair & Company, dated the date hereof, describing the manner of the
         offering of the Notes (the "OFFEREE LETTER"); and



                                                      FORM OF OPINION OF SPECIAL
                                                       COUNSEL TO THE PURCHASERS
                                Exhibit 4.4(b)-1

<PAGE>   60




                  (g) originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to
         our satisfaction, of such other documents, records, instruments and
         certificates of public officials as we have deemed necessary or
         appropriate to enable us to render this opinion.

         In rendering our opinion, we have assumed that all signatures are
genuine, that all documents submitted to us as originals are genuine, that all
copies submitted to us as copies conform to the originals, that all natural
Persons have legal capacity and, as to documents executed by or on behalf of
Persons other than the Company, that each Person executing such documents had
the power to enter into and perform its obligations under such documents and
that such documents have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and
are binding upon and enforceable against, such Persons.

         In rendering our opinion, we have relied, to the extent we deem
necessary and proper, upon:

                  (A) warranties and representations as to certain factual
         matters contained in the Note Purchase Agreement;

                  (B) the Offeree Letter; and

                  (C) the opinion of Steven J. Ellcessor, Esq. referred to in
         clause (e) above with respect to all questions governed by the laws of
         the State of Ohio and with respect to all questions concerning the
         existence, good standing and corporate power and authority of, and the
         authorization, execution and delivery of agreements and instruments by,
         the Company (except that we have made an independent examination of the
         certificate of the Company referred to in clause (d) above setting
         forth its constitutive documents and corporate resolutions authorizing
         its participation in the transactions contemplated by the Note Purchase
         Agreement).

As to such opinion and the matters therein upon which we are relying, we
incorporate herein the assumptions and qualifications to such opinion set forth
therein. Based on such investigation as we have deemed appropriate, such opinion
of Steven J. Ellcessor, Esq. is satisfactory in form and scope to us and in our
opinion you and we are justified in relying thereon.

          Based upon the foregoing, we are of the following opinions:

         1. The Company is a corporation validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the State of Ohio.

         2. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to
execute and deliver each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes and to
perform its obligations set forth in each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the
Notes. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to offer,
issue and sell the Notes.

         3. Each of the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes has been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, has
been executed and delivered by one or more duly authorized officers of the
Company and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company,
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.

         4. The execution and delivery of the Note Purchase Agreement and the
Notes by the Company and the performance by the Company of its obligations
thereunder will not violate the Articles of Incorporation or Regulations of the
Company.




                                                      FORM OF OPINION OF SPECIAL
                                                       COUNSEL TO THE PURCHASERS
                                Exhibit 4.4(b)-2

<PAGE>   61




         5. No consents, approvals or authorizations of Governmental Authorities
of the United States of America or the State of New York are required on the
part of the Company in connection with the execution and delivery of each of the
Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes, the offer, issue and sale of the Notes or
the use of the proceeds thereof. Our opinion in this paragraph 5 is based solely
on a review of generally applicable laws of the United States of America and the
State of New York and not on any search with respect to, or review of, any
orders decrees, judgments or other determinations specifically applicable to the
Company.

         6. The issuance and sale of the Notes to each of you, under the
circumstances contemplated by the Note Purchase Agreement, are not subject to
the registration requirements of the Securities Act, and the Company is not
required to qualify an indenture with respect to the Notes under the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

         All opinions herein contained with respect to the enforceability of
agreements and instruments are qualified to the extent that:

                  (a) the availability of equitable remedies, including, without
         limitation, specific enforcement and injunctive relief, is subject to
         the discretion of the court before which any proceedings therefor may
         be brought; and

                  (b) the enforceability of certain provisions of the Note
         Purchase Agreement and the Notes may be limited by applicable
         bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, insolvency, moratorium or
         similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally
         as at the time in effect, and general principles of equity and the
         discretion of a court in granting equitable remedies (whether
         enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).

         We express no opinion as to the law of any jurisdiction other than the
federal law of the United States of America, the laws of the State of New York,
and, solely in reliance upon the opinion of Steven J. Ellcessor, Esq., the laws
of the State of Ohio.

         Future holders of the Notes may rely upon this opinion as if it were
addressed to them.

                                Very truly yours,






                                                      FORM OF OPINION OF SPECIAL
                                                       COUNSEL TO THE PURCHASERS
                                Exhibit 4.4(b)-3

<PAGE>   62



                                                                    EXHIBIT 5.13

                             FORM OF OFFEREE LETTER

                     [Letterhead of William Blair & Company]


                                           [Date of Closing]


Hebb & Gitlin
One State Street
Hartford, Connecticut  06103

The J.M. Smucker Company
Strawberry Lane
Orrville, Ohio 44667
Attn:    Steven J. Ellcessor, Esq.
         Vice President - Administration

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         Reference is made to the separate Note Purchase Agreements, each dated
as of June 16, 1999 (collectively, the "NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT"), between The
J.M. Smucker Company (the "COMPANY") and each of the purchasers listed on
Schedule A attached thereto (the "PURCHASERS"), which provide, among other
things, for the issuance and sale by the Company of its 6.77% Senior Notes due
June 1, 2009, in the aggregate principal amount of Seventy-Five Million Dollars
($75,000,000). The capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein have the
meanings specified in the Note Purchase Agreement.

         1. We (who were authorized and employed by the Company in connection
with the offering and sale of the Notes) have not, directly or indirectly, sold
or disposed of, or attempted or offered to sell or dispose of, the Notes or
similar Securities to, or solicited offers to buy any Notes or similar
Securities from, or otherwise approached or negotiated with respect to the Notes
or similar Securities with, any Person that might be considered to be an offeree
in connection with the sale of the Notes or similar Securities, other than
__________ (__) institutional investors (including the Purchasers), each of whom
was offered a portion of the Notes at private sale for investment.

         2. Immediately prior to making any offer in connection with the Notes
to any of the aforementioned offerees, immediately prior to making any sale of
the Notes to any of the aforementioned offerees, and after making reasonable
inquiry, we had reasonable grounds to believe, and did believe, that each such
offeree had such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that
it was capable of evaluating the merits and risks of its prospective investment.

         3. We have not offered to sell, offered for sale or sold any Notes or
similar Securities by means of any form of general solicitation or general
advertising.





                                                          FORM OF OFFEREE LETTER
                                 Exhibit 5.13-1

<PAGE>   63


         4. During the two-year period ending on the date hereof, we have not,
directly or indirectly, sold or disposed of, or attempted or offered to sell or
dispose of, any Securities of the Company other than the Notes.

                                         WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY



                                         By:_________________________________


                                                  Name:

                                                  Title:








                                                          FORM OF OFFEREE LETTER
                                 Exhibit 5.13-2




<PAGE>   64
The following schedules and exhibits have not been included in this filing. A
copy of any omitted schedule will be provided to the Commission upon request:

SCHEDULE A    - Information Relating to Purchasers

SCHEDULE 4.9  - Changes in Corporate Structure

SCHEDULE 5.3  - Disclosure Materials

SCHEDULE 5.4  - Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaires

SCHEDULE 5.5  - Financial Statements

SCHEDULE 5.8  - Certain Litigation

SCHEDULE 5.11 - Licenses, Permits, etc.

SCHEDULE 5.14 - Use of Proceeds

SCHEDULE 5.15 - Existing Indebtedness

EXHIBIT 4.4(a)
ANNEX 1       - Addressees

EXHIBIT 4.4(b)
ANNEX 1       - Addressees


<TABLE> <S> <C>

<ARTICLE> 5
<MULTIPLIER> 1,000

<S>                             <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE>                   3-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                          APR-30-2000
<PERIOD-START>                             MAY-01-1999
<PERIOD-END>                               JUL-31-1999
<CASH>                                          52,454
<SECURITIES>                                         0
<RECEIVABLES>                                   58,513
<ALLOWANCES>                                     (335)
<INVENTORY>                                    141,636
<CURRENT-ASSETS>                               266,643
<PP&E>                                         333,214
<DEPRECIATION>                               (162,670)
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                 517,094
<CURRENT-LIABILITIES>                           95,371
<BONDS>                                         75,000
                                0
                                          0
<COMMON>                                         7,252
<OTHER-SE>                                     317,695
<TOTAL-LIABILITY-AND-EQUITY>                   517,094
<SALES>                                        161,495
<TOTAL-REVENUES>                               161,495
<CGS>                                          103,467
<TOTAL-COSTS>                                  103,467
<OTHER-EXPENSES>                                40,795
<LOSS-PROVISION>                                     0
<INTEREST-EXPENSE>                                 480
<INCOME-PRETAX>                                 17,843
<INCOME-TAX>                                     6,806
<INCOME-CONTINUING>                             11,037
<DISCONTINUED>                                       0
<EXTRAORDINARY>                                      0
<CHANGES>                                            0
<NET-INCOME>                                    11,037
<EPS-BASIC>                                        .38
<EPS-DILUTED>                                      .38


</TABLE>


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