Everyone has a brand or product that they particularly love. However, it’s interesting to note that each brand has its own unique story and, in many cases, has helped to put their relative states on the map. Over the years, the rise of large brands and global shipping networks has taken away a lot of the magic from understanding where a brand began. Let’s dial it back a bit and investigate the states where some of your favorite brands have started.
1.) Ben & Jerry’s – Vermont
Ben & Jerry’s is a hugely successful brand that has become popular all over the world. However, the company had humble beginnings all the way back in 1978. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield had always dreamed of starting an ice-cream company, and when they eventually did, they found that they were hugely successful. The company grew to be worth over $1 billion and was eventually bought up by Unilever in 2000. However, it’s still known for its quirky, ‘homemade’ style and flavor.
2.) Starbucks – Seattle, Washington
Starbucks has risen to become one of the most profitable companies on the planet. They have opened over 35,000 stores across 80 different countries. However, the company had very humble beginnings. It started all the way back in 1971 when three people, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, decided to start a coffee bean wholesaler in Pike Place Market in Seattle. After teaming up with Howard Schultz, the company quickly expanded and soon became one of the most successful businesses in the world.
3.) Post – Battle Creek, Michigan
Post is one of the most well-known and well-loved brands in America and has been around for a long time. The company was founded all the way back in 1895 by C.W. Post. That makes the company over 100 years old and has defined it as not only a well-loved brand, but a piece of American history. The company is headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota, but was originally founded in Battle Creek, Michigan. Post is known for its wide range of cereals and breakfast products.
4.) Lay’s – Nashville, Tennessee
Lay’s is easily one of, if not the most well-beloved, brand of potato chips on the planet today. While the company went on to acquire Frito’s and later ended up merging with Pepsi to form PepsiCo, the company has managed to define itself as a hugely popular brand on its own. Lay’s was started by a man named Herman W. Lay back in 1932. Lay started off by selling potato chips out of his car, but grew to be so popular that he soon expanded into a global business powerhouse.
5.) Heinz – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Heinz is another landmark American company that had pretty humble beginnings a long time ago. The founder, Henry J. Heinz, founded the company all the way back in 1869, and originally it only sold pickles. His first company went bankrupt, and soon he started another with family. Their first product was horseradish. After that, he decided to branch off into tomato ketchup, where he found massive success. The company grew and grew, and today it is known as the 5th largest food manufacturing company in the world.
6.) Smuckers – Orrville, Ohio
Smuckers is another legacy company that has its roots in American History. The company was founded all the way back in 1897 when farmer J.M. Smuckers decided to try and market his apple butter to the public. His initial sales were conducted on a horse-drawn cart – very humble indeed. However, the company soon grew and in the 1920s was incorporated into the corporation it is today. Since then, Smuckers has become one of the largest companies in the US and has even spread to the international market under its subsidiaries.
7.) Cream of Wheat – Grand Forks, North Dakota
Cream of Wheat is a pretty well-loved cereal brand in America, and the company is also deemed a legacy company. The company was started all the way back in 1893, when three millers realized the potential for selling a product from the wheat they were producing. They decided to use farina flour, a coarser form of regular flour, for the product, and pretty soon they realized they had a big hit on their hands. The company grew and grew, and has become one of the largest in America to date.
8.) Hellmann’s – Manhattan, New York
Hellmann’s is also known as Best Brands in some parts of the world, after they were acquired by a company called Best Foods back in 1927. The company was originally started in 1913, but technically, back in 1905, when creator Richard Hellmann started selling his own brand of mayonnaise out of his New York City delicatessen. The mayo was so popular that he soon started a company based on just manufacturing and selling it. Soon, the brand (Hellmann’s) was so popular, it attracted interest from a rival company that bought Hellmann out of the company.
9.) Kool-Aid – Hastings, Nebraska
Kool-Aid was originally founded in 1927 when inventor Edwin Perkins thought that a drink based on the concept of jelly would be a big hit. He was fascinated by how jelly turned from liquid into solid gelatine, and decided to base his product on that. Soon, he had created his first product, Kool-Aid (then ‘Kool-Ade’), which was designed to be an affordable beverage that would be tasty for the whole family. The company grew to massive proportions and pretty soon, Perkins was a millionaire. Kool-Aid was later acquired by General Foods, and is now owned by Kraft-Heinz.
10.) Spam – Austin, Minnesota
Yet another famous brand from Minnesota, Spam, was founded by the Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937. The product was created to make use of excess pork shoulder and soon found itself being highly popular. The meat product was cheap, versatile, and could be stored for a long time. It was also hugely supported during the WWII era, when the government adopted it for soldiers. A little-known fact about spam is that it’s actually a contraction of the words ‘spiced ham.’
11.) Kellogg’s – Battle Creek, Michigan
Kellogg’s is one of the best-known breakfast cereal brands in the world, and the company is also an important part of American history. Founded back in 1906 by W.K. Kellogg, the brand was centered around its main product – Cornflakes. Kellogg was known as being an early pioneer of the health and wellness movement and believed that his products would ultimately help people become healthier by using his products. Since then, the company has become a multi-billion dollar brand and is well-established globally.