Victorian food brands still extant

[Mercury Wells]

US list:-

Vollwerth meat products 1915

Yea or nay?

[yereverluvinunclebert]

A little late...

[Mercury Wells]

UK/Empire list:-

R Carter & Son (Butchers) Est. 1887.

[J. Wilhelm]

US list:-

Vollwerth meat products 1915

Yea or nay?

It's out of period, I'm afraid, but I'm amazed at how many brands I've never heard of. "King of Meats" 

[Mercury Wells]

So Wilhelm, how's it going on the "new" food/s front in work?

[Mercury Wells]

Dole Food est. 1851.

[J. Wilhelm]

So Wilhelm, how's it going on the "new" food/s front in work?

"New foods"?

[J. Wilhelm]

Dole Food est. 1851.

It's funny. That's a very well known brand. I should have included that one a long time ago in the list together with Del Monte foods, but i don't remember writing that it was founded in the Kingdom of Hawai'i, which I'm sure I wouldn't have missed in the description. Also, the controversy over Dole becoming an Irish company over US taxes is something I remember vividly, and I vaguely remember discussing on Brassgoggles. Was there a reason I would have skipped it?

[Mercury Wells]

So Wilhelm, how's it going on the "new" food/s front in work?

"New foods"?

I mean (Vicwardian) brands that you haven't seen before.

[J. Wilhelm]

Alright. I've read the article on Wiki. This may be the reason that I skipped it. Technically, the Dole brand didn't exist at all before 1901, and even then, the 1852 meat packing business Castle and Cooke claimed as the origin during the rule of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, doesn't exist at all today, and hasn't for most of the 20th century, even though Dole may claim that origin.

The part of the business purchased in 1932 that is properly tied to the present Dole, is Hawaiian Pineapple Company, founded in 1901, by it's namesake, James Dole. Technically Dole would still qualify as a Victorian Era brand (but not a Victorian company), by way of its 1932 purchase, justified because Dole only deals in fruits and vegetables, of which pineapple and banana products (fresh, canned, and juices) are the principal products of the 20th century Dole Foods and present day Dole company. Even then, I must exclude "Dole Bananas" (as important they may be to the company and to the global market) because that side of the business falls outside the 1903 time bracket. Same for other Dole fruit products. So I'm being very specific here. Only "Dole" fresh and canned pineapple products qualify.

Dole Pineapple (Formerly Dole Foods and Hawaiian Pineapple Company, founded in 1901, Oahu, Hawaii , Incorporated US Territory)


As an aside, I must point out the merger of Dole with the Irish company Total Produce plc. The resulting company then registered as an Irish company. The move is seen by many in the US as a business strategy to avoid taxation in the United States. In spite of the merger, the headquarters remain in Charlotte North Carolina in the US.  There are other historical controversies surrounding the company, including undue political influence in Latin America and the involvement of the founder's brother, Sanford Dole, in the overthrow of the ruler of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, Queen Liliʻuokalan, and the formation of the Hawaiian Republic by wealthy plantation owners, of which Sanford Dole was president.

Thank you for the contribution, Mercury Wells!

[J. Wilhelm]

So Wilhelm, how's it going on the "new" food/s front in work?

"New foods"?

I mean (Vicwardian) brands that you haven't seen before.

Every now and then I bump into food brands at the supermarket, but mostly on the European side as imports, like the Mutti tomato products that you listed.  Progress has slowed down a lot on the American side, but I think that the Mexican and Japanese lists will keep growing. Historians whom I follow on Twitter are the main providers of new names for the latter two lists. Every now and then I'm surprised with some present day brands.

[Mercury Wells]

US list:-

Hebrew National Est. 1905?

(Bert did include a UK/Empire food item from 1905 iirc)

Maybe we should start to include Edwardian food as well?, but I'll leave that discussion to minds immeasurably superior to mine to work out.

[J. Wilhelm]

US list:-

Hebrew National Est. 1905?

(Bert did include a UK/Empire food item from 1905 iirc)

Maybe we should start to include Edwardian food as well?, but I'll leave that discussion to minds immeasurably superior to mine to work out.

Yeah, that one I didn't include on account it fell into the Edwardian Era, though there have been some exceptions if the brands are close enough to 1903 (this one is) and if there's some history of non commercial production inside the Victorian period, directly preceding the establishment of the business by the founder (s), depending on the situation (eg Cafe du Monde, Pastelería El Globo). I will consider a Victorian Mom and Pop business to be technically the same business as an early Edwardian company, if it was incorporated close enough to 1903 by the same owners.

It's a tough call, you have to look at the history to search for details. I would like to see something along the lines of "Theodore Krainin started making Kosher hot dogs in his basement to sell to the local neighborhood in Manhattan in 1902" in other for me to say "Aha! Hebrew National is the continuation of Theodore Krainin's small shop." Does that make sense?

It may very well be the case, but I need to read the history first.

[Mercury Wells]

US list:-

Horlicks (Malted Milk Drink) est. 1873

(I was going to add "Ovaltine", but that was est. 1904)

[J. Wilhelm]

US list:-

Horlicks (Malted Milk Drink) est. 1873

(I was going to add "Ovaltine", but that was est. 1904)

And that's another one I've never heard of... Let's see... Jesus!:

Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food," soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label.[1] In the early 20th century, it was sold as a powdered meal replacement drink mix.
A mug of Horlicks

It was then marketed as a nutritional supplement and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (Consumer Healthcare) in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Jamaica. It was previously in Kenya in the 2010s but was discontinued due to low sales. It is now produced by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever through its Indian division. Horlicks in the UK is currently owned by Aimia Foods. [/center]

Company Timeline

Spoiler: ShowHide

 William Horlick from Ruardean, Gloucestershire, emigrated to the United States.
1873: James Horlick, a pharmacist, joined his brother, William, in the US and together they founded the company J & W Horlicks in Chicago to manufacture a patented malted milk drink as an artificial infant food.
1875: Business moved to larger premises at Racine, Wisconsin, with an abundant supply of spring water.
1883: US patent 278,967 granted to William for first malted milk drink mixing powder with hot water.
1890: James returned to London to set up an office importing US-made product.
1906: Slough selected as site for new factory (see picture).
1908: Factory construction completed at a cost of £28,000.
1909–1910: Horlicks became popular as a provision for North Pole and South Pole expeditions by Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Robert Falcon Scott.
1914: James made a baronet. World War I saw extensive use of Horlicks drink at home and at the front.
1921: Death of James led company to split, with William having responsibility for the Americas and the sons of James for the rest of the world.
1928: William Horlick High School founded just north of Horlicks' headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
1931: "Night Starvation" story developed to promote Horlicks as a bedtime drink.
1935: Richard E. Byrd named the Horlick Mountains on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf after William, in appreciation of his support. A small factory opened in Australia for the local market, including New Zealand. Horlicks milky-chocolate-flavoured disks in paper packets, which were eaten as candy, were marketed in the USA via radio commercials touting the ease with which they could be taken to school by children.
In the US, Horlicks Tablets were sold as a candy, offered in a glass bottle resembling an aspirin jar. In World War II the tablets were supplied to US, UK and other troops as an energy boosting treat, and included in lifeboat and liferaft rations, and aircrew escape kits. Today they are packaged in foil pouches, manufactured in Malaysia as Horlicks Malties.
1936: William Horlick died, aged 90.
1945: The US company was acquired by the UK Horlicks business.
1952: Horlicks was linked to the successful treatment of gastric ulcers and some forms of diabetes.[citation needed]
1960: Factory built in Punjab, India, to make Horlicks from buffalo milk.
1968: Factory built in West Punjab, to supply local demand (including present-day Bangladesh).
1969: Horlicks acquired by the Beecham Group.
1975–78: Factory construction and expansion in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.
1989: Beecham Group became SmithKline Beecham.
2000: SmithKline Beecham became GlaxoSmithKline.
2017: Horlicks in the UK acquired by Aimia Foods[27]
2019: Horlicks in India acquired by Unilever

Horlicks enters both the US and British lists, because it was being imported into the UK by 1890

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Hor licks go far further back than that. The old question, how do you make a hormone?

You don't pay her.

Ovaltine could almost pop into the list

[J. Wilhelm]

Hor licks go far further back than that. The old question, how do you make a hormone?

You don't pay her.

Ovaltine could almost pop into the list

*Groan*
This time even the drummer refused to play the snare drum.

Ovaltine almost enters the list
It could if there's some previous activity like I explained above. But the limit is sharper when a company is formed very suddenly

[Mercury Wells]

UK/Empire:-

Franklin & Sons (soft drinks) Ltd. Est 1886

US list:-

Watkins Extracts & Essences Est 1868

[Mercury Wells]

Ecuador/S.American list:-

Fioravanti (soft drink) Est. 1878

(Has it reached NA yet?)

[J. Wilhelm]

Ecuador/S.American list:-

Fioravanti (soft drink) Est. 1878

(Has it reached NA yet?)

"Reached NA"?

I haven't supported a Latin American list (only a Mexican list) per say, but it's an interesting subject. The wiki site in Spanish is far more informative (I hate it when the info in one language is not reproduced in another. Lack of translators, I suppose).

https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fioravanti_(bebida)



As with many Victorian brands in Latin America,it was founded by European migrants,in this case Italian. But the founding is actually contested. It was either founded in 1878 by Giuseppe Fiovaranti, or 1881 by his cousin Giovanni (Juan) Fiovaranti, depending on who you ask. The original soda flavour was strawberry, and later, Apple was added.

There are very large gap of sales to market before 1920 according to known records. This could affect it's status in the list, but since the first factory records date at least within the 19th century, and the factory was rebuilt in 1901 after a fire, that points to a firmly established commercial enterprise within the Victorian Era. If I had an Ecuadorian list then it'd enter automatically. Otherwise, it requires a new listing.

[Mercury Wells]

NA as in North America. (Next time, I'll just use "The US")

[J. Wilhelm]

NA as in North America. (Next time, I'll just use "The US")

Ah, OK.

No. It's not known in Mx/Ca/US, nor did it ever arrive during the 19th C.

Latin American countries in Central/South America tend to be fairly isolated from the sole Latin American country in North America (Mexico). Usually it's Mexico exporting to Latin America, mostly manufactured products cars and services like TV programming, but not the other way around. And whatever brands the US gets from Latin America (except for fresh produce) it's usually from Mexico. Only very lately (as in the last 15 years) have Wal-Mart and other big box chains begun carrying complete lines of South and Central American canned and bottled goods.

Walmart in the US was also the first major supermarket (outside of petrol station convenience stores) to carry whole lines of Mexican brands since the 2000s, and I think the trend started because a giant baking goods company/consortium -Bimbo- from Mexico bought a number of American brands, to enter the American markets (some brands I've posted in the American list), making Bimbo the largest baking consortium in the world, at least for a brief amount of time.

[Mercury Wells]

Oriental list:-

Kadoya Sesame Oil Est.1858.

[Mercury Wells]

https://taiken.co/single/the-origin-and-history-of-japanese-curry-rice

Possibly due to my browser set up, the above address is now a "forbbiden 403" (why does the spelling of "forbbiden" look wrong to me.  )

[von Corax]

https://taiken.co/single/the-origin-and-history-of-japanese-curry-rice

Possibly due to my browser set up, the above address is now a "forbbiden 403" (why does the spelling of "forbbiden" look wrong to me.  )

I get 403 as well. (And it's "Forbidden.")