CHICAGO – There are some companies that not only own brands that are classics, but are also classic companies in themselves. Companies like Chelsea Milling (maker of Jiffy mixes), C.F. Sauer (maker of Duke’s mayo and Sauer spices) and Gold Pure (horseradish) sell basic, straightforward things, execute them without deception orMORE HERE
RICHMOND – The much beloved Richfood store brand is disappearing. Richfood was, for most of the 20th century, the dominant grocery name in Virginia; its dairy complex along I-95 in Richmond promoted ubiquitous Richfood milk to anyone driving up and down the East Coast. A friend in Richmond tells meMORE HERE
One of the classic American brands of drinking straws was Carnival Flexible Straws. Founded in 1952, Carnival was one of many household brands that have disappeared in recent years. For a time they were made by Clear Shield National, part of Envirodyne. They were also apparently associated with Diamond Brands.MORE HERE
In just about every restaurant kitchen, the decaffeinated coffee pot has an orange band. Ask a person under 30 why that band is colored orange, and they won’t know. They will know that it means decaf, but they won’t know why. The reason, of course, it is orange is becauseMORE HERE
In recent years, there have been a number of retro product re-issues by the original company. But a brand doesn’t have to be from the original company to grab the latent brand equity from a classic product that has been discontinued. One way to grab the brand equity from anotherMORE HERE
A few years ago, on a Delta flight, I recall an attendant handing out Lance peanut crackers, along with Cokes. How delightfully Southern and declassé, but in a good, circumspect way. I was curious how such a staple of the Southern diet, namely a Coke and Nabs, could be servedMORE HERE
The nation once had many regional pet food brands. In my native Northern Neck, we had Huff n Puff, which was a cat food made in Reedville from the waste from that town’s menhaden haulers. Another familiar brand is Twin Pet, which still survives as a discount brand at Wal-Mart.MORE HERE
NEW YORK – BrandlandUSA reader Michael Gonzalez wants help from BrandlandUSA readers on an old New York brand name, Gebott’s. He has a stock certificate from the company, and would like to get it back to a descendant of the owner, a certain Roger Steffan. The certificate is dated Sept.MORE HERE
In a discussion about whether Episcopalians believe in purgatory, our parish priest asked us to consider our actions, what we practice. Regularly, we pray for the departed, and if we pray for them, and are serious about it, it means that we believe, by what we do, that we thinkMORE HERE
Today, the A&P, once the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., and the largest grocer in the U.S., is no more. How did it get there ? Simple. It neglected its core brand, A&P, and went trudging off in all sorts of different directions in search of something new. A&PMORE HERE