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We all have a sweet-tooth, crave salt, a favorite comfort food, a drink that hits the spot, a family dish created for the holidays, or have used food to get to someone's heart because, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Well, this project is a showcase of all the people on Geni who have won us over in some way, shape or form, through our stomachs...or our tastebuds.
This project is on History Link where you can discover which projects your ancestors are on.
List of notable food and beverage industry businesspeople
Bread and Cereal
- Will Kellogg, founder of Kellogg's cereal company.
- Charles Post, founder of Post Cereals.
- Cadwallader Washburn, co-founder of General Mills cereal company, which now produces more than just cereal.
- Charles Pillsbury, a farmer was the founder of the Pillsbury company. Nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven.
- Duncan Hines, initially famed for his Duncan Hines bread is now the Duncan Hines company that carries many delicious treats, owned by the Pinnacle Foods corporation.
- Paul Helms Founded the Helms Bakery in 1931 and the Helms Athletic Foundation with Bill Schroeder in 1936.
Fast Food and Restaurants
- Paul Pink, co-founder of Pink's Hot Dogs (the original Pink's was founded in Los Angeles, CA).
- Anton Andersen created.
- Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (aka KFC)
- Carl Karcher, founder of Carl's Jr. restaurants, now has merged with Hardee's.
Beverages, Drinks
- Isaac W. Bernheim, founder of Bernheim Brothers Distillery, producer of I.W. Harper bourbon whiskey
- James Vernor, founder of Vernor's Gingerale
- Caleb Bradham, founder of Pepsi Cola
- Jack Daniel American distiller and the founder of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distillery
- José Cuervo Brand of tequila produced by Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña, S.A. de C.V. (Cuervo website).
- James Folger, founder of Folger Coffee Company.
- David Bigelow is the President of the Bigelow Tea Company.
- Arthur Guiness, founder of the Guiness Brewery
- Max Joseph Brandenstein, founder of the MJB Coffee Company
- Walter Staunton Mack, Jr., President of Pepsi-Cola Company and coiner of the jingle that pitted his beverage against Coca-Cola in size.
- Wilton (Tony) Husch, Founder of Husch Vineyards
Confectionery: Chocolate, Gum & Candy
- William Semple, first person to patent chewing gum
- Dr. Edwin E. Beeman, founder of Beeman's gum and other various flavors of chewing gum
- Milton Hershey, founder of the Hershey Company, specializing in chocolate.
- Wm. Wrigley Jr., founder of the Wrigley Company, famous for their variety of chewing gum. His grandson William Wrigley owns this company now.
- Russell Stover, founder of Russell Stover Candies.
- John Cadbury, founder of the Cadburys Chocolate Company
- Charles William Taussig, President of American Molasses Company
Chips
- George Crum is noted for being the inventor of Potato Chips due to his sarcastic personality. Someone complained about the thickness of his potatoes so he sliced them very thin and over-salted them.
- Laura Scudder, founder of the Laura Scudder chip company that now manufactures and distributes other foods. She was the first person to create sealable wax paper bags and expiration dates for potato chips to ensure freshness.
Ice Cream
- Irvine "Irv" Robbins were best friends and brothers-in-law who started the ice cream chain known as Baskin-Robbins.
Margarine
- Simon van den Bergh founded a margarine factory in the Netherlands that became world-famous.
Sugar
- Henry Tate and Abram Lyle, founders of the rival sugar manufacturers that merged to form Tate & Lyle
Condiments, Miscellaneous, Etc.
- James Keiller - Marmalade
- John Montague, IV Earl of Sandwich loved to have 2 slices of meat between 2 slices of bread, so he could continue playing Cribbage without getting his cards greasy. Others started ordering their food that way "The Lord of Sandwich" ordered his food, and the food was coined a Sandwich.
- George Washington Carver was the inventor of Peanut Butter, among finding other uses for peanuts.
- Cordelia Knott (nee Hornaday) were farmers on their own farm, simply called Knott's Farm. Cordelia sold jams, jellies and preserves with the berries her husband farmed. Their farm expanded into Knott's Berry Farm amusement park, in Buena Park, California, but has since been sold to Cedar Fair amusement park company.
- Clarence Birdseye found the modern way of freezing food for freshness.
- US Senator William D. Washburne owned a flour mill that later became known as Pillsbury.
- Demos Shakarian owned the world's largest private owned Dairy Farms, once located in Downey, California. They are distant relatives to the famed Kardashian family.