Yes… breadmakers and bakers alike are familiar with the yellow and red packets available in the dairy section at the grocery store.  But did you know that the company has been around since 1868?   Now THAT is some longevity!

As they say on their website, it’s the story of American baking! According to their website, “  In 1876, Charles and Max Fleischmann used the occasion of Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition to introduce their new yeast to a much wider audience – the 10 million visitors to the Exposition.

By the end of the Exposition, America had discovered Compressed Yeast Cake and Fleischmann’s Yeast had became a household word. ”

Wow!   Wikipedia says that “During World War II Fleischmann’s developed a granulated active dry yeast for the United States armed forces, which did not require refrigeration and had a longer shelf life and better temperature tolerance than fresh yeast; it is still the standard yeast for US military recipes.”

But that’s not what is so interesting. Prior to WWII, advertisements for Fleischmann’s yeast touted it not merely as something to make your bread rise- it was sold for healthful benefits! Over and over you will find advertisements that practically guarantee to change you from a wimpy skinny kid to a big strong man, with it’s amazing health benefits and B complex vitamins.   No longer would you have to suffer from bad skin, constipation, or crooked teeth… never suffer the indignities of ‘intestinal fatigue’…. there was a cure!    All of this from a little cake of yeast, mixed into your tomato juice in the morning.

Well, suffice to say that yeast will definitely make your bread rise!  It is actually high in B-complex vitamins, but I don’t think it’s going to cure your crooked teeth…

Another favorite of mine. When I was growing up, my uncle Eric worked for Nestlé, so there were always candy bars to be had at his house!  Now for the history…

Nestlé began it’s life as a producer of milk for babies who could not nurse from their mothers in the 1860′s… they first entered the chocolate business in 1905.  By 1929 their second highest grossing product was CHOCOLATE.

That’s right, folks… milk chocolate was actually  INVENTED by Henri Nestlé, and Daniel Peter  in 1875.  But wait… just as interesting, and oh-so-delicious… the chocolate chip cookie was invented completely by accident by Massachusetts inn owner Ruth Wakefield using what?  That’s right. Chopped up Nestlé chocolate bar.  That was 1930!

The outbreak of WWII saw profits take a huge hit, but it was that same war which caused the birth of one of Nestle’s most popular products- Nescafé instant coffee!

Other important dates in Nestlé history:

1938- Crunch Bar

1939- Toll House Morsels

Pick some up… and make more memories!

Don’t let the name fool you, there is nothing hot about these red raspberry chewy delights!  Red Hot Dollars (name recently changed to Red Raspberry Dollars) have been around since 1926. The name “Red Hot” just referred to something new and great.

They are a bright red, gummy candy with a dollar sign ($) in the middle.  I have been known to eat a whole theater box of these, and look for more. The only red gummy candy that tastes nearly as good would be Swedish Fish, but they didn’t show up on the market until more than 30 years later!   Red Hot Dollars RULE

BEWARE… they now market a similar looking product as Red Hot Dollars, and they are CINNAMON.  You want the raspberry ones.  Trust me

I keep finding references to these tasty little gems as a 1950′s favorite, but Indian brand pumpkin seeds were introduced 70 years ago by the Zenobia Nut Company!   Zenobia had the market cornered on pistachio sales during WWII, but these handy dandy red paper packets of goodness are thin shelled pumpkin seeds, roasted with a heavy coating of salt. No need to peel these seeds, just pop a handful in your month. They are VERY salty, and extremely addictive!

Hershey’s chocolate began originally as a coating for candymaker Milton Hershey’s caramels, in 1894. By 1900, however, his milk chocolate was available in bars, wafers, and other shapes- and because of new-fangled production equipment, this chocolate was much more affordable.  No longer a luxury item to be enjoyed only by the wealthy, it was marketed as a ‘nourishing food’ as well as a tasty treat.

The Hershey Kiss was created in 1907, and they were originally hand wrapped in foil squares. By 1921, however, this process was also automated, and the trademark paper flag was added to each Kiss to signify it’s origins.

As time progressed, new and interesting products were added to the line of chocolates available:

1925- Mr. Goodbar (milk chocolate with peanuts)

1926- Hershey’s Syrup

1928- Hershey’s chocolate chips

1938- Krackel Bar (milk chocolate with crisped rice)

During WWII, Hershey produced chocolate ration bars, as they had in WWI as well.  This war’s D-ration bars were produced by the thousands… a total of more than a billion by the end of the war.  They had to be good quality, travel well, not melt easily in transit, and be affordable. Not only did this earn them several Army-Navy production awards,  but Hershey’s machine shop was turning out parts for anti-aircraft weapons for the Navy at the same time!