Growing up, I thought Tillamook was the only cheese brand. As an adult, I know that Tillamook is cheese, but I still remember how shocked I was when I realized that Tillamook is not just cheese. Driving north on US highway 101, you will pass a sign that says “Tillamook County,” and as pastures dotted with grazing cows…
One of my greatest childhood memories was Friday nights with my family. My mom would throw nutrition out the window and we would play games or watch movies while noshing on pigs-in-a-blanket, M&Ms and Skittles. To this day, the smell of fresh bread and Skittles takes me back. After all these years, it’s still a…
When you think of old things, what comes to mind? Cars, oil paintings, that pair of comfy jeans calling your name, or that smoky bourbon sitting in your pantry? Now, how about old brands? Brands like Speedo, Nikon, UPS, Boeing, Target, J.M. Smucker Company, Coca-Cola, and General Electric are all brands that have achieved centenarian…
Kombucha. Have you heard of it? This living, fizzy, probiotic tea beverage made from combining sweet tea with SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast, for those in the know), is taking on the beverage industry like never before. Kombucha sales in the US grew by over 41% during 2016 with expected gains of 25%…
Well, whether you say toe-may-toe or toe-mah-toe, let’s all just admit that Heinz Ketchup is the perfect sauce for French fries, tater tots, hamburgers, hot dogs, and so much more. At least one person in my family believes Heinz Ketchup should be one of the five major food groups. By the time Henry J. Heinz…
A couple of years ago, I was driving down a busy downtown street when I saw the local Franz bakery outlet was now called Bimbo Bakery. I thought to myself, “Wow! Someone did not think about this before they put it in print. Who would name a place that?! In time, I realized that the store…
Cider making has been in production for centuries. When water was scarce or contaminated, cider was the go-to drink. When wine was the same old, same old, cider was a nice refreshing change. Over time, cider became the redheaded stepchild of fermented beverages since it was not really beer, not quite wine, and definitely not…
Candy lovers know a few things about Snickers® candy bars. It really satisfies. It will definitely melt if you leave it on your dashboard during the summer. It turns Betty White into a teenage football player named Mike. But for all the things people know about this peanuts-nougat-and-caramel-enrobed-in-chocolate guilty pleasure, most have no idea why…
What does breastfeeding have to do with your favorite chocolate treat? A lot more than you might think. One of the biggest players in the food industry built their empire on the need some women had for a substitute for breast milk. Fast forward 150 years, and this company now owns hundreds of iconic brands across…
Real Fact #722: The peach was the first fruit to be eaten on the moon. Since 2002, real fact #722, along with thousands of other “real facts,” can be found when you twist off a Snapple bottle cap. Yet, long before Snapple “real facts” became “disputed facts,” they were simply a juice company trying to…