As I am sitting here eating lunch of my gourmet Campbell soup combo, chicken noodle and vegetable, it suddenly dawned on me that I don't know a thing about the history of the company. Mmmm good. I think I'll spell my name on the spoon. Better yet, I'll float a buttered saltine on top and break it up until it sinks to the bottom.
The wonderness of the soup distracts me as I google a search. Well, Joseph Campbell and ice box manufacturer Abraham Anderson started the Anderson & Campbell Soup Preserve company in 1897. They made ketchup, mustard, salad dressing and sauces. Their best seller was Beefsteak tomato soup.
After Campbell retired in 1894, Arthur Dorrance became president of the company. He reluctantly hired his nephew, a chemist, to work for the company. Soups were expensive to ship, but cheap to make. So, the nephew removed the heavy water and created a formula for condensed soups. How brilliant!
In 1904, Grace Wiedersein Drayton, an illustrator, added some sketches to her husbands ad campaigns for the soup. The Campbell kids were born and they have been selling the soup ever since.
The kids were so popular, that doll makers wanted a piece of the pie. Or, shall I say, a slice of the tomato. The E.T. Horseman Co. got the license to market the doll and put the Campbell logo on their sleeves.
Think about it. What a genius marketing plan. Advertise to the housewives and get to the kids. It's a win win business. I've been eating the soup for 50 years. There certainly is better out there and I always make my own, but, there's something to say about being Mmmm good.
I think I'll run to the store and grab some Velveeta cheese. A nice fat greasy grilled cheese sandwich and a hot bowl of Campbell's tomato soup sounds good for my supper.
