By Marilyn Turk
In 1874, James Lewis Kraft (J.L.) was born in Ontario, Canada,the second of eleven children in a Mennonite family. When he was eighteen yearsold, he took a job at Ferguson’s Grocery in Fort Erie, Ontario. An opportunityarose for him to invest in a cheese company in Buffalo, New York, and aftermoving to Buffalo, his partners sent him to Chicago on business. However, whilein Chicago, his unscrupulous partners dissolved the company, leaving him withno company and no income.
With only $65 in his pocket, he bought a horse namedPaddy and a wagon in order to carry out an idea he had to sell cheesedoor-to-door. The year was 1903, and grocers didn’t have refrigeration, so cheddarcheese was not carried in the stores since it would mold quickly. In addition,the cheese was only available in large wheels called “mammoths,” which madestorage even more difficult. J.L. decided to go to the wholesale farmers’market, buy a mammoth of cheese to put in his wagon, and starting early in themorning before the temperatures got too warm, he’d go up and down the city streets,selling pieces of the cheese he cut off.
The idea was a good one, but at first, J.L.’s sales didn’ttake off the way he’d hoped. After a while of no success, J.L. had a conversationwith Paddy. You see, J.L. was raised a devout Christian, and he realized he’dforgotten something. As he told the story later, he said, “Paddy, I think weneed a partner in our business, and that partner is God. So let’s ask Him tojoin us.” Soon after J.L.’s new partner joined him, the business took off. By1909, his business was so good, four of his brothers joined him and the companywas named J.L. Kraft Bros. Co.
Because natural cheese continues to age and thus spoil ormold, J.L. experimented with ways to extend its shelf life. By shredding thecheddar and heating it, he was able to stop the aging process, and in 1916, hereceived a patent for pasteurized, processed cheese. His process cheese was notonly nonperishable, it could be shaped into smaller sizes and wrapped in foilor put in glass jars. By 1915, Kraft wasputting process cheese in tin cans and exporting the product to other countries.
During World War I, the U.S. Government ordered more thansix million pounds in small cans to feed soldiers overseas. The name “K-rations”was derived from these cans of Kraft cheese.
J.L. Kraft was known for being innovative, from thecheese he produced to added products like Velveeta and Parkay. In addition, hewas one of the first companies to use advertising on a large-scale basis, a pioneerin branding, making the Kraft name a household word.
In 1933, Kraft sponsored aradio show called the “Kraft Musical Review,” then later the “Kraft Music Hour.”
While in his seventies, Kraft jumped into the new mediumof television, helping to create one of the first major television programs, “TheKraft Television Theatre,” which ran from 1947 to 1958.
J.L. Kraft never forgot His “silent” partner and contributed25 percent of his income regularly to Christian causes. He once said, “The onlyinvestment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is themoney I have given to the Lord.”
For 25 years, I was employed by Kraft Foods and wasespecially pleased to know its founder was a devout Christian. His high moralstandards and work ethnic permeated the company for many years, and I’ll alwaysremember one of his favorite expressions, “What we say we do, we do do.” I triedto make that motto part of my own work ethnic as well, and keep my word to mycustomers.
I bet you’ve had a Kraft product in your home at sometime, if not cheese, then mayonnaise, dressings, maybe even marshmallows orcaramels. Do you have a favorite? Leave me a comment, and I’ll enter you in adrawing to win one of my books of your choice!
Historicalfiction flavored with suspense and romance
Multi-publishedauthor Marilyn Turk calls herself a “literary archaeologist,” because she lovesto discover stories hidden in history. Her World War II novel, The Gilded Curse, won a Silver Scrollaward. When readers asked what happened to the characters after the book,Marilyn wrote the sequel, Shadowed by aSpy. Her four-book Coastal Lights Legacy series—Rebel Light, RevealingLight, Redeeming Light, and Rekindled Light—feature Florida lighthousesettings. In addition, Marilyn’s novella, TheWrong Survivor, is in the Great LakesLighthouse Brides collection. Marilyn has written a book of devotionscalled Lighthouse Devotions and alsowritesfor the Daily Guideposts Devotions book. Website: http://pathwayheart.com.
