- Many iconic food and drink brands have a fascinating history.
- Corn Flakes, for example, were originally created as an easily digestible breakfast for sick people.
- Hershey manufactured caramels before they started making chocolate.
- Keep reading to find out the story behind 20 food and drink brands the American public knows and loves today.
What makes a food brand an icon?
Chances are you can't go through an entire day without seeing at least one of these names — even if you never leave your house. That's a power shared by relatively few brands.
We explored the history behind 20 food and drink brands to find out how they became so iconic.
Keep scrolling to see their stories.
Spam skyrocketed in popularity during WWII.
THEN: On July 5, 1937, Austin, Minnesota-based company Hormel introduced Spam to the world. Originally aimed at busy housewives, many home cooks questioned the concept of meat that didn't require refrigeration.
Enter WWII and a massive need to feed US troops. The US military started shipping it around the world, and the canned pork product was on its way to gaining an international following.
NOW: Spam is an enduring staple of Hawaiian cuisine. It's also a symbol of cultural pride for many Filipino-Americans. Many Korean-Americans can also relate.
To millions of people, it's comfort food on a global scale — the likes of which few other global food products can match.
Coca-Cola used to contain cocaine.
THEN: Dr. John Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia, created a drink he called "Pemberton's French Wine Coca" in 1885. Among other things, it contained both extracts of cocaine and kola nut. Pemberton shortened the name to the much simpler Coca-Cola in 1886, but cocaine extract continued to be included in the drink until 1905.
In the 1930s, Coca-Cola basically created the image we all associate with Santa Claus to this day — all through advertising.
NOW: Coca-Cola is available for purchase virtually everywhere in the world except for Cuba and North Korea.
What do you do after you conquer the world? Launch new soft drinks, of course. In March 2018, Coca-Cola will launch two new flavors: Georgia Peach and California Raspberry.
For an even deeper dive into Coca-Cola history, check out this piece.
Corn Flakes were invented as an easily digestible breakfast for sick people.
THEN: In 1876, brothers John and Will Kellogg began running the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. It soon became a world-famous place for those seeking wellness, seeing around 12,000 to 15,000 patients per year.
Breakfast foods of the time were extremely heavy, greasy, and difficult to digest — particularly for the very ill. The Kelloggs experimented with more easily digestible foods for some time before eventually creating Corn Flakes.
In 1906, due to a major falling out between the two brothers, Will left the sanitarium to form the Kellogg’s Cereal Company, bringing Corn Flakes to the world.
NOW: That ubiquitous rooster has graced generations of kitchen tables. You saw it when you were little. Even Queen Elizabeth loves it.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider