Carnation (trademark)
Encyclopedia
Carnation is a brand of food products. The brand
was especially known for its evaporated milk
product created in 1899, then called Carnation Sterilized Cream and later called Carnation Evaporated Milk. The brand has since been used for other related products including milk
-flavoring mixes, flavored beverages, flavor syrups, hot cocoa mixes, instant breakfast
s, corn flakes
, and ice cream
novelties. Nestlé
acquired the Carnation Company in 1985.
. It was based solely on the relatively new process of evaporation. Stuart was the first president of the Carnation Company between 1899 and 1932 and served as its chairman from 1932 to 1944. In 1901, his partner sold out, leaving Stuart the company along with $105,000 in debt. As sales began to grow, Stuart searched for a brand name for his product. While walking in downtown Seattle, Stuart passed a tobacconist's window with cigars on display around a sign proclaiming their name—Carnation. The company was renamed Carnation Evaporated Milk Company.
Stuart believed that there was value in sanitary milk at a time when fresh milk was neither universally available nor always drinkable. He believed that his product would soon join other staples on the grocer's shelves, such as salt and sugar. One of the most important things E.A. Stuart learned as a boy on his father's farm was that quality milk had to come from healthy cows. To have the best quality milk and milk production, he distributed purebred bulls to the farmers who were suppliers for his factory. The offspring from these bulls were better milk producers than the cows of the previous generation.
The belief that quality milk came only from quality cows eventually led Stuart to establish his own breeding farm, known as Carnation Farm. On his breeding farm, through practical science and application, Stuart was able to continue improving the quality and production of milk from his Carnation cows. In fact, Carnation cows held the world milk production record for 32 consecutive years. One cow in particular, Segis Pietertje Prospect, produced 37,381 pounds of milk during 1920. So proud was Stuart, he erected a statue of the cow to honor this record for milk production that held top honors for 16 years. It was through such accomplishments that Stuart was able to make significant contributions to dairy science while helping to improve the world's food supply. The town of Tolt, Washington
, was later renamed Carnation for the nearby breeding and research farms run by the company.
. Carnation used this slogan for decades, and it even spawned a radio variety program entitled "The Contented Hour," which featured entertainers such as Dinah Shore
, Jane Powell
and Burns and Allen
. Burns and Allen's own CBS
television program, which premiered in 1950, was sponsored by Carnation. As was common during that era, instead of cutting to filmed commercials, Burns, Allen and guests broke the "fourth wall
" to plug Carnation products in a comedic, often tongue-in-cheek way during the show.
Since the 1960s, labels of cans of Carnation Condensed Milk have contained recipes on the inner side.
, or a variant of it, has often been portrayed by storytellers as the result of a slogan contest or advertising contest sponsored by the Carnation Company, although such a contest never actually occurred.
.
Since 2008, Carnation Farms became Camp Korey, part of the Hole in the Wall Camps
founded by Paul Newman
. Camp Korey is a medically supervised camp staffed with physicians and nurses, and trained camp counsellors for children living with serious and life threatening illness. The camp provides a week-long experience of camp programs and activities for children ages 7–16 at no cost to them.
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
was especially known for its evaporated milk
Evaporated milk
Evaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits ...
product created in 1899, then called Carnation Sterilized Cream and later called Carnation Evaporated Milk. The brand has since been used for other related products including milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
-flavoring mixes, flavored beverages, flavor syrups, hot cocoa mixes, instant breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
s, corn flakes
Corn flakes
Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
, and ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
novelties. Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
acquired the Carnation Company in 1985.
History
Carnation was founded as an evaporated milk company. With the widespread availability of home refrigeration and fresh milk and cream in the late 20th century, the demand for evaporated milk decreased. Carnation diversified its product portfolio after the 1950s and was acquired by Nestlé in 1985 for $3B.Elbridge Amos Stuart
Elbridge Amos Stuart (1856 in North Carolina–1944) was an American milk industrialist and creator of Carnation evaporated milk and its famous slogan, that it came from "Contented Cows".Biography of Stuart, Elbridge A. (1856-1944) from HistoryLink On September 6, 1899, Stuart and a fellow business partner founded the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company in Kent, WashingtonKent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
. It was based solely on the relatively new process of evaporation. Stuart was the first president of the Carnation Company between 1899 and 1932 and served as its chairman from 1932 to 1944. In 1901, his partner sold out, leaving Stuart the company along with $105,000 in debt. As sales began to grow, Stuart searched for a brand name for his product. While walking in downtown Seattle, Stuart passed a tobacconist's window with cigars on display around a sign proclaiming their name—Carnation. The company was renamed Carnation Evaporated Milk Company.
Stuart believed that there was value in sanitary milk at a time when fresh milk was neither universally available nor always drinkable. He believed that his product would soon join other staples on the grocer's shelves, such as salt and sugar. One of the most important things E.A. Stuart learned as a boy on his father's farm was that quality milk had to come from healthy cows. To have the best quality milk and milk production, he distributed purebred bulls to the farmers who were suppliers for his factory. The offspring from these bulls were better milk producers than the cows of the previous generation.
The belief that quality milk came only from quality cows eventually led Stuart to establish his own breeding farm, known as Carnation Farm. On his breeding farm, through practical science and application, Stuart was able to continue improving the quality and production of milk from his Carnation cows. In fact, Carnation cows held the world milk production record for 32 consecutive years. One cow in particular, Segis Pietertje Prospect, produced 37,381 pounds of milk during 1920. So proud was Stuart, he erected a statue of the cow to honor this record for milk production that held top honors for 16 years. It was through such accomplishments that Stuart was able to make significant contributions to dairy science while helping to improve the world's food supply. The town of Tolt, Washington
Carnation, Washington
Carnation is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,786 at the 2010 census.-History:Settled in 1865, Carnation was officially incorporated on December 30, 1912, as Tolt. The name was changed to Carnation in 1917, back to Tolt on May 3, 1928, and finally back to...
, was later renamed Carnation for the nearby breeding and research farms run by the company.
Advertising
In 1907, the public was first introduced to the promotional phrase, "Carnation Condensed Milk, the milk from contented cows". This slogan referred to the higher quality of milk that came from the happy cows grazing in the lush lands of the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. Carnation used this slogan for decades, and it even spawned a radio variety program entitled "The Contented Hour," which featured entertainers such as Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, Jane Powell
Jane Powell
Jane Powell is an American singer, dancer and actress.After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens...
and Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
. Burns and Allen's own CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television program, which premiered in 1950, was sponsored by Carnation. As was common during that era, instead of cutting to filmed commercials, Burns, Allen and guests broke the "fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
" to plug Carnation products in a comedic, often tongue-in-cheek way during the show.
Since the 1960s, labels of cans of Carnation Condensed Milk have contained recipes on the inner side.
Rhymes
During the twentieth century, Carnation Evaporated Milk became the subject of humorous, satirical rhymes. One example that may date back to the year 1900 is as follows: Carnation Milk is the best in the land / Here I sit with a can in my hand / No tits to pull, no hay to pitch / You just punch a hole in the son of a bitch. This quatrainQuatrain
A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse. Existing in various forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and China; and, continues into the 21st century, where it is...
, or a variant of it, has often been portrayed by storytellers as the result of a slogan contest or advertising contest sponsored by the Carnation Company, although such a contest never actually occurred.
Current status
The site of the original Carnation Farms is located 45 minutes east of Seattle, in Carnation, WashingtonCarnation, Washington
Carnation is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,786 at the 2010 census.-History:Settled in 1865, Carnation was officially incorporated on December 30, 1912, as Tolt. The name was changed to Carnation in 1917, back to Tolt on May 3, 1928, and finally back to...
.
Since 2008, Carnation Farms became Camp Korey, part of the Hole in the Wall Camps
Hole in the Wall Camps
The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps is a nonprofit organization that unites the world's largest family of camps for children with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. Hole in the Wall Camps are free of charge to all campers and their families regardless of their ability to pay and...
founded by Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
. Camp Korey is a medically supervised camp staffed with physicians and nurses, and trained camp counsellors for children living with serious and life threatening illness. The camp provides a week-long experience of camp programs and activities for children ages 7–16 at no cost to them.
See also
- NestléNestléNestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
- Eagle Family Foods IncorporatedEagle Family Foods IncorporatedEagle Family Foods Incorporated and its brands/products were acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company in May 2007.The company's name is derived from the product created by Gail Borden and sold under Borden, Inc., from 1856 to 1997...
- a rival company - Pet, Inc.Pet, Inc.Pet, Inc., was an American company that was the first to commercially produce evaporated milk as a shelf-stable consumer product and later became a multi-brand food products conglomerate. Its signature product, PET Evaporated Milk, is now a product of The J.M. Smucker Co...
- another rival. - Condensed milkCondensed milkCondensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened...
- A different type of preserved milk.
External links
- Condensed milk history from Practically Edible, the food encyclopedia.