Laura Clough Scudder (1881 – 1959) was an entrepreneur in
Monterey Park, CaliforniaMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2005 estimate, the city had a total population of 63,928. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future".-History:...
, who made and sold potato chips and who pioneered the packaging of potato chips in sealed bags to extend freshness.
Born in Philadelphia, Laura Scudder worked as a nurse before moving to California. While there she became the first female attorney in
Ukiah, CaliforniaUkiah is the county seat and largest city of Mendocino County, California. With its accessible location , Ukiah serves as the city center for Mendocino County and much of neighboring Lake County...
before moving south to
Monterey Park, CaliforniaMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2005 estimate, the city had a total population of 63,928. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future".-History:...
, where she started her food company in 1926.
At first, potato chips were packaged in barrels or tins, which left chips at the bottom stale and crumbled.
Laura Clough Scudder (1881 – 1959) was an entrepreneur in
Monterey Park, CaliforniaMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2005 estimate, the city had a total population of 63,928. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future".-History:...
, who made and sold potato chips and who pioneered the packaging of potato chips in sealed bags to extend freshness.
Born in Philadelphia, Laura Scudder worked as a nurse before moving to California. While there she became the first female attorney in
Ukiah, CaliforniaUkiah is the county seat and largest city of Mendocino County, California. With its accessible location , Ukiah serves as the city center for Mendocino County and much of neighboring Lake County...
before moving south to
Monterey Park, CaliforniaMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2005 estimate, the city had a total population of 63,928. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future".-History:...
, where she started her food company in 1926.
At first, potato chips were packaged in barrels or tins, which left chips at the bottom stale and crumbled. Laura Scudder started having her workers take home sheets of
wax paperWax paper is a kind of paper that is made moisture proof through the application of wax.The practice of oiling parchment or paper in order to make it semi-translucent or moisture-proof goes back at least to medieval times. The invention of wax paper is credited to Thomas Edison or Thomas Conners,...
to iron into the form of bags, which were filled with chips at her factory the next day. This innovation kept the chips fresh and crisp longer and, along with the invention of
cellophaneCellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, and bacteria makes it useful for food packaging...
, allowed potato chips to become a mass market product.
Scudder also began putting dates on the bags, becoming the first company to freshness date their food products.
Laura Scudder faced many obstacles running her own company during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. For instance, when she tried to get insurance for the company's delivery truck, she was denied by all the local male insurance agents, who claimed that a woman would be unreliable at paying the premiums. The female insurance agent who eventually insured the truck went on to insure the entire company fleet.
At one point, Laura Scudder turned down a $9 million offer for the company because the buyer wouldn't guarantee her employees' jobs. In 1957 she finally accepted a $6 million offer from a buyer who guaranteed job security for her workforce. The new company was called
Laura Scudder Inc. At the time of the sale the company had expanded into
peanut butterPeanut butter is a food paste made from ground dry roasted peanuts. Major consumer brand peanut butter contains hydrogenated vegetable oil to stabilize it and prevent oil separation, salt to prevent spoilage, and dextrose and other sweeteners to enhance taste. Peanut butter marketed as Natural, or...
and
mayonnaiseMayonnaise is a thick condiment. White or yellowish-white in color, it is a stable emulsion of oil, salt and vinegar, or lemon juice which uses egg yolks as an emulsifier...
, and Laura Scudder brand potato chips held a greater than 50%
shareMarket share, in strategic management and marketing is, according to Carlton O'Neal, the percentage or proportion of the total available market or market segment that is being serviced by a company. It can be expressed as a company's sales revenue divided by the total sales revenue available in...
of the California market.
In 1987, Laura Scudder Inc. was sold to
Borden, Inc.Borden, Inc. was an American producer of food and beverage products, consumer products, and industrial products. At one time, the company was the largest U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Borden focused primarily on pasta and pasta sauces, bakery products, snacks,...
for $100 million.
http://www.secinfo.com/dsvrf.b2Te.j.htm Annual sales for the chipmaker were $126 million in 1986.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0D91430F930A1575AC0A961948260 However, union problems motivated Borden to close all California plants of Laura Scudder only a year later.
http://www.secinfo.com/dsvrf.b2Te.j.htm In 1993, Borden sold what remained of Laura Scudder for less than $16.7 million.
http://www.secinfo.com/dsVS7.bPm.htm However, the buyer, G.F. Industries, Inc.'s
Granny GooseGranny Goose is the name of an American brand of potato chips and other snack foods.Its logo and mascot, also named Granny Goose, is an anthropomorphic cartoon goose...
subsidiary was already in trouble, and was put up for sale in January 1995.
http://calbears.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_April_12/ai_16811910 Snack Alliance, Inc. currently (2009) owns the rights to produce and market potato chips under both brands.
http://www.snackalliance.com/product_laura.php According to the J.M. Smucker Company website
http://www.laurascudderspeanutbutter.com/about_us.aspx, the Laura Scudder's Natural Peanut Butter business was acquired by Smucker's from BAMA Foods Inc. in December 1994. Smucker's currently (2009) markets the Laura Scudder's brand of natural peanut butter on the west coast.
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