Autocrat, LLC facts for kids
Autocrat is a company that makes special coffee and tea ingredients. They are based in Lincoln, Rhode Island in the United States. Autocrat is famous for its delicious coffee syrup. This syrup is used to make coffee milk, which became the official state drink of Rhode Island in 1993! The company's official name changed to Finlay Extracts and Ingredients USA (Finlays) in 2015. But don't worry, you can still find their products sold under the well-known Autocrat name.
Contents
Autocrat's Story
Autocrat has a long and interesting history.
How it Started
The company began way back in 1895. It was first called Brownell & Field Coffee Company. They started making their famous coffee syrup in the 1930s. This was a popular time for new food products.
Growing Bigger
In 1991, Autocrat bought another company called Eclipse. Eclipse also made coffee syrup. After this, Autocrat became the only company making coffee syrup in the United States! This made them very important for coffee milk lovers.
In 2012, Autocrat worked with another company, RFI, LLC. They wanted to offer even more coffee products. Then, in 2014, a British tea company called James Finlay Limited bought Autocrat. Autocrat kept its name for a while.
A New Name
In July 2015, the company's official name changed. It became Finlay Extracts and Ingredients USA. Most people just call it Finlays. Even with the new company name, you can still buy their products under the Autocrat brand.
What Autocrat Makes
Autocrat makes several different products.
Coffee Syrups
The company is best known for its coffee syrups. They sell them under the Autocrat name. You might also see them as Coffee Time Syrup. After buying Eclipse, they also kept making syrup under the Eclipse brand.
Other Products
Besides syrups, Autocrat also makes other coffee and tea items. These include frozen and powdered coffee and tea extracts. They also make concentrates, which are strong liquid forms of coffee and tea.
Famous Collaborations
Autocrat has worked with other companies on cool projects.
- Frappuccino: In 1992, Autocrat teamed up with a company called Coffee Connection. Together, they invented the Frappuccino! Later, in 1994, Starbucks bought Coffee Connection. Starbucks then got the rights to the "Frappuccino" name.
- Special Beer: In 2013, the Narragansett Brewing Company made a special beer. It was a dark beer called a stout. They brewed it using Autocrat Coffee syrup! It was a limited edition, meaning they only made a certain amount.
