Carnation (brand) facts for kids
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| Owner | Nestlé (Alaska Milk Corporation in the Philippines, F&N in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand) |
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| Introduced | 1899 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
Carnation is a well-known brand of food products. It became famous for its evaporated milk, which was first made in 1899. Back then, it was called Carnation Sterilized Cream, but later it became Carnation Evaporated Milk.
Over the years, the Carnation brand grew to include many other products. These include mixes for milk flavoring, tasty drinks, syrups, hot cocoa mixes, instant breakfasts, corn flakes, ice cream treats, and even dog food. Today, the company Nestlé owns the Carnation brand, having bought the original Carnation Company in 1985.
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The Story of Carnation
Carnation started as a company that made evaporated milk. This type of milk has had most of its water removed, making it last longer without needing to be refrigerated. This was very useful before most homes had refrigerators.
As more and more homes got fridges in the 1900s, people bought less evaporated milk. So, after the 1950s, Carnation began making many different kinds of products. In 1984, Nestlé bought the Carnation Company for a huge amount of money: $3 billion!
Who Started Carnation?
The person who started Carnation was a man named Elbridge Amos Stuart. He was born in Guilford County, North Carolina in 1856 and passed away in Los Angeles, California, in 1944. Stuart was a milk expert and created Carnation evaporated milk. He also came up with its famous slogan: "Contented Cows."
On September 6, 1899, Stuart and a business partner started the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company. This was in Kent, Washington. Stuart became the company's first president. He stayed in that role until 1932, and then he was the chairman until 1944.
Their product was based on a new way to make milk last longer: by evaporating it. Stuart believed that clean, safe milk was important. At that time, fresh milk wasn't always easy to find or safe to drink. He was right that his evaporated milk would become a common item in grocery stores.
In 1901, his partner left the company. This meant Stuart owned the company, but he also had $105,000 in debt. As sales slowly grew, Stuart needed a good name for his product. One day, he walked past a tobacco shop in downtown Seattle. He saw a display of cigars with the name "Carnation." He liked the name, and his company soon became the Carnation Evaporated Milk Company.
The "Contented Cows"
One of the most important things Stuart learned from his father's farm was that good milk comes from healthy cows. To make sure his milk was top quality, he gave purebred bulls to the farmers who supplied his factory. The calves from these bulls were chosen for how much milk they could produce.
Eventually, Stuart started his own breeding farm called Carnation Farm. Here, they used new farming ideas to make the cows even better at producing milk. Carnation cows held the world record for milk production for 32 years in a row! One special cow, named Segis Pietertje Prospect, produced an amazing 37,381 pints of milk in 1920. A statue was even built to honor her record! Later, the town of Tolt, Washington, was renamed Carnation, after the nearby farms.
How Carnation Advertised
In 1907, Carnation started using the slogan "Carnation Condensed Milk, the milk from contented cows." This phrase meant that the milk was high quality because it came from happy cows. These cows grazed in the green fields of the Pacific Northwest.
Carnation used this slogan for many years. It even led to a radio show called "The Contented Hour." Famous entertainers like Dinah Shore and Burns and Allen were on the show. Later, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on CBS television was also sponsored by Carnation. During the show, the actors would often talk about Carnation products in a funny way.
Since the 1960s, Carnation milk cans have had recipes printed on the inside of their labels. This helped people find new ways to use the milk.
Carnation Today
The original Carnation Farms are located about 45 minutes east of Seattle, in Carnation, Washington.
In 2006, Nestlé sold the Carnation liquid milk business in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Thailand to a company called F&N.
In 2007, Nestlé also made a deal with Alaska Milk Corporation in the Philippines. This allowed Alaska Milk to make and sell Carnation Evaporated Creamer and Carnation Condensada under Nestlé's quality rules.
In 2008, Carnation Farms became Camp Korey. This camp is part of the Hole in the Wall Camps network, which was started by actor Paul Newman. Camp Korey is a special camp for children aged 7 to 16 who have serious illnesses. Doctors and nurses are always there, along with trained camp counselors. The camp offers a week of fun activities and programs for free to these children. In 2016, Camp Korey moved to a new location. The Stuart family, who bought the farm back from Nestlé, is now creating new programs for the farm.
Carnation Products
- Carnation Evaporated Milk – first made in 1899
- Carnation Malted Milk – first made in 1927
- Carnation Instant Breakfast (now called Breakfast Essentials) – first made in 1964
Carnation Café at Disneyland
The Carnation Café is a casual restaurant located in Disneyland and other Disney parks. When Disneyland first opened in 1955, it was called "Carnation Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant presented by Carnation."
