Duke's Mayonnaise facts for kids
Duke's Mayonnaise is a popular condiment (a sauce or spice used to add flavor to food). It was first made by Eugenia Duke in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1917.
Duke's Mayonnaise is one of the biggest mayonnaise brands in the United States. It is especially popular in the Southern states. People use it in many classic Southern dishes. These include coleslaw, tomato sandwiches, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, and potato salad.
What makes Duke's special? It has more egg yolks than many other mayonnaises. It also has no added sugar. Instead of regular white vinegar, it uses apple cider vinegar. These ingredients give Duke's its unique taste, which the brand calls "It's Got Twang!"
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How Duke's Mayonnaise Started
In August 1917, Eugenia Duke and her daughter Martha started a small business. They sold sandwiches to soldiers at YMCA Army canteens. This helped them earn money for their family.
Soldiers from nearby Camp Sevier, a National Guard training camp, loved her sandwiches. They and other customers asked for her special mayonnaise. So, around 1923, Eugenia began bottling and selling her mayonnaise separately.
Her business grew quickly. By November 1928, she was even a speaker at a big Mayonnaise Manufacturer's Convention in Boston. The demand for her mayonnaise became too much for her to handle alone. In 1929, she decided to sell her company.
Duke's Mayonnaise and C. F. Sauer
In 1929, the C.F. Sauer Company bought Duke's products. This company was based in Richmond, Virginia. Duke's Mayonnaise quickly became their most important product.
The main factory for Duke's is in Mauldin, South Carolina. This town is southeast of Greenville. In 2011, the factory was even shown on the TV show How It's Made. This episode explained how mayonnaise is made.
In 2017, the state of South Carolina honored Duke's Mayonnaise. They recognized its 100th birthday. By then, Duke's was sold across the United States. It was also available in New Zealand, Australia, and the Middle East. In 2017, Sauer also began selling Duke's in Latin America.
In 2019, a company called Falfurrias Capital Partners bought C.F. Sauer. This meant they also became the owners of the Duke's brand.
About Eugenia Duke
Eugenia Thomas Slade Duke was born in October 1881 in Columbus, Georgia. She passed away in 1968. She is famous for creating Duke's Mayonnaise in 1917.
When Eugenia was 18, she married Harry Cuthbert Duke in 1900. They moved to Greenville, South Carolina. Eugenia was also very active in politics. She worked to help pass the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This important amendment gave women the right to vote.
After selling her mayonnaise company, Eugenia moved to California. She followed her only child, Martha, there. In California, Eugenia started new businesses. She opened the Duchess Sandwich Company and the Duchess Catering Company.
See also
- Duke's Mayo Bowl
- Duke's Mayo Classic
- List of mayonnaises
