Fleischmann's Yeast facts for kids
Fleischmann's Yeast is an American brand that makes yeast. It was started by a Hungarian-American businessman named Charles Louis Fleischmann. Today, a company called Associated British Foods owns it. Fleischmann's yeast is sold to people who bake at home and to big food companies in the United States and Canada.
The company makes yeast in different forms for various uses. Fleischmann's is also a brand name for a type of corn oil margarine.
The Story of Fleischmann's Yeast
The company began in Riverside, Cincinnati, in 1868. It was founded by Hungarian Jewish brothers, Charles Louis Fleischmann and Maximilian Fleischmann, along with James Gaff. They first called their company Gaff, Fleischmann & Company. They showed off their yeast at a big event called the Centennial Exposition in 1876.
After James Gaff passed away in 1881, the company's name changed to Fleischmann and Company. Later, in 1905, it became The Fleischmann Company.
In 1924, Charles and Maximilian's nephew, Raoul Fleischmann, used money from the family business to help start a famous magazine called The New Yorker. He invested a lot of money before the magazine started making a profit. Raoul was the publisher of the magazine until he passed away in 1969.
In 1929, the Fleischmann Company joined with another company called Standard Brands. This was arranged by J.P. Morgan. In the same year, the company started sponsoring a popular radio show called The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, which starred Rudy Vallée.
During the 1930s, Fleischmann's Yeast advertisements sometimes talked about "intestinal fatigue." They claimed their yeast could help with this condition, even though the American Medical Association disagreed. In 1936, a magazine called Consumer Reports also said that Fleischmann's Yeast's ads claiming it cured constipation and acne were not true.
Standard Brands later merged with Nabisco Brands, Inc. in 1981.
In 1986, RJR Nabisco sold Fleischmann's to an Australian company called Burns Philp for $130 million.
Burns Philp then sold its yeast business to Associated British Foods in 2004 for a large sum of money, US$1.4 billion.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many people started baking more at home. This caused a huge demand for Fleischmann's yeast. The company found it hard to make enough yeast because they had trouble getting raw materials. Also, making yeast takes a long time, which limited how much they could produce.
Types of Fleischmann's Yeast
Fleischmann's makes several common types of yeast:
- Cubes or "cakes" of fresh yeast: This is an original form of packaged yeast. It comes in soft cubes wrapped in foil and needs to be kept cold because it can spoil quickly.
- Active Dry Yeast: This yeast comes in small packets and is made of tiny granules. Fleischmann's invented this type during World War II. It can be stored for a long time without going bad.
- RapidRise yeast: This yeast also comes in packets. It is designed to make dough rise much faster, sometimes cutting the rising time by half. You can often skip the first rise with this type.
- Bread machine yeast: This is an instant yeast sold in a glass jar. It is specially made for use in bread machines.
- Pizza crust yeast: This instant yeast is packaged with special ingredients that help make pizza dough more stretchy and easier to work with. It also helps reduce the time needed to make a fresh pizza crust.
Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast is one of their most popular products. This is because it lasts much longer than fresh yeast.
Company Leaders
Here are some of the people who led the Fleischmann Company:
- Charles Louis Fleischmann, from 1868 to 1897
- Julius Fleischmann, from 1897 to 1925
- Maximilian C. Fleischmann, from 1925 to 1929
See also
- Fleischmann's Vodka
- Fleischmanns, New York
