Newman's Own facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Key people
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Alex Amouyel (President and CEO) |
| Products | Various food and pet food products |
Newman's Own is a special American food company. It is based in Westport, Connecticut. Famous actor Paul Newman and author A. E. Hotchner started it in 1982. What makes this company unique is that it gives away all its profits after taxes. This money goes to the Newman's Own Foundation. This foundation is a private group that helps many charities. It especially supports programs that focus on children.
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How It All Started
The idea for Newman's Own began in 1982. Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner made homemade salad dressing. They gave it to their friends as gifts. Everyone loved the dressing so much! This success made Newman and Hotchner decide to sell it. They each put in $20,000 to start the business.
Growing the Company
After the salad dressing, they started making other foods. These included spaghetti sauce, lemonade, and popcorn. They also made fruit juices, frozen pizza, and salsa. In 2008, Newman's Own even launched its own wines. Each product label features a picture of Paul Newman. He is often dressed in a funny costume for each item. The company used humor on its labels. For example, their first salad dressing said, "Fine Foods Since February." Many stories on the food labels were just for fun.
In 1993, Paul Newman's daughter, Nell Newman, started Newman's Own Organics. This part of the company focused on organic foods. It later became a separate company in 2001. They made organic chocolate, cookies, pretzels, and even pet food. Nell's father, Paul, posed with her for the pictures on these labels. In 2014, Newman's Own Organics became part of Newman's Own again.
Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner wrote a book together in 2003. It was about their company and the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. The book was called Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good. Paul Newman and CEO Robert Forrester made sure the company's profits would keep going to charity. They did this by setting up the Newman's Own Foundation.
Leadership After Paul Newman
Paul Newman passed away in 2008. After that, Robert Forrester took charge of the company and the foundation. He helped the company grow and offer more products. Over time, there were some changes in leadership. Robert Forrester was replaced in 2019 after an internal review. Jennifer Smith Turner became the temporary president and CEO. In January 2020, Dr. Miriam Nelson took over these roles. The current President and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation, as of April 2023, is Alex Amouyel.
Helping Others: Newman's Own Charity
Newman's Own is famous for its charity work. The Newman's Own Foundation website states that over $600 million has been given to charity since 1982. In 2016 alone, the company donated $30 million in profits. This was from total sales of $600 million. The company also helped sponsor an award called the PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award. This award honored people who bravely fought for freedom of speech in the United States.
SeriousFun Children's Network
You can find a list of groups that receive money on the Newman's Own Foundation website. One very important group is the SeriousFun Children's Network. This network runs residential summer camps and programs for children who are seriously ill. Paul Newman helped start the first camp in 1988. Today, these camps and programs are in many places around the world. They have provided over 1.5 million camp experiences to children and families for free. While Newman's Own helped start the first camp, the network now gets money from many other sources too.
Other Ways They Help
Newman's Own Foundation has also given money to other groups. For example, they supported The MINDS Foundation. This group works in rural India. Other groups that have received money include The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. They have supported this fund since 1983. Other beneficiaries include Shining Hope for Communities, Safe Water Network, Edible Schoolyard NYC, and Fisher House Foundation. They also helped the WILD Young Women Programme in New Zealand and Pilgrims Hospices in the UK. Newman's Own has also supported the study of charity at places like Marist University.
