Wolf Brand Chili facts for kids
Wolf Brand Chili is a popular brand of chili con carne, which is a tasty meat stew often made with chili peppers and other spices. Today, a company called ConAgra Foods owns this brand. You can find Wolf Brand Chili with or without beans, depending on what you like!
Contents
The Story of Wolf Brand Chili
How It All Started
The story of Wolf Brand Chili began in 1895 in Corsicana, Texas. A man named Lyman T. Davis started selling his "Lyman's Famous Chili" for just five cents a bowl. He sold it right from the back of his wagon on the streets of Corsicana.
Soon, Lyman Davis began putting his chili into cans. This helped him sell it to more people nearby. Around this time, he gave his chili a special name: "Lyman's Famous Wolf Brand Chili." He chose this name to honor his pet wolf, Kaiser Bill!
Growing Bigger
In 1924, Lyman Davis sold his chili brand to two new owners, J. C. West and Fred Slauson. They wanted to sell the chili to even more places, not just in Corsicana.
To help with sales, their salesmen drove special trucks shaped like chili cans! These trucks had the chili's name on them. Sometimes, they even had Lyman Davis's pet wolf in a cage in the back. These unique trucks were great for moving the chili and also worked as moving advertisements!
During World War II, many families in Texas sent cans of Wolf Brand Chili to their sons who were serving in the military. After the war, more and more people wanted the chili. The factory then started making other chili products, like hot dog sauce.
In 1950, Fred Slauson sold his part of the company to Doyle and James West. In 1954, the company started selling its products outside of Texas for the first time.
New Owners and Texas Pride
In 1957, a big company called Quaker Oats bought Wolf Brand Chili from Doyle and James West. Quaker Oats kept making the chili in the Corsicana factory, using Lyman Davis's original recipe.
In 1977, Wolf Brand Chili and other chili makers worked together to make chili the official "state food" of Texas! This shows how important chili is to the state.
To make their operations simpler, Quaker Oats closed the Corsicana factory in 1985. They moved the chili production to another company they owned, Stokley-Van Camp, in Dallas. Later, in 1995, ConAgra bought Van Camp's and Wolf Brand from Quaker Oats.
The Famous Slogan
Wolf Brand Chili has a very well-known slogan that many Texans recognize. It says, "Neighbor, how long has it been since you had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili? Well, that's too long!" This slogan is a trademark of the brand.
