Grandma Brown's Baked Beans
.jpg) c. 1967 postcard featuring the company's factory | |
| Industry | Food processing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1930s |
| Founder | Lulu J. Brown |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Northeastern United States |
| Products | Baked beans |
Grandma Brown's Baked Beans is a Central New York brand of baked beans founded by Lulu Brown in the 1930s.[note 1] The beans (and at one time soup) were sold throughout New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania until 2021.[3]
History
The company founder, Lulu J. Brown (1875–1950[4]), had previously operated a small department store with her husband, Earl, in Mexico, New York, north of Syracuse.[3][5] After the shop failed during the Great Depression, she began selling her baked beans from open pans at a local grocery store to help bring in extra money.[3] The product proved popular and the Browns quickly installed four more oil-burning stoves in their kitchen to meet demand.[1] Within six months, they outgrew the small home kitchen and expanded into a commercial space, and their territory spread to include Oswego.[1]
After her husband died on 24 December 1938, Brown continued to operate the business with her son, Robert, and a new partner, Earl's friend Richard Whitney, and the company became known as Brown Whitney Brown (BWB).[1] In 1941, they transitioned to canning their product, with assistance from the Continental Can Company, but resumed open pan sales during World War II, as metal was required for the war effort.[1] In 1950, Brown died at the age of 75.[5]
The company continued to operate out of a baked bean-colored factory in Mexico, New York, until 2021, when it temporarily ceased production.[6][7] In 2022, owner Sandra Brown (Lulu Brown's granddaughter), hoped to restart operations, but had been unsuccessful in recruiting a new workforce.[7]
Notes
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "'Grandma Brown's' Baked Bean Picnic Dish Began Big Mexico Enterprise 15 Years Ago". The Post-Standard. 6 August 1950. p. 28.
- ↑ McCormick, Margaret (2018-06-13). "Pride and love abound for locally made Grandma Brown's Baked Beans". Syracuse New Times. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
- 1 2 3 4 "Grandma Brown's Baked Beans Has Healthy Hold on Americans". Newsday. Associated Press. 23 July 1997. p. 51.
- ↑ "Mrs. Brown, Noted for Beans, Dies". Syracuse Herald-Journal. 20 August 1950. p. 8.
- 1 2 "Mrs. Lula[sic] J. Brown Buried at Mexico: 'Grandma' of Beans Fame". Syracuse Herald-Journal. 22 August 1950. p. 2.
- ↑ D'Imperio, Chuck (14 April 2015). A Taste of Upstate New York: The People and the Stories Behind 40 Food Favorites. Syracuse University Press. pp. 51–53. ISBN 978-0-8156-5323-3.
- 1 2 "Owner of Grandma Brown's Baked Beans 'of course' wants to resume production, but won't set timeframe". WSYR. 29 April 2022.