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Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929
The story of a pantry shelf, an outline history of grocery specialties: a machine-readable transcription.
From Lincolnshire to
the Wide-World
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From Lincolnshire to
the Wide-World
What the Salads of the World Owe
to the Mustard Fields of Lincolnshire
and the Enterprise of Jeremiah Coleman
What the Salads of the World Owe to the Mustard Fields of Lincolnshire and the Enterprise of Jeremiah Coleman
In 1854 Jeremiah Colman purchased a small windmill not far from the mustard fields of Lincolnshire and the fens of England and began the milling and blending of mustard. This was the beginning of J. and J. Colman, Limited, now the largest mustard business in the world.
The business prospered and before the difficulties of transportation made it necessary to move to a more advantageous location. The city of Norwich, England, was selected because it was in the heart of the finest mustard-growing district in the world. Norwich is today the home of Colman's Mustard.
From manufacturing mustard for the small local markets the business continued to grow until Colman's was the leading
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mustard in England. It was then exported first to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, and later to Canada and the United States. Today Colman's Mustard is sold in every country in the world.
The Carrow Works of J. and J. Colman, Ltd., in Norwich is of tremendous size. The great factories occupy over 32 acres of land and employ well over 3,000 men and women. Four trainloads of Colman's Mustard leave the factories every working day.
The original Jeremiah Colman gradually took into partnership with him three nephews. The family has from the beginning always taken an active part in the direction of the business. Today six of the seven members of the Board of Directors are Colmans.
Not only have the Colmans been connected with the firm since it started but the families of the employees as well. Many of them come of families who have worked for the company for generations.
And for generations, too, the yeoman-farmers of the countryside in Lincolnshire have made mustard raising their life's concern. Today many of them who sell their seed to Colman's come of families who raised and sold Lincolnshire seed to the same firm 120 years ago. They take great pride in the fact that the mustard they raise is the finest in the world.
Colman's Mustard is the careful and scientific blending of the flour of yellow and black mustard seeds. They are first threshed and milled and then separated to remove the outer husks. The yellow and black flour is sifted separately and then accurately blended.
Mustard is very difficult to manufacture because the seed is very small and the flour contains an exceedingly high percentage of oil. It is particularly difficult to manufacture on a small scale because it is hard to keep the quality of the product uniform. Even though made in tremendous quantities, Colman's Mustard is constantly tested to insure its quality. The men who do this testing have had years of experience and are able to keep the mustard absolutely uniform in quality.
While Colman's Mustard is used in every country in the
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world, the amounts consumed vary greatly in different countries. It is estimated that the per capita consumption of mustard in the United States is only one-twelfth of that in England and Australia.
The Colman advertising in the United States is now showing the American people how they may use mustard in more ways. The national advertising, on a larger scale than ever before, is featuring tempting salads and other dishes to which Colman's Mustard adds an enlivened flavor.
The Old Windmill Where, in 1804,A comparatively few years ago J. and J. Colman introduced a mustard relish in England called Savora. It at once became popular there, and when taken to the leading countries of Europe there also soon became widely used. In France, especially, the chefs of all the prominent hotels and restaurants find it indispensable in the preparations of many of their famous dishes. Savora is today the favorite relish of the greatest European chefs. Everywhere, too, the familiar Savora bottle appears on the tables and restaurants for patrons to use.
Savora is rapidly developing a world-wide market, side by side with Colman's Mustard. The last link in the chain is the United States, where, even though very recently introduced, it already has become a popular dish.
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