Old London Foods
Encyclopedia
Old London Foods is a company that is best known for its Melba toast
products, that is a subsidiary of Nonni's Food. Originally based in the Bronx
and called the King Kone Corporation, the company changed its name to Old London Foods, Inc., in May 1960 to match their best-known brand of food products, having used the Old London name for nearly 25 years.
Melba toast dates back to 1897, when Nellie Melba
complained to chef Auguste Escoffier
that her toasted bread was too thick. He gave her bread that had been toasted extremely thin and named it "Melba toast" after her. The products were first made under the Old London brand in 1932, when the first Melba oven was built, and later variations included restaurant packs of toast and rounds.
The company was originally a manufacturer of food machinery and company founders Harry Tatosian, who invented the machines and R. J. Yohai, vice president and sales manager, decided to start making food using their machines after a trip to London
, where they had installed automated baking machines for a customer. They first started baking ice cream cones and used the brand name Old London based on their recent experience in that city. Using an investment of $4,000, they created a multi-million dollar business exclusively using their own capital to expand to include melba toast and snack products.
Old London was looking for a new snack in the 1950s and had a machine that could extrude
cornmeal
under pressure through a narrow hole that would be cut to three-inch lengths by a blade. Baked with orange cheddar cheese
and flavorings, Morrie Yohai
gave them the name "Cheez Doodles
". The name came to him while he sat around the table with other employees sampling different alternatives for the cheese flavoring. By 1960, the company's products were sold in 250,000 supermarkets and restaurants in the United States and their Dipsy Doodles corn chips were the second-best selling corn chip
in the country behind Fritos
and its snack division produced popcorn in caramel, cheese and unflavored varieties, and was the largest producer of popcorn for home consumption as of 1960. Manhattan
's famed Sardi's
restaurant included Old London crackers by name on the menu for its "executive weight watchers" meal. By 2010 the company's Old London and Devonsheer brands were sold in 90% of American supermarkets.
The company was renamed from King Cone Corporation to Old London Foods in May 1960 to take advantage of customer awareness of their product brand label. In 1965, the company was bought out by Borden
, which also made Cracker Jack
and Drake's
cakes. The company was long based on East 138th Street in a six-story building in the Bronx, where it ran two shifts year-round and added a third shift during the winter season.
Old London had been owned by Corn Products International
and was bought out by a group of managers backed by the private equity firm Dubilier & Company. The company was acquired by Nonni Foods, makers of flatbread products, in 2005 for $70 million. In February 2010, the company's facility in the northeast Bronx, which housed 228 employees, was shut down and production was relocated to Yadkinville, North Carolina
. The lack of open space in the Bronx building mean that the toasted product had to be moved between floors for different production steps, an issue that would be eliminated with the bigger spaces available to the company in North Carolina.
Melba toast
Melba toast is a very dry, crisp and thinly sliced toast often served with soup and salad or topped with either melted cheese or pâté. It is named after Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name of Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. Its name is thought to date from 1897, when the singer was...
products, that is a subsidiary of Nonni's Food. Originally based in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and called the King Kone Corporation, the company changed its name to Old London Foods, Inc., in May 1960 to match their best-known brand of food products, having used the Old London name for nearly 25 years.
Melba toast dates back to 1897, when Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
complained to chef Auguste Escoffier
Auguste Escoffier
Georges Auguste Escoffier was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmands, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine...
that her toasted bread was too thick. He gave her bread that had been toasted extremely thin and named it "Melba toast" after her. The products were first made under the Old London brand in 1932, when the first Melba oven was built, and later variations included restaurant packs of toast and rounds.
The company was originally a manufacturer of food machinery and company founders Harry Tatosian, who invented the machines and R. J. Yohai, vice president and sales manager, decided to start making food using their machines after a trip to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where they had installed automated baking machines for a customer. They first started baking ice cream cones and used the brand name Old London based on their recent experience in that city. Using an investment of $4,000, they created a multi-million dollar business exclusively using their own capital to expand to include melba toast and snack products.
Old London was looking for a new snack in the 1950s and had a machine that could extrude
Extrusion
Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A material is pushed or drawn through a die of the desired cross-section...
cornmeal
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is flour ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the...
under pressure through a narrow hole that would be cut to three-inch lengths by a blade. Baked with orange cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese, produced in several countries around the world. It has its origins in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset....
and flavorings, Morrie Yohai
Morrie Yohai
Morrie Robert Yohai was an American food company executive best known for his creation of Cheez Doodles, a cylindrical baked cornmeal puff most often with a cheddar cheese flavor....
gave them the name "Cheez Doodles
Cheez Doodles
Cheez Doodles are a cheese-flavored cheese puff produced by Wise Foods, Inc. which are similar to Frito-Lay's Cheetos. They debuted several years after Frito-Lay's snack in the 1950s. Originally developed and manufactured by King Kone Corp. of the Bronx , it became the prevalent cheese puff snack...
". The name came to him while he sat around the table with other employees sampling different alternatives for the cheese flavoring. By 1960, the company's products were sold in 250,000 supermarkets and restaurants in the United States and their Dipsy Doodles corn chips were the second-best selling corn chip
Corn chip
A corn chip is a snack food made from cornmeal fried in oil or baked, usually in the shape of a small noodle or scoop. Corn chips are thick, rigid and very crunchy...
in the country behind Fritos
Fritos
Fritos is the name of a brand of corn chips made by Frito-Lay. Elmer Doolin was so taken with the bag of corn chips served with his lunch in San Antonio, Texas that he paid $100 for the recipe. In 1932, he started the Frito Corporation. Original Fritos ingredients are limited to whole corn, corn...
and its snack division produced popcorn in caramel, cheese and unflavored varieties, and was the largest producer of popcorn for home consumption as of 1960. Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's famed Sardi's
Sardi's
Sardi's is a restaurant in New York City's theater district at 234 West 44th Street in Manhattan. Known for the hundreds of caricatures of show-business celebrities that adorn its walls, Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927....
restaurant included Old London crackers by name on the menu for its "executive weight watchers" meal. By 2010 the company's Old London and Devonsheer brands were sold in 90% of American supermarkets.
The company was renamed from King Cone Corporation to Old London Foods in May 1960 to take advantage of customer awareness of their product brand label. In 1965, the company was bought out by Borden
Borden (company)
Borden, Inc., was an American producer of food and beverage products, consumer products, and industrial products. At one time, the company was the largest U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products. Its food division, Borden Foods, was based in Columbus, Ohio, and focused primarily on pasta and...
, which also made Cracker Jack
Cracker Jack
Cracker Jack is a U.S. brand of snack consisting of strong molasses flavored candy-coated popcorn and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of nominal value inside. Some food historians consider it the first junk food...
and Drake's
Drake's
Drake's is a baking company in Wayne, New Jersey, United States, owned by Hostess Brands, which makes snack cakes such as Ring Dings, Yodels, Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles, Sunny Doodles, Funny Bones, and coffee cake. Their mascot is a smiling duck wearing a chef's hat and neckerchief holding a...
cakes. The company was long based on East 138th Street in a six-story building in the Bronx, where it ran two shifts year-round and added a third shift during the winter season.
Old London had been owned by Corn Products International
Corn Products International
Corn Products International, Inc. is an Illinois-based refiner and processor of corn-based food additives and sweeteners. It operates factories in 15 countries.- Company :...
and was bought out by a group of managers backed by the private equity firm Dubilier & Company. The company was acquired by Nonni Foods, makers of flatbread products, in 2005 for $70 million. In February 2010, the company's facility in the northeast Bronx, which housed 228 employees, was shut down and production was relocated to Yadkinville, North Carolina
Yadkinville, North Carolina
Yadkinville is a town in Yadkin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,818 at the 2000 census. Located in the Piedmont Triad, it is the county seat and largest city of Yadkin County.-Geography:Yadkinville is located at ....
. The lack of open space in the Bronx building mean that the toasted product had to be moved between floors for different production steps, an issue that would be eliminated with the bigger spaces available to the company in North Carolina.