Business history of condensed milk

John Gail Borden the youngest son of the late Gail Borden, who was famous as an inventor and public benefactor, was born in Galveston, Texas, January 4, 1844.

Gail Borden moved from Texas to New York City in the late 1850s and within a few years developed and began operating the nation’s first condensed milk factory.

He was the first developed condensed milk in 1853 and it was not recommended by physicians until 1827.

Canned cow’s milk quickly became popular for a wide range of uses, as it was easy to transport and store.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Borden sold his canned milk to the Union Army, which ordered more cases than he could produce. After the war, condensation of milk made him rich.

By the end of the Civil War, Borden’s condensed milk was recognized nationally, thanks largely to huge Union Army contracts.

In 1861, Borden went into business in Wassaic, New York and sold his thick milk concentrate door to door. The philanthropist-investor Jeremiah Milbank underwrote production at Borden’s New York Condensed Milk Company.

Borden named his sweetened condensed milk Eagle Brand after national bird.

Between the 1890s and 1914 sweetened condensed mil became the main substitute for fresh milk and for mothers’ ilk in poorer families.

When refrigeration became more common, pasteurized fresh milk replaced the canned kind.
Business history of condensed milk

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