A 25 years old founder Willoughby M. McCormick (1864–1932) started the company in the basement of a Baltimore home in 1889, when he began making fruit syrups, juices, flavoring extracts, and root beer in his home. McCormick enlisted three young assistants to help with production and with door-to-door sales.
Once the flavors of McCormick caught on, the company moved into more suitable Baltimore headquarters. At this time, McCormick added a number of new products, including food colorings, cream of tartar, liver pills, castor oil, talcum powder, witch hazel, blood purifier, cold cream, bay rum, tooth powder, and toilet water.
In 1896 the company took a crucial step forward by acquiring Philadelphia-based F.G. Emmett Spice Company and entered the spice industry.
Willoughby died on November 4, 1932, and Willoughby's nephew, Charles Perry McCormick was elected president and Chairman of the Board at age 36. The big "Mc" became a trademark for nearly all U.S. products in 1941.
In 1947, McCormick acquisition of Schilling of San Francesco – the largest spice business west of the Mississippi – make McCormick a US industry leader.
After securing its position as an industry leader in the U.S. in the early 1900s, the company started its global sprawl, expanding into Mexico, South and Central America, Canada, Australia, and Europe in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1975, the McCormick (east) and Schilling (west) retail units were consolidated to form a Grocery Products Division in 1975 with headquarters in Baltimore. In 2017 the company added Frank’s RedHot Sauce and French’s Mustard to its portfolio.
Today, the company uses more than 3,000 agricultural products from 80 countries to develop its global product line.
History of McCormick & Company
