Getting its beginning in 1845, today JELL-O is the largest selling prepared dessert. It all began when Peter Cooper acquired the first patent for a gelatin dessert. The new gelatin product did not go over well and nothing happened with it for over 50 years, until Pearl Wait in 1897. A cough syrup manufacturer in Leroy, New York, Wait obtained the patent and decided to add fruit flavoring to the
gelatin and call it JELL-O.
Because gelatin was not very appealing to the public, it took a few years before JELL-O was discovered by the cooking experts. They decided that JELL-O was the perfect addition to complete an elegant meal. In 1902, O.F. Woodward launched the first advertising campaign, “America’s Most Favorite Dessert.” Today, over 158 products are sold under the JELL-O brand name and continue to be “America’s Most Favorite Dessert.”
DID YOU KNOW? In the beginning of JELL-O there were only 4 original flavors; orange, strawberry, raspberry, and lemon. Today there are 20 different flavors of boxed JELL-O.
By: Lindsay Dunmyer