Jacob Bromwell (company)

Last updated
Jacob Bromwell
TypePrivate
Industry Retail
Founded1819;204 years ago (1819)
FounderJacob Bromwell
Headquarters Markle, Indiana
Areas served
Worldwide
Products Flasks, Kitchenware, Housewares
Website jacobbromwell.com

Jacob Bromwell is a privately held American designer, manufacturer, marketer and distributor of flasks, kitchenware and housewares. Founded in 1819, it is the oldest housewares company in the United States. The company manufactures several historically significant products including the Original Popcorn Popper, Classic Tin Cup, and Legendary Flour Sifter. [1] The Original Popcorn Popper is one of the company's oldest and best-selling items, and has been made with the original equipment and dies since the late 1800s, when the company acquired the patent from William Wood, its inventor. They were originally sold at a wholesale price of $3.50 for a gross. [2] The Legendary Flour Sifter was patented in 1930 by a descendant of Jacob Bromwell's, Thomas G. Melish. [3]

Contents

Early history

The company supplied pioneering families with a multitude of household goods. Jacobbromwell image1.jpg
The company supplied pioneering families with a multitude of household goods.

Jacob Bromwell (born 1785), a soldier of the War of 1812 and entrepreneur, moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Cincinnati, Ohio via the Ohio River on a flatboat. He became the first wire goods manufacturer when he established The Bromwell Brush and Wire Goods Co. in 1819 and filed for incorporation on February 12, 1883. [4] [5] The company supplied pioneering families with a multitude of household goods. [6] He founded his company in a six-story building at 181 Walnut Street in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The company occupied all six floors and boasted over 1,000 products in its catalogue, many of which won awards. [7]

During its first 50 years of business, the company underwent several name changes, from The Bromwell Brush and Wire Goods Co. to The Bromwell Brush Manufacturing Company to The Bromwell Wire Goods Company. [8]

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the company operated seven factories, had upwards of 1,000 employees in multiple states, and was the largest business of its kind in the United States. It billed itself as having "the largest capacity in the country". Much of the company's manufacturing was done through convict labor at several prison workhouses where the company rented space and employed the prisoners at wages averaging about 35 cents per day. [9]

Ownership changes

Household Goods Householdgoods image.jpg
Household Goods

The company remained under the control of the Bromwell family until 1923, when they split the company and sold their interest for an undisclosed amount. The fireplace division of the company was sold to the Gerwe family, who opened a fireplace store named “Bromwell’s” in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio that is still open today. It is now owned by the McClorey family and has been since 2005. [10] The housewares manufacturing portion of the company was sold to Leigh Products, Inc., a now defunct conglomerate holding company, and was renamed Bromwell Industries. [11] Under the ownership of Leigh Products, Inc., the company was relocated to a 4-story building at 601 North Carroll Avenue in Michigan City, Indiana where it remained until 2010. [12]

In 1985, Leigh Products, Inc. divested its interest in the company and sold the company outright to a private investor. The company was renamed Bromwell Housewares until 2010, when it was renamed Jacob Bromwell. Recently, Jacob Bromwell has seen a resurgence in sales by introducing new items and selling to new customers based on Jacob Bromwell's reputation for durability and quality.

Current activities

Jacob Bromwell manufactures some of its products in Indiana and Vermont. The company sells its products via the Jacob Bromwell website as well as through authorized resellers in the United States and internationally. Jacob Bromwell is a notable customer of Shipwire, an eCommerce warehousing and order fulfillment company. [13] In 2012, Jacob Bromwell reintroduced its historical line of copper cookware and accessories. In 2015, the company donated several historically significant pieces of its machinery and equipment to a permanent exhibit at the Indiana State Museum. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ritty</span> American inventor (1836–1918)

James Jacob Ritty, saloonkeeper and inventor, opened his first saloon in Dayton, Ohio in 1871, billing himself as a "Dealer in Pure Whiskies, Fine Wines, and Cigars." Some of Ritty's employees would take the customers' money that was meant to pay for the food, drink, and other wares. In 1878 while on a steamboat trip to Europe, Ritty became intrigued by a mechanism that counted how many times the ship's propeller went around. He wondered whether something such as this could be made to record the cash transactions made at his saloon.

American Greetings Corporation is a privately owned American company and is the world's second largest greeting card producer behind Hallmark Cards. Based in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the company sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, gift packaging, stickers and party products. In addition, the company owns the Carlton Cards, Tender Thoughts, Papyrus, Recycled Paper Greetings and Gibson brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powel Crosley Jr.</span> American businessman (1886–1961)

Powel Crosley Jr. was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He was also a pioneer in radio broadcasting, and owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team. In addition, Crosley's companies manufactured Crosley automobiles and radios, and operated WLW radio station. Crosley, once dubbed "The Henry Ford of Radio," was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2010 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Sherman</span> American tobacco brand

Nat Sherman is the brand name for a line of handmade cigars and "luxury cigarettes". The company, which began as a retail tobacconist, continued to operate a flagship retail shop, known as the "Nat Sherman Townhouse", located on 42nd Street, off Fifth Avenue, in New York City from 1930 to 2020. Corporate offices are now located at the foot of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillerich & Bradsby</span> Baseball equipment manufacturer

Hillerich & Bradsby Company (H&B) is an American manufacturing company located in Louisville, Kentucky that produces baseball bats for Wilson Sporting Goods, which commercializes them under the "Louisville Slugger" brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubbermaid</span> American manufacturer and distributor of household items

Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. It is a subsidiary of Newell Brands. It is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans. Additionally, it produces sheds, step stools, closets and shelving, laundry baskets, bins, air fresheners and other household items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totes Isotoner</span> American apparel supplier

Totes Isotoner Corporation, stylized totes»ISOTONER and often abbreviated to Totes, is an international umbrella, footwear, and cold weather accessory supplier, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Totes is regularly billed in press reports as "the world's largest marketer of umbrellas". The company has divisions in the United States, Canada, UK, and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen of Troy Limited</span> American developer and marketer of consumer housewares, health, home, and beauty products

Helen of Troy Limited is an American publicly traded designer, developer and worldwide marketer of consumer brand-name housewares, health and home, and beauty products under owned and licensed brands. It is the parent corporation of OXO International Ltd., Kaz, Inc., Steel Technologies, LLC, and Idelle Labs, Ltd, among others. The company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with U.S. operations headquartered in El Paso, Texas. The company is named after the historical or mythic figure Helen of Troy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popcorn maker</span> Type of food preparation device

A popcorn maker is a machine used to pop popcorn. Since ancient times, popcorn has been a popular snack food, produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (maize). Commercial large-scale popcorn machines were invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century. Many types of small-scale home methods for popping corn also exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoosier cabinet</span> Type of cupboard serving as a workstation

A Hoosier cabinet is a type of cupboard or free-standing kitchen cabinet that also serves as a workstation. It was popular in the first few decades of the 20th century in the United States, since most houses did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry. The Hoosier Manufacturing Co. of New Castle, Indiana, was one of the earliest and largest manufacturers of this product, causing the term "Hoosier cabinet" to become a generic term for that type of furniture. By 1920, the Hoosier Manufacturing Company had sold two million cabinets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bromwell Melish</span>

William Bromwell Melish was the President of Bromwell Brush and Wire Goods in Cincinnati and a Freemason leader. He was the Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States from 1910 to 1913.

C. Cretors & Company is an American manufacturing company, specializing in popcorn machines and other concessions equipment. It was established in 1885 with the invention of the first large-scale commercial popcorn machine to pop corn in oil. C. Cretors & Co. is in Wood Dale, Illinois and is still owned by the Cretors family.

Bettcher Industries, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of cutting tools used in food processing operations and industrial applications. The company, often referred to as just Bettcher, manufactured the first mechanically powered hand-held meat trimmer in 1954. Since then, the company has introduced successive design generations of trimmers which are sold under the Whizard® and Bettcher Quantum® brand names and are used in meat processing plants in the United States and more than 50 other countries.

ROTEX Global, LLC was founded in 1837 and is the oldest capital manufacturer in the Cincinnati community. Dealing with the advancement of screening equipment and technology for the processing industries, Rotex manufactures screening equipment, feeders, conveyors, and automated analyzers that serve a global market. Rotex serves chemical, food, and mineral processing as well as the plastic compounding and agribusiness industries. The company's headquarters are in the United States with additional locations in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griswold Manufacturing</span> American manufacturer of cast iron kitchen products

Griswold Manufacturing was an American manufacturer of cast iron kitchen products founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, in business from 1865 through 1957. For many years the company had a world-wide reputation for high-quality cast-iron cookware. Today, Griswold pieces are collectors' items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Centennial half dollar</span> 1936 US commemorative 50-cent coin

The Cleveland Centennial half dollar is a commemorative United States half dollar struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1936 and 1937, though all bear the earlier date. Sometimes known as the Cleveland Centennial Great Lakes Exposition half dollar, it was issued to mark the 100th anniversary of Cleveland, Ohio, as an incorporated city, and in commemoration of the Great Lakes Exposition, held in Cleveland in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagner Manufacturing Company</span>

The Wagner Manufacturing Company was a family-owned manufacturer of cast iron and aluminum products based in Sidney, Ohio, US. It made products for domestic use such as frying pans, casseroles, kettles and baking trays, and also made metal products other than cookware. Wagner was active between 1891 and 1952, and at one time dominated the cookware market, selling in Europe and the US. The purchasers of the company in 1952 continued the brand, and Wagner products are still manufactured today. The original items are prized by collectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar</span> US commemorative 50-cent piece

The Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar or Cincinnati Music Center half dollar is a commemorative 50-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. Produced with the stated purpose of commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a center of music, it was conceived by Thomas G. Melish, a coin enthusiast who controlled the group which was allowed to buy the entire issue from the government, and who resold the pieces at high prices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baking mix</span> Dry foodstuff used in baking

A baking mix is a mixed formulation of ingredients used for the cooking of baked goods. Baking mixes may be commercially manufactured or homemade. Baking mixes that cater to particular dietary needs, such as vegan, gluten-free, or kosher baking mixes, can be bought in many places.

Wyandot Snacks is a privately held and family owned American contract manufacturer of snacks and other packaged foods, headquartered in Marion, Ohio, a part of the Columbus, Ohio Combined statistical area. primarily as a contract manufacturer for domestic and international branded snack businesses, but also for foodservice customers. The company's main product lines are extruded snacks, corn & tortilla chips, and ready to eat (RTE) popcorn. Wyandot's focuses on the creation of plant-based snack products made from ancient grains such as sorghum and quinoa, pulses such as chickpeas, and flaxseed, among others.

References

  1. "Gift Ideas" Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine . Jacob Bromwell, Inc. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  2. Smith, Andrew (1999). Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. p. 29. ISBN   1-57003-300-5.
  3. US patent 1753995, Melish, Thomas G. & Cox, Rogers M., "Flour Sifter", issued 1930-04-08, assigned to Bromwell Wire Goods Company
  4. "1895 - William Bromwell Melish". The Grand Lodge of Ohio. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  5. http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/bsqry/f?p=100:7:0::NO:7:P7_CHARTER_NUM:357 [ dead link ]
  6. "Bromwells Cincinnati, a 200-year tradition of providing quality service". Archived from the original on 2014-01-19. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  7. Kenny, Daniel J. (1875). Illustrated Cincinnati. Robert Clarke & Co. p. 207.
  8. http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/bsqry/f?p=100:2:0::NO:RP:: [ dead link ]
  9. Cigar Makers' Official Journal, Volumes 33-36. Chicago: Cigar Maker's International Union of America. 1908. p. 14.
  10. "Bromwell's History". Bromwell's. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  11. "AEC Daily - Free Continuing Education".
  12. Manny, Jr., Carter H. (2003). A Boyhood Revisited. C. H. Manny. p. 7.
  13. Shipwire
  14. "Jacob Bromwell® - Our Story". Archived from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2014-11-30.