 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1926 |
| Headquarters | West Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Products | Frozen Novelties, Powdered Drink Mixes, Powdered Dessert Mixes |
| Website | http://www.jelsert.com |
The Jel Sert Company is a privately held company based in West Chicago, Illinois, United States. [1] Established in 1926, it specializes in making drink mixes, dessert mixes (pudding and gelatin), and frozen novelties.
The Jel Sert Company was named after its original product, a gelatin dessert mix, by combining the words jelly and dessert. [2] In 1929, Jel Sert created a powdered drink mix called Flavor Aid. These two products remained Jel Sert's flagship products until the 1960s when the company acquired Pop-Ice and its line of frozen ice pop desserts. Later that decade Jel Sert introduced Fla-Vor-Ice, another freezer pop, to complement its Flavor-Aid drink mix line. Fla-Vor-Ice quickly became the leading freezer pop brand in the United States. [3]
In 1991, the company launched the MONDO line of juice drinks and with it a promotional tactic involving the recycleability of their plastic container over conventional individual boxed juice containers.
Otter Pops were acquired by the company in 1996. Similar to Jel Sert's other freezer pops, the Otter Pop brand is perhaps the strongest on the United States' West Coast and features flavor-based characters such as Lil' Orphan Orange, Sir Isaac Lime, and Strawberry Short Kook. In 1999, the company signed a promotional deal with General Mills' Honey Nut Cheerios to promote its freezer bars. [4]
In 2000, Jel Sert acquired three other trademarks: Wyler's, a brand of powdered beverage mixes, and the Royal and My-T-Fine brands of puddings, pie fillings, and flan. In 2001 it bought Nabisco's gelatin, pudding and baking powder businesses, [5] including Royal gelatin - one of the main competitors of Kraft Foods' Jell-O. [6]
On July 9, 2012, Jel Sert acquired Super C, Pure Kick and Zoic from Solis Brands. [7] [8]
The Jel Sert Company has done charity work with the American Childhood Cancer Organization, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, and Operation Homefront. [9]
In January 2020, Jel Sert acquired All Sport. [10] In February 2020, Jel Sert launched Sliq Spirited Ice. [11]
In April 2021, Jel Sert partnered with Coca-Cola to launch Powerade freezer pops nationally. [12]
Gelatin desserts are desserts made with a sweetened and flavoured processed collagen product (gelatin), which makes the dessert "set" from a liquid to a soft elastic solid gel. This kind of dessert was first recorded as "jelly" by Hannah Glasse in her 18th-century book The Art of Cookery, appearing in a layer of trifle. Jelly recipes are included in the 19th-century cookbooks of English food writers Eliza Acton and Mrs Beeton.
Jell-O, stylised as JELL-O, is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert, pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert is the signature of the brand. "Jell-O" is a registered trademark of Kraft Heinz, and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Flavor Aid is a non-carbonated soft drink beverage made by The Jel Sert Company in West Chicago, Illinois. It was introduced in 1929 and sold throughout the United States as an unsweetened, powdered concentrate drink mix, similar to Kool-Aid brand drink mix.
Tang is an American drink mix brand that was formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell and General Foods Corporation chemist William Bruce James in 1957, and first marketed in powdered form in 1959. The Tang brand is currently owned in most countries by Mondelēz International, a North American company spun off from Kraft Foods in 2012. Kraft Heinz owns the Tang brand in North America.
A freezie or a freeze pop is a water-based frozen confection similar to an ice pop. It is made by freezing flavored liquid such as sugar water, fruit juice or purée inside a plastic casing or tube, either round or flat. Freezies come in sealed plastic tubular wrappers and conform to the shape of the wrapper when frozen to serve; as such, they do not need to be stored cold. They also do not need to be frozen as solidly as an ice pop and can have a consistency similar to that of a slushie. Freezies are sold in a variety of flavors, including cherry, orange, lemon-lime, watermelon, cream soda, blue raspberry and grape.
Powerade is a sports drink created and sold by the Coca-Cola Company. Its primary competitor is Gatorade, which is owned by PepsiCo.
Popsicle is a Good Humor-Breyers brand of ice pop consisting of flavored, colored ice on a stick.
Otter Pops are a brand of freeze pops sold in the United States. The product consists of a clear plastic tube filled with a fruit-flavored liquid and is one of the earliest brands of this dessert.
Country Time is a brand of non-carbonated lemon-flavored drink mix and soft drink. The powdered mix is produced by Kraft Foods.
Crystal Light is an American brand of powdered and artificially sweetened beverage mixes produced by Kraft Heinz. It was introduced in 1982 to a test market and released to the public in April 1984. General Foods, a now defunct company, were the original sellers of the product, but now it is sold by Kraft Foods. It is available in a wide variety of flavors, such as lemonade, sweet tea, and fruit punch.
Chocolate puddings are a class of desserts in the pudding family with chocolate flavors. There are two main types: a boiled then chilled dessert, texturally a custard set with starch, commonly eaten in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Sweden, Poland, and East and South East Asia; and a steamed/baked version, texturally similar to cake, popular in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany and New Zealand.
All Sport is a brand of sports drink. Although comparatively lacking popularity and brand recognition, its competitors include Gatorade and Powerade.
Wyler's is a food and beverage brand established by Wyler's Company in 1931. The brand is now owned by Kraft Heinz for bouillon and dry soup mixes and by The Jel Sert Company for powdered drink mixes.
Fla-Vor-Ice is the trademark name for a type of freezie. Unlike traditional popsicles, which include a wooden stick, Fla-Vor-Ice is sold in and eaten out of a plastic tube. Also unlike traditional popsicles, it is often sold in liquid form and requires the consumer to freeze the product at home. A vendor, though, may sell them frozen.
My-T-Fine is a brand of pudding now marketed by Jel Sert.
Dr. Oetker is a German multinational company that produces baking powder, cake mixes, frozen pizza, pudding, cake decoration, cornflakes, birthday candles, beer, and various other products.
Kool-Aid is an American brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Heinz based in Chicago, Illinois. The powder form was created by Edwin Perkins in 1927 based upon a liquid concentrate named Fruit Smack.
Instant pudding is an instant food product that is manufactured in a powder form and used to create puddings and pie filling. It is produced using sugar, flavoring agents and thickeners as primary ingredients. Instant pudding can be used in some baked goods.
