French's is an American manufacturer of prepared mustard condiment. Created by Robert Timothy French, French's mustard debuted to the world at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. By 1921, French's Mustard had adopted its trademark pennant and begun advertising to the general public.
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Brothers Robert and George French bought a flour mill in 1883 in Fairport, New York. It burned down in 1884 and they relocated the flour mill to Rochester, New York. They named their mill the R.T. French Company. Robert French died in 1893 and brother George became company president. George (who developed the creamy yellow mustard) and another brother, Francis, introduced French's mustard in 1904.
Until 1973 the company was independent and located in Rochester, New York at 1 Mustard Street. This address in the 14609 zip code is now home to a variety of professional offices and public agencies. During its heyday, the company was a sponsor of the local weather forecast, featuring its address prominently in television advertising. They also were a prominent sponsor of the Rochester Red Wings baseball club, often in conjunction with a local brand of hot dogs, Tobin's First Prize. The The R.T. French Co continued to have roots in the area until 1987. The brand is now owned by British conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser, and the product is manufactured in Springfield, Mo.
French's Potato Pancake mix was once one of the company's most popular products. The mix is still available as part of the Hungry Jack line from Smucker's. (Page for the product on MyBrands)
Although at one time its product line extended to canned spices of all types and powdered soup mixes, French's currently and primarily markets prepared mustards.
French's "classic yellow" mustard contains vinegar, mustard, turmeric, and other spices.
French's also makes Worcestershire sauce, GourMayo, Stadium Mustard, a line of mayonnaise-based products, as well as French fried onions (which was under the Durkee brand name until 1995 when Reckitt & Colman acquired Durkee) and potato sticks.
French's is currently owned by British company Reckitt Benckiser, a company best known for home care products such as Lysol as well as the Frank's Red Hot condiment line.
All of French's products are manufactured in the United States, though no longer in Rochester, New York many in Springfield, Mo. The bottle gives the US address of the parent company's US base, Parsippany, New Jersey (British conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser). They are sold in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
In March 2003, the maker of French's mustard, worried that some Americans could have been motivated to boycott its product because of the French-led campaign against the Iraq war, issued a news release saying it had no connection with France.[1]
The mustard is manufactured in Springfield, Missouri. Previous facilities located in Fresno, California and Souderton, Pennsylvania were closed in the 1990s and consolidated into Springfield, Missouri.
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