| Margaret Rudkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 14, 1897 New York City |
| Died | June 1, 1967 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Margaret Fogarty |
| Known for | Founder of Pepperidge Farm |
Margaret Rudkin (née Fogarty) (September 14, 1897 – June 1, 1967), of Fairfield, Connecticut, was the founder of Pepperidge Farm.
Born in New York City, she was the eldest of five children of Joseph and Margaret "Healey" Fogarty. She was taught to cook by her grandmother, who started her off with cakes and biscuits. She moved to Long Island when she was 12. She graduated valedictorian from her high school; worked as a teller in a bank, and in 1919 got a job with McClure Jones and Co., where she met her future husband. She married Henry Albert Rudkin on April 8, 1923, and together they had three sons. In 1926 they purchased land in Fairfield, built a home and called the estate Pepperidge Farm after the pepperidge tree "Nyssa sylvatica". Although fairly well off, they suffered somewhat during the Great Depression and made ends meet by selling apples and turkeys.
Margaret Rudkin was inspired to found Pepperidge Farm due to her son Mark's asthma, which prevented him from eating the town's bread. Rudkin was devastated that her son couldn't enjoy the bread, which made up a many of the town's sweets, so she decided she would create a non-asthmatic bread for him. Bread, being the foundation of Rudkin's family tree, was no secret to Rudkin and within 5 days she created her first product, a whole wheat bread. After offering it to the local doctor who immediately ordered it to sell to his patients, Rudkin was soon selling it in her town. Four months later she was selling it in New York with her husband as delivery man. Soon she was distributing her bread (both whole wheat and white loaves) across the country.
Within three years the endeavor had outgrown the small farm bakery and a large commercial bakery was opened in Norwalk on July 4, 1947. Although World War II caused problems due to rationing, the bakery was producing 50,000 loaves a week in 1948.
By 1950 Rudkin was appearing in commercials on television. At the same time, under her management the bakery was expanding into other products, including the Goldfish snack. In 1961 she sold the business to the Campbell Soup Company and became a director of that company.
Although having sold Pepperidge Farm, she still ran the company until her retirement in 1966. Margaret Rudkin died in 1967 at the age of 69. According to June 2, 1967, article in the New York Times, she was survived by her three sons. Her husband had died the year before. Her son Mark became a landscape architect known for working on famous gardens in France, such as the Jardins du Nouveau Monde.