Fleishmann's

And the man behind the brand is...
Charles Fleishmann

Charles Fleischmann came to the United States during the Civil War from Austria, where he managed a distillery. There were many things he found agreeable about his adopted land but one thing he could not tolerate was the deplorable taste of American bread. Bread was baked at the time with yeast made from fermented potato peelings.

He returned to Austria to gather samples of yeast used in the baking of his beloved Austrian bread. With the yeast cultures Fleischmann also brought back his brother Maximilian. The brothers quickly formed a partnership with a Cincinnati distiller, James Gaff and in 1868 America had its first standardized yeast. The baking industry was revolutionized. The partners later opened a subsidiary named the Fleischmann Distilling Company and America had its first distilled gin as well.

Both products gained immediate acceptance, and at the the Great Centennial Exposition in 1876 in Philadelphia the Fleischmann’s “Vienna Bakery” overwhelmed the visitors. Demand for the yeast needed to make the warm, fresh bread handed out from the Fleischmann’s booth caused the partners to build a fourth factory in Peekskill, New York.

James Gaff died in 1879 and Fleischmann bought his share of the business for $500,000. He became a leading citizen of Cincinnati, a director in two dozen companies and was elected to the State Senate. He was also well-known for his extravagances, often hosting elegant parties on his $80,000 yacht, Hiawatha. At home he entertained guests by playing piano by ear.

When his doctor ordered him to spend more time outdoors and suggested a horse Fleischmann characteristically established a trotting farm in Millville, New Jersey. By the time Charles Fleischmann died six years later, in 1897 at the age of 63, he had spent more than $800,000 on his new hobby. His company would pass from family hands and become involved in mergers with Standard Brands, Nabisco and R.J. Reynolds. Although the original company is now layered under a corporate morass the name that gave America bread and gin lives on.