Kraft - Bigger Than You Know

Anyone who knows Kraft mostly for their cheese products, is severely underestimating this company. They've had an impressive and complicated history that expands far beyond what the average consumer may realize.

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[splatcactus]

There is a graph called “The Illusion of Choice” and it shows all the other companies these huge companies own, and it showed me things I never would have guessed, like how Pepsi owns Quaker Oats

[tbk]

I don't even associate kraft with cheese, I know them as that company that secretly owns half the brands you see in your local supermarket. (the other half is probably owned by nestle)

[cypothingy]

Interesting fact: both Borden Dairy and Philadelphia Cream Cheese can trace their histories back to Orange County, NY, which was home to the first refrigerated rail delivery of dairy products in the world. Philadelphia Cream Cheese was actually invented just down the road from the rail line it would later go on for the historic trip. The rails were torn up decades ago but the train station it was loaded up from still stands.

[orangeradishneo]

You have no idea HOW excited I was to see this posted!
J.L Kraft is my 3x great uncle. His younger sister, Ivy Mae Kraft (originally Krafft - J.L's grandparents came from Germany in the early 1800s) is my great, great grandmother.
My family still has old family photos, a published family recipe book from the 80's, and still live in the same town where the family's from.

Edit: I had no idea about the Kraft television theater! 😁 really amazing to learn new information on the days when J.L was alive, after so many years of family stories!

Fun family tale: I've been told the second F in Krafft was dropped, because a signmaker forgot the second F on a sign made for one of his first business ventures and he just went with it. My assumption now is that it was dropped to sound less German, since it seems as if all his siblings legally went by Kraft (census records and such confirm this, doesnt seem like a business decision but rather their parents decision)😁

[buckyhermit]

This probably would've been a good time to mention how Kraft Dinner is legendary here in Canada. Basically it's so iconic that you can say "KD" and most will know exactly what you mean. (Why is that? I have no idea.)

[bluesquadron]

There's a show on the History Channel called "The Foods That Built America" with an episode about the founding of Kraft. I highly reccomend it.

[davidw]

It's hard to believe that Kraft Mac has been around as long as it has, I always thought it was part of the zeitgeist of the 80's, maybe the 70's. I guess it makes sense that it was a product of the Great Depression. I would love an episode on the products still around today that came to be around/because of the Great Depression!

[splatcactus]

Some other huge food giants are Nestle, Pepsi, And Coca-Cola. One that is super huge but almost no one knows about is Unilever. You should do a video on them, I would love that.

[TheTonyahawk]

Working in the grocery business for years I've seen these companies grow and shrink and vice a versa and your videos always make me smile. I know most of this but you always make it so interesting. Fun fact with Kraft and Heinz as one company there is at least one product by this giant in every grocery aisle in our store, maybe even the sundry aisles as well who knows that is why we watch you.

[dwoodpart]

This is going to be good. There's more to Kraft than just it's cheese based products!

[subifyouhatetiktokandreddit]

Kraft literally owned almost every recognizable food brand before the split. I want to see Kraft on my package not Mondelez international...

[chicagoakland]

Thank you for adding that context about the tobacco companies! It's crazy how much they owned at their peak.

[adambuss]

Love how you're historical/cultural knowledge really comes together in this video, goes to show how much research you really do!
Good work man

[TVandManga]

As someone who only really knows about Kraft through Cadbury, learning all this was really interesting.

[nessleepk]

Once I was visiting my family and we were eating at a restaurant, my cousin ordered Mac and Cheese and when the waitress repeats his order he asks "Is it Kraft?" One of the most adorable memories I have and my wife and I quote it all the time

[buckyhermit]

Side note about Rexall pharmacies: We still have tons of Rexall pharmacies in Canada and it's one of the largest chains. But I don't know if it's related to the US brand or merely a coincidence. The owner is one of the richest people in the country, and also owns the NHL's Edmonton Oilers.

[weeds]

I used to work for Kraft Heinz corporate after the merger and it absolutely sucked, but the SpongeBob mac and cheese is still heaven on earth

[robertbradley]

Kraft got themselves into a heap of problems here in Australia when Mondelez sold Vegemite and peanut butter to Bega Cheese. Kraft took Bega to court over the use of the yellow lid but lost. Also reintroduced a new peanut butter under the Kraft name but it has now been discontinued.

[Oxbloodmage]

This is very different in Canada, Kraft has tons of products.

[cocotaveras]

Mac and Cheese was a critical piece of my childhood.

Thanks Kraft.