G. Washington's Seasoning & Broth History
G. Washington's Seasoning & Broth - a well known family secret!
In 1908, Mr. George Washington, a distant relative of General George Washington, established the G. Washington Coffee Refining Company, the pioneer of instant coffee, in Morris Plains, New Jersey. 
Having successfully marketed instant coffee, the company was interested in developing additional products. In 1937, headquarter staff member, Paul J. Campbell, was served an exceptionally delicious dish while visiting friends. Impressed with the flavor, he complimented the hostess, who in turn showed him the seasonings she had used in its preparation.
Mr. Campbell discovered these seasonings mixed with water produced a pleasant meaty taste. His idea was to add dehydrated onion, celery and other vegetables to the mix in the hopes of creating an instant broth that could be sold as a companion to instant coffee.
Working late night hours and having tried numerous failed experiments with the ingredients, Mr. Campbell awoke one night at 3 A.M. having had a dream in which he made certain changes that produced a successful formula. Going to his kitchen, he recalled the changes made in his dream thus creating today's recipe for the broth.
In 1938, G. Washington's Seasoning & Broth was originally marketed as "Broth". It was distinctly packaged in tin foil packets called "Aces" with 50 Aces to a box. Advertising via various mediums, including radio, made G. Washington's Seasoning & Broth a success from the very beginning!
Initial distribution was confined to the New York City area. This changed after the product was featured at the New York World's Fair of 1939 as the "Soup of Tomorrow".
During World War II, G. Washington's Seasoning and Broth was packed in "K" rations for the Armed Forces, replacing bouillon paste. Today it is recognized as the first of the "Instant Seasoning and Broths".
In 1945, American Home Foods acquired the G. Washington Coffee Refining Company. Under American Home Foods, packaging was improved and the product name was changed from G. Washington's Broth to "G. Washington's Seasoning and Broth". This classification change added versatility and has contributed greatly to the product's success.
International Home Foods purchased the brand from American Home Foods and then sold it to ConAgra in August of 2000.
October 2001, Homestat Farm, Ltd. purchased the brand from ConAgra.
This brand has a strong loyalty, being handed down generation to generation in old family recipes.
April 1, 2014, Homestat Farm was purchased from William Statlander by family-owned Camden Holdings.
