Famous Food and Drink Entrepreneurs

The Man Behind CocaCola The Early Years of Asa Candler
It has become such an integral part of American culture that when the Coca-Cola Company tried to change the original formula for its flagship drink in the mid-1980s, the public backlash was overwhelming; the Old Cola Drinkers of America was even established and tried to sue the company. Today, Coke is sold in the stores, restaurants, and vending machines of over 200 countries. The company is one of the largest in America, and also the largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of nonalcoholic drink concentrates in the world, with over $24 billion in revenue and 71,000 employees. The man behind all of that growth is Asa Candler.

The Chicken Connoisseur The Early Years of ChickfilAs S Truett Cathy
At a time when the hamburger was dominating America’s fast food industry, a young Samuel Truett Cathy had a different idea: why not a chicken sandwich? With that, in 1946, Cathy launched a restaurant called Dwarf Grill, which would in time morph into the Chick-fil-A chain of over 1,500 quick service restaurants that specializes in chicken dinners, and has become something of a cultural icon in the southern U.S.

The Sandwich King The Early Years of Subways Fred DeLuca
Fred DeLuca was nothing more than a kid from “The Projects”, looking for a way to pay his college tuition when he opened up a sandwich store in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At the time, he could not even afford the $25 lawyer’s fee he needed to sign the lease. That was back in 1956. Today, his store has blossomed into the third largest fast food chain in the world. Subway remains one of the largest global privately held companies and earns revenues in excess of $9.5 billion.

The Cookie Connoisseur The Early Years of Debbi Fields
“I was really happy being a housewife,” says Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies. “I was proud to be there for my husband, but it did not necessarily make me feel great.” Longing for something more out of life than being just a mother and a wife, Fields turned her lifelong passion for baking into a multimillion dollar enterprise that has continued to attract a loyal following throughout the U.S. She did not have a business degree or the support from her family, but what Fields did have was a dream.

The Wine Giant How Ernest Gallo Got His Start
Ernest Gallo was not your typical billionaire. Up until the day he died, he insisted on keeping his home number listed in the public phone book; he wanted everyone to be able to find him. But it is exactly traits like that which continue to make this winemaker stand out. Today, the business he started with his brother back in 1933 with just $6,000 in capital remains the leading exporter of California wine, producing some 2.64 million bottles of wine every day.

The Pickle King The Early Years of Henry J Heinz
He started grinding spices for his mother in the basement of their Pittsburgh home when he was just six years old. Later, when Henry Heinz founded his company, it was little more than a one-man operation of peddling horseradish sauce door-to-door. But today, the HJ Heinz Company has over 110 locations across six different continents, and is one of the leading brands in the food industry.

Starting From Scratch The Early Days of Milton Hershey
“A model town, a modern factory, a substantial business, these are the realizations of one businessman’s dreams.” - The Business World, June 1903

From Bowling Green to Seeing Green The Early Years of Duncan Hines
"I would like to be food dictator of the U.S.A. just long enough to padlock two thirds of the places that call themselves cafes or restaurants."

Ice Cream Kings Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are Born
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream,” proclaims Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of one of the most popular brands of ice cream in the U.S. Indeed, the success of Ben & Jerry’s since its launch almost thirty years ago seems to support his claim. From the $5 correspondence course in ice cream making Greenfield and his partner Ben Cohen took from the Pennsylvania State University in 1978, to being named “U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year” by President Reagan in 1988, the childhood friends not only achieved tremendous success, but they did so on their own terms.

The Donut King The Early Years of Ron Joyce
He grew up in rural Nova Scotia in a house without plumbing and a wood stove for heating. Today, he has eight cars, owns a $60 million golf club resort, and has so much money he has even offered to fly people on trips anywhere in the world if they can help improve his golf swing. How did Ron Joyce get to where he is today? He did it by building a tiny coffee shop by the name of Tim Horton’s into one of Canada’s most beloved and successful brands.

The Cereal King How WK Kellogg Got His Start
If it were not for the ingenuity of W.K. Kellogg, the world today might never know flaked cereal. A master marketer and inventor, Kellogg revolutionized the breakfast food industry when he decided to start his own company and sell toasted corn flakes back in 1906. Today, that same company has grown to include almost 26,000 employees and earns over $11.5 billion in revenue.

The Burger King Ray Kroc is Born
“The two most important requirements for major success,” said Ray Kroc, “are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it.”

The Pizza Pope The Early Years of Tom Monaghan
When Tom Monaghan was a young boy, he wanted to be three things: a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers, a priest, and an architect; founder of a multi-billion dollar pizza company was not on the list. However, that is exactly what Monaghan would become. Since launching Domino’s Pizza in 1960, Monaghan has grown the company into an empire, with over 8,000 locations in more than 54 countries around the world, and sales that exceed $4.6 billion. Nevertheless, the story of Monaghan’s life was not always as sweet as the success he would later achieve.

A Star On Screen and Off The Early Years of Paul Newman
Over his fifty plus year career, Paul Newman has won Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Cannes Awards for his work both as an actor and film director. But, don’t think that’s enough to tire this legend out. At 82 years old, Newman now spends his time devoted to Newman’s Own, the company he first founded as a practical joke, which has today becoming a shining example of corporate philanthropy. It has given away over $200 million since its inception, making Newman a star both on screen and off.

The Makings of a Culinary Master The Early Years of Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck’s signature catch phrase is: “Live, love, eat!” For the past 25 years, Puck has been experiencing the sweet taste of success by doing just that. He was ranked 89th on Forbes’ Top 100 Celebrities in 2006 and has created an empire worth almost $500 million, which includes everything from restaurants to catering to frozen foods to kitchenware. If this weren’t enough to establish Puck as an icon in the culinary world, he is also the host of his own weekly cooking show and has released several cookbooks.

The HotTempered Head Chef The Early Years of Gordon Ramsay
He may be known in the UK for his Michelin star-rated restaurants, but Ramsay is better known the world over for being the confrontational and brash host on the television shows “Hell’s Kitchen,” and “Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.” Those shows are just two of the business interests controlled by Gordon Ramsay Holdings, of which Ramsay owns a 69 percent stake valued at £55 million. A successful entrepreneur, Ramsay has come along way from his time as a boy who dreamed of nothing but football.

The World Famous Colonel How Harland Sanders Got His Start
He is known as the Southern gentleman in the white suit, white goatee and black string tie, and he is perhaps one of the most famous colonels in the world. Despite not founding the business until he was 66 years old, Harland Sanders turned his local chicken stand into a multinational fast-food franchise. Today, KFC has more than 14,000 franchise outlets in over 100 countries, and pulls in over $520 million in annual revenue. That success, however, was the result of a long and uphill journey for Sanders.

The Coffee King Howard Schultz is Born
“I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny,” says Howard Schultz. “It may be a weakness in me: I\'m always wondering what I\'ll do next. Enough is never enough.” Schultz used this weakness to his advantage, taking the U.S. by storm with his vision of a coffee shop the likes of which the country had never seen before. Today, as a so-called ‘third home’, Starbucks has revolutionized not only the coffee industry but also society at large.

The Man at the Top of the Food Chain Dave Thomas is Born
Dave Thomas starred in 652 commercials for Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, more than any other person in television history. But, he wasn’t just that friendly face you saw on TV with his white shirts and red ties; Thomas built his multi-billion dollar fast-food restaurant chain from the ground up, earning him a reputation as one of the most successful and loved entrepreneurs in American history.

From the Ski Slopes to the Soda Stands The Early Years of Peter van Stolk
“The customer's not always right. F--- that. If you're always trying to cater to everyone, you have no soul.”

The Father of Chewing Gum The Early Years of William Wrigley Jr
William Wrigley Jr. was just 29 years old when he used his life savings of $32 to start up his own soap manufacturing business. After experimenting with selling both soap and baking powder, Wrigley Jr. finally found his niche in chewing gum. He did not invent it, but he did go on to build the top chewing gum manufacturer in the world, bringing it for the first time to the masses, first in America and then around the world.