We’re so used to eating at MacDonald’s, stopping for a quick bite over KFC or enjoy a delicious American ice-cream on a hot summer day, that we often forget that behind the large food brands we enjoy so much, there were people, histories, failures and very smart PR decisions. As a restaurant owner or a business man planning to develop a food – producing company, history and famous brands should always be an inspiration for success. How did these people and these companies manage to become legends in the industry and to virtually run our lives and our kitchens?
1.Häagen – Dazs
This would be that type of trademark name the United States Patent and Trademark Office would love to approve. It’s uncommon, unique, coined and likely to have a major impact on customers. This is exactly what Reuben and Rose Mattus thought about in the sixties, when they came up with the company’s name. Now it is famous for its supremely delicious ice-cream and people are still attracted by its exotic, foreign sound. Not to mention the ice – cream.
2.La Vache Qui Rit
The first ever patented cheese branded in France, the spreadable cheese comes form 1920’ French Leon Bel, the one who trademarked the brand, being inspired by a meat wagon called “La Wachkyrie”, aquite obvious word – play for Valkyrie. Monsieur Bel himself didn’t expect to have the success the brand has now, as the Laughing Cow, with its red skin, joyful smile and funny earrings depicting the very cheese round box is a very popular snack in almost the entire world.
3.Kentucky Fried Chicken
If you’d try to trademark this brand now, you might want to check again the eligibility rules and regulations, as the name comprises a geographical region and a very generic food product. Or not? If you’re in the food industry you should know that food trademarks are tricky to get, as you can’t brand a commonly used food product, such as “milk” or “steak” but if you’re having questions about the current policies, you can find a lot of answers here to clear things up. Getting back to Colonel Sanders, the man accused by his wife of not being able to even hold on to a job, became a legend of the food industry, as he played the greatest cards of all: the incredible fried chicken taste and his personal image as the man producing that delicious food. His career had ups and downs, but today his legacy can be found everywhere in the world.
4.Heinz
Even if you might not be able now to trademark your surname under the regulations of USPTO, you still enjoy your food with some good ketchup, and Heinz is among us since 1870, while the famous brand 57 Varieties is around since 1896. How did he come up with the 57 logo? Well, he got inspired by another commercial that advertised for a shoe store with “21 styles” and he thought to apply the same pattern in order to let the clients know how many options they would have if they were to choose Heinz. It is said that by that time, Heinz was producing around sixty products, but the owner put together his lucky number with his wife’s lucky number and provided America with bottled and canned goodies for over 100 years.
Finding your brand name may not be easy, and it definitely won’t be easy to reach these people’s fame and fortune, but good examples can’t hurt, can they?