Some names are too great not to be used

Was JC Penney a real person? 10 names turned into successful brands

Let’s face it, some people have better-sounding names than others. And some of them have the nerve and the pride to slap their own name on their products. A sign of trust, you might say. Sure, everybody knows who Henry Ford is. But what about Glen Bell Jr or James Cash Penney? Take a look at the following brands and discover the people brave enough to give their companies their names.

Let us start the list with a name that is immersed in the world of soups (pun intended). The Knorr brand was founded by Carl Heinrich Knorr in 1838, and it didn’t start in the line of business it is today. First, he supplied chicory to the coffee industry. After that, the founder began experimenting with drying vegetables and seasonings, which led to the launch of the first dried soups across Continental Europe in 1873.

This legendary motorcycle company was founded by two childhood friends, William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson, who began working on a small-engine model in the early 1900s, leading to the creation of the company we know today.

Later on, 2 more Davidsons, William and Walter, joined the venture. The company developed quickly, and in 1903, it began selling motorcycles on a very limited basis.

Some names just sound too cool not to do anything with them. For example, this clothing label was founded by professional tennis player Fred Perry. It all started in the late 1940s, when he and Tibby Wegner, an Austrian footballer, created the first sweatband. Later, Perry and Wegner created their version of a tennis shirt. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Naming a business after yourself is a common practice in the high-fashion industry. And Alexander McQueen is no exception. He was a London-based, English designer who used to work as the head designer of the Givenchy fashion line.

In 2004, he started his menswear line. In his early years, he worked in a tailor shop that created theater costumes, and he used many of the ideas he learned there in his future collections.

A bouncy-sounding name like Boeing didn’t exactly seem destined for a great future in the aviation industry, but it was. In the early years, William Boeing didn’t work in aviation but sold timber. During the exposition in Seattle in 1909, he saw a manned flying machine for the first time and became interested in the concept.

Seven years later, he went into business with engineer George Conrad Westervelt and founded the Pacific Aero Products Co. The company’s name was changed to Boeing Airplane Company the following year. In the beginning, Boeing aircraft only transported mail, but that changed soon.

Just like Knorr, Lipton is a name forever linked to a product, but it wasn’t always like that. Before he got involved in the tea trade, Sir Thomas Lipton had worked as an accountant, a door-to-door salesman, and a grocery assistant. After gaining experience, he opened his first provision shop and later established a chain of groceries. Then he focused his efforts on tea.

According to Sir Lipton, his secret to success was selling the best goods at the lowest prices, harnessing the power of advertising, and always being optimistic.

Just like in the case of Harley-Davidson, Baskin-Robbins is a brand formed by the names of its two founders: Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, who were brothers-in-law.

Irv started Snowbird Ice Cream, and Burt launched Burton Ice Cream Shop. Both were successful. And when the number of stores grew, they decided to drop the separate identities, and all the stores became Baskin-Robbins.

Sometimes it's harder to picture a person behind the brand name if the name is also a common word. But it happens. Taco Bell is named after its founder, entrepreneur Glen Bell Jr, who launched a drive-in after seeing the success of McDonald’s.

Bell saw that there was room for growth beyond burgers and launched several successful taco drive-ins and restaurants with other partners before launching Taco Bell in 1962.

And moving on from Taco Bell, we must now talk about those who inspired him. Their story is the basis for the 2016 movie The Founder (a great watch, and a hypnotizing performance by Michael Keaton), and it started when brothers Dick and Mac McDonald decided to make a burger restaurant in San Bernardino, California.

The company as we know it today was founded by Raymond Kroc, a milkshake machine salesman who was so impressed by their burger restaurant that he became their agent and set up franchises around the US. Years later, he bought the rights to the McDonald's name.

Just like with the Fred Perry case, it would have been a shame for a name as great as JC Penney to end up nowhere. The real James Cash Penney was born in Hamilton, Missouri, and opened a retail store on April 14, 1902, in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

In 1909, Penney moved his company headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah, to be closer to banks and railroads. By 1912, Penney had 34 stores in the Rocky Mountain States. In 1913, all stores were consolidated under the J. C. Penney banner we know today.

IN GOOD SPIRITS

Do You Know The Origin Of These 10 Alcoholic Beverages?

Image: Adam Wilson

You probably know many alcoholic beverages that you enjoy drinking alone or combined in different cocktails, but do you know where their names come from? From whiskey and gin to rum and absinthe, the origins of spirits have fascinating stories to tell. Are you ready to explore them? You will surely learn some curious facts to share at your next party!

Image: emkanicepic

Whiskey is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world. It is produced by distilling malt fermented with cereals such as wheat, barley, corn, and rye, and the resulting spirit is subsequently aged in white oak barrels.

In the Middle Ages, alcoholic beverages were classified into two main groups: "aqua ardens" (burning water) and "aqua vitae" (water of life). Whiskey falls into the category of "aqua vitae." The Latin term was translated into Middle Irish as usque beatha, which in turn derived into usquebaugh, pronounced: "wiskyba," giving rise to "whisky" (Scotland) and "whiskey" (Ireland and the United States).

Image: Timothé Durand

The word brandy is an abbreviation of brandywine, an English term dating from the early 17th century. It comes from the Dutch brandewijn, meaning "burnt wine" or "burning wine," referring to the distillation process.

Brandy is made from the distillate of wine or fermented fruit pulp, primarily grape skins. There are different types of brandy. Perhaps one of the best known is cognac, a high-quality wine distillate, named after the city in France where it is produced.

Image: John Fornander

Gin is a distilled drink made from juniper berries, among other ingredients. The term gin is an abbreviation of the Old English word genever, which in turn derives from the Dutch jenever and the French genièvre. Moreover, all these words trace back to the Latin word for juniper, juniperus.

This drink emerged among European monks during the Middle Ages as a medicinal liquor. Then, in the 17th century, gin gained popularity in England and transitioned into the modern drink we know and love. Nowadays, gin is used to prepare different cocktails, including Tom Collins, Negroni, and the popular Gin & Tonic.

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The first references to this drink date back to the mid-17th century in Barbados, a small Caribbean island with sugar plantations that was under British rule for several centuries. When rum began to be produced on a large scale in the colonies, the English imported it to Europe and popularized it throughout the continent.

There are many theories about the origin of the word rum. The most accepted one suggests that it comes from the English slang word rumbullion which means "great tumult." This term might have originated in the Devonshire area on the southwest coast of England. From rumbullion, it became known as rum in English, rhum in French, and ron in Spanish.

Image: Deeliver

Vodka is an emblematic drink of Eastern European countries and is used to prepare a multitude of cocktails, including the Martini Vesper, Moscow Mule, White Russian, Cosmopolitan, and Bloody Mary, among others. The word vodka comes from the Russian word voda, which means "water." The ending -ka makes it diminutive, translating to "little water."

Vodka is a distillate that comes from the fermentation of potatoes, wheat, barley, grapes, beets, or any plant rich in starch. Originally, the aim was to obtain a simple, alcoholic liquid composed of ethanol and water, with no pretensions in terms of aroma or flavor. It also needed to have a high alcohol content to cope with the harsh Russian winters. Traditionally it has a graduation around 40º, although there are vodkas that reach 80º and up to 96º. It is hard to believe that it’s simply called water!

Image: Ryan Parker

This distillate made mainly from corn, was first introduced in the United States in the 18th century. The first known producer was Reverend Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister. Legend has it that the clergyman established the first distillery in Fayette County, Kentucky, with the help of a Southern farmer who provided surplus corn from his harvest.

Although it was born in Fayette, this variety of whiskey was named after another nearby county, Bourbon County, where the spirit began to be produced on a large scale. The names of both Kentucky counties have their origin in the same historical figure: Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat related to the House of Bourbon.

Image: Giorgio Trovato

The word vermouth comes from the German word wermut, which means "wormwood," one of the main herbs used to make this beverage. This fortified wine, flavored with different botanicals (flowers, herbs, roots, and spices), has been used since ancient times for medicinal purposes. However, the modern version we know today was first introduced in Turin, Italy, in the 18th century.

In the 19th century, vermouth became a global trend thanks to the rise of bars and cocktails, as it was —and still is— an essential ingredient to prepare classic drinks such as Martinis, Negronis, and Manhattans.

Image: Deeliver

Tequila is, without a doubt, a staple of Mexican culture and a famous drink around the world. In ancient times, it was considered a gift from the gods. Today it’s served as an aperitif or combined with other beverages and ingredients to prepare cocktails.

This spirit is produced from the distillation of fermented juice obtained from the heart of a plant known as "blue agave." Its name comes from the Nahuatl word Tekilan, which means "place of the workers."

Image: alandiaspirits

This popular anise-flavored spirit, made from wormwood oil and other herbs, has a high alcohol concentration. With a bitter taste, absinthe’s color is usually pale green. Its name derives from the Latin absinthium, which in turn comes from the Greek apsínthion, meaning "wormwood."

The use of wormwood to make alcoholic beverages dates back to the 1st century, but it was not until the end of the 18th century, in French-speaking Switzerland, that the drink we know today was created. At the end of the 19th century, absinthe, often called "Green Fairy," was the most popular spirit in Europe, enjoyed by all social classes, especially artists and bohemians. However, years later its consumption was limited because it could cause hallucinations, which gave birth to the term absinthism.

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Peru and Chile, neighboring South American countries, share many things: the Andes mountain range, common ancestors, customs, and, notably, the debate over the origin of pisco. The true birthplace of this spirit has long been questioned, with both countries claiming it as their own. What we do know is that the name pisco may derive from the Quechua word Pisku, meaning "bird."

Peruvian and Chilean pisco are different varieties but have in common that they are grape distillations, made similarly to brandy and cognac. Despite the ongoing controversy, no one should miss trying a good pisco sour!