Business: Nabisco

Uneeda Biscuit

Do you know Uneeda Biscuit?

Do YOU know Uneeda Biscuit?

Do you KNOW Uneeda Biscuit?

Of Course Uneeda Biscuit

!!! Of course Uneeda Biscuit—

Certainly !!!

With this carefully planned sequence a campaign began, 32 years ago. At the time National Biscuit Co. was but one year old, had just thought of selling biscuits and crackers in cartons instead of bulk. The campaign worked. The public obeyed. Uneeda became one of the great U. S. trade-names. Today National is the world’s biggest biscuit baker, has 84 plants in 29 States. It also makes bread, dog biscuits, Shredded Wheat, gingerbread goodies, peanut butter, zwieback, macaroni, pretzels. Its assets come to $138,000,000 of which $38,000.000 is working capital. Last year it earned $22,800,000, most of which was paid out in dividends to about 23.000 shareholders. It is one of those select companies which are in the First National-G. F. Baker group.

Last week Nabisco figured prominently in financial news. There was a change of presidents, the fourth change in the company’s history. There was also newsworthy selling of the stock on printed rumors that the company is not earning its dividend, and that Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (“A & P”) may enter the biscuit business. On the change of presidents Nabisco adopted an attitude of “no significance.” Hence Wall Street whispered there was significance. On the other matters the company maintained a silence of which the late great George Fisher Baker would have approved heartily.

New Nabisco president is Frank Clifford Lowry, chiefly known as a sugarman. About 50, neat and reserved, Mr. Lowry moves briskly. Much of his moving has been on the New York Coffee & Sugar Exchange of which he was once (1927-28) president. He is a director of several sugar companies including Punta Alegre and Warner. He is president of the latter company. He heads the sugar-broking firm of Lowry & Co., one of whose partners is Horace Havemeyer. Partner Have-meyer’s father was once president of American Sugar Refining Co.. a company which in 1925 was reported to have offered Sugarman Lowry $100,000 a year to become its president. Sugarmen last week recalled the coincidence that when Mr. Lowry declined, the position was filled by Earl D. Babst who left his job as general counsel and first vice president of National Biscuit.

Retiring as president is Frederick Beers who becomes chairman of the manufacturing committee. Chairman of the company is Roy Everett Tomlinson who started in the legal department, succeeded Lawyer Adolphus Williamson Green as president of the company in 1917.

Executive offices of Nabisco are in their big factory adjoining New York Central’s West Side tracks. Here President Lowry may look into the engineering department (which fills part of two stories of the building), may also watch the busy bakers baking. And in the art department he may see draughtsmen carefully designing new products, submitting them to cutters for mechanical approval. For while a good 50% of the company’s business is in staples with large consumption (Lorna Doone Shortbreads, Slim Jim Pretzel Sticks, Holland Rusk, Butter Wafers, Snow Peaks) much of it goes into 500 varieties of biscuits and cookies which enjoy the public’s favor briefly and are discontinued, replaced. Last year Nabisco withdrew 150 varieties, sent out a similar number of new ones. The problems involved are many in addition to those of cooking. A biscuit must be attractive in appearance so that the ultimate consumer will feel a definite urge to bite it. It must be tasty so that he will not feel disappointed. And if possible it should create an urge to eat more. An example of the latter quality is found in the Bonny Tart, invented recently by an Indiana salesman. The Bonny Tart is filled with grape jelly, its sides are per forated with tiny holes. When it is subjected to tooth pressure the Bonny Tart exudes grape jelly upon the consumer’s tongue. Naming so many varieties is difficult. The Robena cooky is so called be cause it is iced on both sides by an “en robing machine.” The Nancy Lee is named after the daughter of a plant manager in Toronto. A subsidiary of National Biscuit Co. is Wheatsworth. Inc.

The history of National Biscuit Co. has been filled with profits and acquisitions. Its most notable competitor is Loose-Wiles Biscuit whose Sunshine brands rival Uneeda, whose Sunshine Fig Bars are similar, for example, to Uneeda Fig Newtons. A third big company is United Biscuit Co. of America which as yet has no great national trademark although more & more it is using the phrase: Supreme Bakers.