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Perhaps what has made Welch's a successful household name is its own rich heritage, steeped in tradition and Americana. Prohibitionist Thomas Welch founded the company in 1869, and used the work of Louis Pasteur to develop the first shelf-stable juice, selling it to churches to use in place of wine.
When his son, Charles Welch, took over the business, he marketed the health benefits of grape juice and it became a consumer favorite at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. A publicity boon occurred in 1913 when Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan served Welch's Grape Juice instead of wine at a dinner honoring retiring British Ambassador James Bryce.
In 1945, after purchasing a controlling interest, entrepreneur J.M. Kaplan became president of The Welch Grape Juice Co. Under Kaplan's leadership, Welch's introduced frozen grape juice concentrate in 1949, and began a successful marketing strategy that included involvement with The Howdy Doody Show and Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club. Soon after, Welch's became a Captain Kangaroo sponsor, followed by The Flintstones in 1962. During...