Sunday, February 16, 2014

The story of the Nebraska cowboy who invented ranch dressing

The story of the Nebraska cowboy who invented ranch dressing - Omaha.com:
"They started to get so many requests for the dressing -- more than for ranch bookings -- that Gayle and Henson created a dry packaged mix. They sold the mix of salt, monosodium glutamate, dehydrated garlic, parsley and onions, black pepper and calcium stearate to stores and customers who lived a great distance away.

Kelley’s Korner in Santa Barbara was the first store to sell the packaged mix. The packages sold out so fast that Lloyd Kelley, store owner, thought his staff was stealing it. Within no time, Hidden Valley Ranch became transformed into a salad dressing center.

The name Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing was originally trademarked by Henson. Henson’s trademark has since expired, but Hidden Valley (#1307312, reg 1984), owned by Clorox, continues.

The Hidden Valley “dude” Ranch was sold in the early 1970s. By October of 1973, Henson sold the brand and product to Clorox for $8 million."

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