STICKNEY & POOR SPICE COMPANY

BRAND NAME COOKING WITH STICKNEY & POOR

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HISTORY

The following is an excerpt from the book Ideas that Became Big Business by Clinton Woods. Published by Founders, Inc. Baltimore, MD, 1959, 414 pages.

Buy this book: Ideas That Became Big Business

The Stickney & Poor Story

In 1815 William Stickney, a Boston grocer, ground mustard for the table by hand and carried it to his customers in a basket.

"He struggled along for three years before this phase of his activities had increased to the extent that his listing in the Boston Directory was changed from "Grocer" to "Mustard Dealer".

Stickney & Poor, in a way, is "The House that Mustard Built". Mustard has continued a mainstay of the business ever since, although a great variety of other items have been added to the line. Maintenance of the good name given it by William Stickney has likewise continued a mainstay of company policy.

Around 1824, mechanization started with a one horse-power motor--a real horse. This was the period when he moved out of the crowded city, presumably to allow his motive power room in which to operate, and a nearby field for relaxation.

Rufus Barrus Stickney entered the business of his father at the age of 13--a business career started early in those days. At 20 he was a partner. At 22 he was sole proprietor. This was in 1846. By this time mechanization had proceeded a step further, and the business was using steam power instead of live horse-power.

The year '49 was the year of the California Gold Rush and no ship sailing there was complete without mustard for medicinal use. The Stickney firm expanded to Stickney & Poor by adding John R. Poor of Danvers as a partner and built a new and larger wooden factory on Cambridge Street, Charlestown, where later, in 1867 the first of the present four-story brick buildings was erected. This, along with additional structures, houses Stickney & Poor today.

In the 1820's the business consisted chiefly of Mustard and Pepper-Sauce. From this the firm branched out to grinding spices and Cream of Tartar--for a time, also to roasting coffee. In a period of the Civil War, Yeast Powder, Split Peas, Pearl Barley, Bicarbonate of Soda, Herbs, etc. joined the other products. The plant continued to expand and finally packaging machinery was installed.

In 1891, the business was incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts as the Stickney & Poor Spice Company. James Smiley Murphy was its first treasurer and held the presidency from 1909 until his death in 1932. It was under him that the company became one of the major factors in the spice trade of the United States.

Afterwards, the board of directors elected Mr. Murphy's very capable daughter, Roxanna Smiley Beebe-Center to the presidency. Grinding mustard test samples by hand is some job but Mrs. Beebe-Center doesn't hesitate to do it. With the reins in her competent hands the company continues its steady growth.

Today, the plant in Charlestown is still the main one. Products include Extracts, Prepared Mustard, White & Cider Vinegar, Seasonings of all kinds, Grocers' Sundries, and the nationally known Stickney Stuffing.

Distribution is intensive throughout New England by means of company salesmen who sell the wholesale trade and also throughout the United States by means of brokers. The familiar yellow and red container with a galleon trade mark which sailed the seas in the service of the Government in World War II still continues to sail the seas in the import trade.

In October 1945 Stickney & Poor Spice Company was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the United States Navy. In November 1947, it received the Centennial Anniversary Certificate from the Brand Names Foundation, Incorporated.

In 1950, the company received a most unexpected and gracious tribute. It was honored by the Zuider-Zee Museum in Enkhuizen, Holland. To Stickney & Poor, America's oldest spice millers, they sent a generous sample of what they believe to be the oldest pepper in the world. This museum is housed in what was formerly an Old Dutch East Indies Company warehouse, built in 1602, which served for almost fifty years as a storage place for pepper from Sumatra. When the building was remodeled the pepper was found beneath the floor boards.

The present position held by the company is due in no small measure to the fact that five directors' connection with the company, either direct or through their families, extends back well over half a century. It is also due in no small measure to the long terms of service of many of its employees.

Operations in a spice business require expert knowledge of the raw materials. Mustard Seed, for instance, does not behave the same in manufacturing process when it has just been received, as when it has been aged several months. There is not just one way to grind spices, but many, and some grinds are better for one purpose, some for another. S & P employees have been with the company so long that they really know their spices. Six have received the fifty years' service award."