Krusteaz is a consumer food product brand line of Tukwila, Washington-based Continental Mills, now The Krusteaz Company.[1] Its original product was "the world's first" just-add-water pie crust mix,[2] followed by a factory-prepared, shelf-stable flour and dried buttermilk mixture,[3] developed in 1946 or 1947 at the home economics department of the University of Washington,[4] for making baked items including biscuits, pancakes, waffles, cobbler and dump cake.[5]
The brand name "Crust Ease", changed to "Krusteaz", was coined and the company founded in 1932, reportedly[6] by four members of a Seattle bridge club; known co-founder Ada Rose Gilbreath Charters was from a Columbia County pioneer family, and raised on a farm in Dayton before attending Washington State University,[7][8] back when it was known as Washington Agricultural College. She and her husband James Charters were the original owner-operators of the business.
As of September 2022, Krusteaz employed over 400 people in the Kent–Tukwila facilities[9] - a Kent Valley facility constructed in 1986.[10] - up from 300 in 2020, [11] with over 800 total[12] including in Effingham, Illinois, Manhattan, Kansas, and Hopkinsville, Kentucky, manufacturing over 150 products (e.g., muffin mixes, quick breads, snacks, cider), some for private labels and licensed brands.
Hundreds of pounds of Krusteaz may be used in a single pancake feed.[13]
References edit
- ^ "Continental Mills Announces Name Change to the Krusteaz Company in Honor of Flagship Brand's 90th Anniversary" (Press release).
- ^ "Continental Mills marks anniversary adopts new name | Baking Business".
- ^ Yahoo! 2019.
- ^ KCPQ 2018.
- ^ Christian Science Monitor 1997.
- ^ "Mystery woman who co-founded Krusteaz in Seattle came from Dayton family".
- ^ Varriano 2020.
- ^ Puget Sound Business Journal 2016.
- ^ "Tukwila's Continental Mills changes name to the Krusteaz Company". 14 September 2022.
- ^ Seattle Times 1986.
- ^ Puget Sound Business Journal 2020.
- ^ "Continental Mills Announces Name Change to the Krusteaz Company in Honor of Flagship Brand's 90th Anniversary" (Press release).
- ^ Seattle Times 1999.
Sources edit
- "Krusteaz firm builds Kent facility". The Seattle Times. Jul 23, 1986. p. H2.
- Brian Flores (October 15, 2018). "Made in western Washington: Behind the scenes at Krusteaz". Tacoma: KCPQ-TV.
- Jackie Varriano (March 1, 2020). "Mystery woman who co-founded Krusteaz in Seattle came from Dayton family". The Seattle Times – via Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.
- "Meet the mystery woman who co-founded Krusteaz in Seattle". The Seattle Times. Seattle. February 28, 2020. (originally published here)
- Coral Ganick (December 7, 2016). "Continental Mills' family owners keep Krusteaz mix fresh". Puget Sound Business Journal. Seattle.
- Andrew McIntosh (June 8, 2020). "Tukwila-based Continental Mills expands, acquiring new Midwest plant". Puget Sound Business Journal.
- Annie Campbell (September 19, 2019). "We Tried 12 Boxed Pancake Mixes, and This Was Our Favorite". Sunnyvale, California: Yahoo!.
- Willis, Bobbie (December 11, 1997). "My Humble Introduction To American Cuisine". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston.
- Sharon Pian Chan; Lisa Jann (July 9, 1999). "Pancakes for the masses – flapjack fund-raisers are an American cultural icon – with butter and syrup". The Seattle Times. p. I6.
Further reading edit
- See how the pancakes are made: Take a tour of the Krusteaz factory (streaming video). Puget Sound Business Journal. November 29, 2016.