Clabber Girl
An American baking-ingredients brand best known for double-acting baking powder.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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History
Clabber Girl's history is rooted in the development of commercial baking powder in the United States. The brand traces its production heritage to 1850, when the business later associated with Hulman & Company began making baking powder. Its name reflects an older cooking practice involving clabber, or soured milk. In early nineteenth-century kitchens, cooks combined clabber with ingredients such as pearl ash, soda, cream of tartar, and other components to create mixtures that helped baked goods rise. The commercial baking-powder brand emerged from this culinary background. Hulman & Company first marketed its baking powder under the name Milk Brand. In 1899, the product was renamed Clabber Brand. The name Clabber Girl was adopted in 1923, establishing the identity that became the best-known expression of the business. The brand's visual character was already connected to the product's 1899 presentation as Clabber Baking Powder. An artist was commissioned to create an image of a girl for the package, but the identity of any real-life model, if one existed, is not known. The figure underwent several changes over time, while the appearance used since 1940 has remained recognizable, including the hair highlights added at that point. The packaging character became a central part of the brand's heritage rather than merely a decorative label element. The history of the image is preserved through the Clabber Girl Museum in Terre Haute, where the original sketch is displayed. This physical connection to the brand's Indiana origin complements its long-running presence in American grocery stores and home kitchens. Clabber Girl's principal category has remained baking powder, particularly double-acting baking powder used in a broad range of home-baking recipes. The business also sells or has sold related pantry ingredients, including baking soda and cornstarch. Its associated portfolio has included Rumford, Davis, Hearth Club, and Royal retail brands for baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. Royal also extends into dessert mixes, giving the broader business a presence beyond basic leavening and starch products. For much of its pre-acquisition history, Clabber Girl was owned and manufactured by Hulman & Company. That company was also known for operating the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and for its connection with INDYCAR. The brand used sports sponsorship as one form of consumer marketing in the 1990s, supporting NASCAR Busch Series driver Stevie Reeves from 1994 to 1996. The program produced two top-ten results and one pole for Reeves, associating the baking brand with a prominent American racing property. A major ownership transition occurred in 2019, when Hulman & Company sold Clabber Girl to B&G Foods. The sale ended the brand's direct ownership by its long-time Indiana corporate home and placed it within B&G Foods' broader portfolio of packaged food brands. Despite the change in ownership, Clabber Girl's public identity continues to rest on its baking-powder heritage, recognizable package illustration, Terre Haute connection, and role as a supplier of everyday baking ingredients.
- 2019
Acquired by B&G Foods
[1]B&G Foods purchases Clabber Girl from Hulman & Company.
- 1996
NASCAR sponsorship period ends
[1]The sponsorship of Stevie Reeves concludes after a three-year period in the NASCAR Busch Series.
- 1994
NASCAR sponsorship begins
[1]Clabber Girl begins sponsoring NASCAR Busch Series driver Stevie Reeves.
- 1940
Package character reaches its established modern appearance
[1]The Clabber Girl illustration receives the hair highlights that mark the appearance retained by the brand thereafter, despite earlier visual variations.
- 1923
Clabber Girl name adopted
[1]The company changes the product name from Clabber Brand to Clabber Girl.
- 1899
Milk Brand becomes Clabber Brand
[1]Hulman & Company's earlier Milk Brand baking powder is renamed Clabber Brand. The package also introduces the illustrated girl associated with the brand's identity.
- 1850
Baking-powder production begins
[1]The business associated with Hulman & Company begins producing baking powder, establishing the manufacturing heritage later represented by Clabber Girl.
Products and positioning
Trusted, heritage-oriented baking essentials for home cooks and everyday American baking.
Baking powder · 1850
Clabber Girl Baking Powder
The brand's core product and principal source of its identity. Clabber Girl baking powder is used as a chemical leavening ingredient in home-baking recipes such as cakes, biscuits, pancakes, and quick breads. The product is associated with a double-acting formulation containing monocalcium phosphate, anhydrous sodium aluminum sulfate, baking soda, and cornstarch.
Baking soda
Clabber Girl Baking Soda
A related pantry ingredient sold under the Clabber Girl name. Baking soda is used in recipes that provide an appropriate acidic ingredient, and it can also serve household cooking and preparation purposes. It broadens the brand's role from a single leavening product to a wider set of basic baking supplies.
Cornstarch
Clabber Girl Cornstarch
Cornstarch is part of Clabber Girl's adjacent baking-ingredient range. It is used in cooking and baking for thickening, texture, and recipe preparation, complementing the brand's baking powder and baking soda offerings.
Dessert mixes
Royal Dessert Mixes
Royal is an associated brand in the wider portfolio and includes dessert mixes in addition to retail baking ingredients. These products extend the portfolio from basic pantry components into more prepared home-dessert formats.
Marketing campaigns
- 1994Stevie Reeves NASCAR Busch Series sponsorship
United States
Clabber Girl sponsored driver Stevie Reeves in the NASCAR Busch Series from 1994 through 1996, using motorsport visibility to promote the baking brand to a broad American audience.
Outcome. Reeves recorded two top-ten finishes and one pole during the sponsorship period.
Brand decisions
2019
Sell Clabber Girl to B&G FoodsM&ABackground
Clabber Girl had been owned and manufactured by Hulman & Company, which also had interests in Indianapolis motorsport.
Action taken
Hulman & Company sold Clabber Girl to B&G Foods.
Aftermath
The brand became part of B&G Foods' packaged-food portfolio while retaining its baking-ingredient identity.
1923
Adopt the Clabber Girl nameStrategyBackground
The business had operated under the Clabber Brand name since 1899.
Action taken
The company changed the brand name to Clabber Girl.
Aftermath
Clabber Girl became the enduring consumer-facing identity for the baking-powder business.
1899
Rename the baking-powder brand Clabber BrandStrategyBackground
Hulman & Company's earlier baking-powder product was marketed as Milk Brand before the company changed its name in 1899.
Action taken
The product was renamed Clabber Brand and received the illustrated girl packaging identity.
Aftermath
The new name and character created the foundation for the later Clabber Girl brand.
Recent events
Gladstone Commercial completes Indiana property acquisition[3]
Reported:
Gladstone Commercial announced that it completed the $10.6 million acquisition of an industrial property in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Sources3 sources
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