Durkee

Durkee is an American packaged-food brand whose portfolio centers on spices, marinades, powdered sauce mixes, and other seasoning products. The brand traces its origins to Eugene R. Durkee, a Buffalo, New York spice dealer who established E. R. Durkee & Co. in the nineteenth century. Reference material dates the brand's establishment variously to 1851 and 1857; the earlier date is associated with the founding of the business, while the later date is associated with the establishment of the spice company under Durkee's name. Durkee developed from a regional spice business into an industrial food manufacturer. By 1917, the company had constructed a four-story industrial building in Elmhurst, Queens. The facility became one of Elmhurst's largest factories and employers, with a workforce of more than 300 people, many of them women. Eugene R. Durkee died in 1926, after which ownership passed to his daughters. In 1929, the business was acquired as a division of the Glidden Company and became associated with the Durkee's Famous Foods name. Following Glidden's 1967 merger with SCM Corporation, the brand operated within the Glidden-Durkee Division of SCM. From the 1980s onward, Durkee passed through several corporate owners as the food industry consolidated. SCM was sold to Hanson Trust in 1986, and the brand later became part of ACH Food Companies, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods. Associated British Foods ultimately sold Durkee to B&G Foods in 2016. The transaction included the brand's major production and distribution facility in Ankeny, Iowa, a site that had previously been associated with Tone Brothers Spices under Rykoff Sexton ownership. Durkee therefore represents both a long-running consumer brand and a business whose corporate history reflects the repeated consolidation of the North American packaged-food sector. The brand's best-known specialty item is Durkee Sauce, described in reference material as mustardy, vinegary, and mayonnaise-based. It has a particular regional and nostalgic following and is used in sandwiches and prepared foods. One cited contemporary example is its use in the Turkey + Durkee sandwich at Court Street Grocers in Brooklyn. Durkee products are currently marketed within B&G Foods' portfolio of branded grocery products. Public reference material does not provide a complete current product catalog, executive roster, financial profile, or definitive corporate headquarters for the brand itself.

Durkee's history begins with Eugene R. Durkee, a spice dealer based in Buffalo, New York. Reference material gives two closely related dates for the company's origins: 1851 for the establishment of Durkee Famous Foods and 1857 for the founding of E. R. Durkee & Co. The available account does not fully reconcile the dates, so neither is treated here as a definitive founding year. Both dates place the business in the mid-nineteenth-century development of the American spice trade. The company expanded beyond a small trading operation and became an industrial manufacturer. By 1917, it had built a four-story factory in Elmhurst, Queens. The plant became the largest factory and a major employer in Elmhurst, employing more than 300 people, predominantly women. This period illustrates Durkee's transformation into a substantial urban food-processing enterprise rather than merely a local spice dealer. Eugene R. Durkee died in 1926, leaving the business to his daughters. A major ownership transition occurred in 1929, when the company was purchased as a division of the Glidden Company. It subsequently operated under the Durkee's Famous Foods name. In 1967, Glidden merged with SCM Corporation, formerly associated with the Smith-Corona business, and Durkee became part of SCM's Glidden-Durkee Division. These changes placed the brand within increasingly diversified corporate structures while preserving its identity in the food market. Durkee's later history followed the consolidation pattern common in packaged foods. In 1986, SCM was sold to Hanson Trust, PLC. The brand was later incorporated into ACH Food Companies, which operated as a subsidiary of Associated British Foods. During this period, Durkee remained associated with spices, sauces, marinades, and other shelf-stable food products. Associated British Foods sold Durkee to B&G Foods in 2016. The acquisition included the brand's principal production and distribution facility in Ankeny, Iowa. That facility had originally been associated with Tone Brothers Spices when owned by Rykoff Sexton, linking Durkee's modern manufacturing footprint to another established American spice business. The transaction placed Durkee in B&G Foods' branded grocery portfolio. The historic Elmhurst factory no longer serves as the brand's operating site. Its building was renovated in 2007 as the Elmhurst Educational Campus, which houses three high schools. The reuse of the building reflects the separation between Durkee's historic manufacturing presence in Queens and its later production and distribution arrangements. Durkee Sauce remains the brand's most distinctive named offering in the available reference material. Its flavor profile is characterized as mustardy, vinegary, and mayonnaise-based. Although it is not described as a broad international flagship, it retains a regional and enthusiast following, including contemporary restaurant use such as the Turkey + Durkee sandwich at Court Street Grocers in Brooklyn. Beyond this specialty sauce, the brand continues to be identified with spices, marinades, and powdered sauce mixes. Publicly available reference material does not establish a complete current catalog, detailed sales history, or named current management team.

• 2016

  Acquisition by B&G Foods

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Associated British Foods sold Durkee to B&G Foods. The transaction included the brand's major production and distribution facility in Ankeny, Iowa.

• 2007

  Elmhurst factory building is repurposed

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The former Elmhurst building was renovated into the Elmhurst Educational Campus, hosting three high schools.

• 1986

  SCM is sold to Hanson Trust

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  SCM was sold to Hanson Trust, PLC, contributing to the series of ownership changes surrounding the Durkee business.

• 1967

  Formation of the Glidden-Durkee Division

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  After Glidden merged with SCM Corporation, Durkee became part of SCM's Glidden-Durkee Division.

• 1929

  Acquisition by the Glidden Company

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Durkee was acquired as a division of the Glidden Company and became known as Durkee's Famous Foods.

• 1926

  Death of Eugene R. Durkee

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Eugene R. Durkee died, and ownership of the business passed to his daughters.

• 1917

  Industrial expansion in Elmhurst

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Durkee had built a four-story industrial facility in Elmhurst, Queens, which became a major local factory and employer.

• 1857

  E. R. Durkee & Co. is established

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Eugene R. Durkee is associated with the establishment of E. R. Durkee & Co., a spice business in Buffalo, New York.

• 1851

  Early establishment of the Durkee food business

  [1]Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identifies 1851 as an early establishment date for Durkee Famous Foods, although another account dates the founding of E. R. Durkee & Co. to 1857.

A heritage American pantry brand focused on seasonings, sauces, marinades, and convenient sauce mixes, with Durkee Sauce serving as its most distinctive and culturally recognizable specialty product.

• Spices and seasonings

  Durkee spices and seasonings

  Durkee is identified as a spice brand with roots in the nineteenth-century American spice trade. Its seasoning products form a core part of the brand's shelf-stable grocery identity, although the available reference material does not enumerate the complete current range.

• Marinades

  Durkee marinades

  Marinades are one of the product categories associated with the modern Durkee brand. They extend the brand beyond dry spices into prepared flavoring products intended for home cooking and food preparation.

• Powdered sauce mixes

  Durkee powdered sauce mixes

  Durkee's portfolio includes powdered sauce mixes, representing a convenience-oriented application of the brand's seasoning heritage. Specific varieties and launch dates are not identified in the supplied reference material.

• Prepared sauce

  Durkee Sauce

  Durkee Sauce is the brand's most distinctive named specialty. It is described as mustardy, vinegary, and mayonnaise-based, and is used as a sandwich condiment. The sauce has a regional and nostalgic following, including use in the Turkey + Durkee sandwich at Court Street Grocers in Brooklyn.

1. 1Durkee (food brand)en.wikipedia.org