Newman's Own

Newman's Own is an American food company and philanthropic brand established in 1982 by actor Paul Newman and writer A. E. Hotchner. The business began with a homemade salad dressing that Newman and Hotchner prepared as gifts for friends. After the dressing received an enthusiastic response, the two partners decided to commercialize it, each contributing $20,000 in initial capital. The first packaging used a deliberately informal and humorous presentation, including Newman's portrait and the phrase “Fine Foods Since February,” helping the product stand out in a crowded grocery market. The company expanded beyond salad dressing into spaghetti sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa, frozen pizza, cookies, wine, pet food and other packaged foods. Its product strategy has generally combined familiar household categories with a premium, quality-oriented presentation and a strong association with Newman’s public persona. The company is particularly known for salad dressing, frozen pizza, lemonade, cookies and dog treats. In 2008 it introduced a premium wine line, adding another category to the brand’s food-and-beverage portfolio. Newman's Own is distinguished less by a conventional corporate ownership structure than by its philanthropic operating model. The company states that 100 percent of its profits and royalties are donated to charitable organizations through Newman's Own Foundation. The foundation is a private nonprofit organization that supports programs focused especially on children, food access, nutrition education, Indigenous food justice and related community needs. According to the foundation, the enterprise has generated more than $600 million for charity since its creation, although the cumulative figure and individual grant totals vary by reporting period. Philanthropy has been connected to the brand since its earliest years. Newman helped establish the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988 for children with serious illnesses; the wider organization later became the SeriousFun Children’s Network. Newman's Own profits helped support the original camp and subsequent charitable activity, while the network now draws on multiple funding sources. The foundation has also supported organizations and programs including food-justice initiatives, school-food and nutrition projects, Indigenous communities, humanitarian organizations and free summer-camp programs. The brand’s governance changed significantly after Paul Newman’s death in 2008. Newman arranged for the company and its charitable mission to continue through Newman's Own Foundation. Robert Forrester, who had served as chief executive, assumed a central role in the post-Newman transition and expanded the company’s activities. This period also produced conflict with members of Newman’s family, including allegations by Newman’s daughter Susan that Forrester had marginalized the family and taken excessive control of the foundation. Forrester rejected the characterization and maintained that the organization was operating according to Paul Newman’s wishes. He left the company in 2019 after an internal review prompted by allegations of inappropriate behavior. Newman's Own remains an active private food brand whose identity rests on three linked elements: recognizable packaged foods, the continuing visibility of Paul Newman’s image and the promise that commercial success supports charitable giving. In January 2025, the brand launched a campaign encouraging other companies to adopt comparable profit-for-purpose models. Its approach has also influenced other mission-led consumer businesses, including Hugh Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee.

Newman's Own originated in 1982 when Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner made salad dressing in Newman’s home kitchen and distributed it to friends. The dressing proved popular enough that the partners decided to sell it commercially. They provided equal seed investments of $20,000, established the business and used Newman’s name and image as central elements of the packaging. Humor was part of the initial presentation: the first label described the product as fine foods since February, a joke that communicated the brand’s informal origins rather than a long-established corporate heritage. The business quickly developed into a broader packaged-food company. After salad dressing, it added products such as spaghetti sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa and frozen pizza. The portfolio later included cookies, pet products and other grocery items. In 1993, Newman’s daughter Nell Newman created Newman's Own Organics as a division focused on organic foods. That line included products such as chocolate, cookies, pretzels and pet food. It became a separate company in late 2001, but the licensing relationship ended in 2014, after which the organic business and branding were transferred back to Newman's Own. A premium wine line was introduced in 2008. Philanthropy was integrated into the company from the beginning. Rather than distributing profits to conventional shareholders, the business directed its after-tax profits to charitable causes. Newman’s charitable interests included children’s health and recreation, food access and community development. In 1988, he co-founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with serious illnesses. The organization eventually expanded into the SeriousFun Children’s Network, which operates camps and programs in multiple regions and has provided millions of free experiences to children and families. Newman's Own helped finance the early development of the camp, although the network later became supported by a broad range of donors. Newman and Hotchner documented the company and its charitable activities in their 2003 book, Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good. The title reflected the founders’ intentionally unconventional approach: using celebrity attention and commercial sales to generate charitable resources while keeping the brand’s public presentation humorous and accessible. Paul Newman died in 2008. Before his death, he and chief executive Robert Forrester worked to establish a structure that could preserve the company’s charitable purpose. Ownership was transferred to Newman's Own Foundation, a private nonprofit foundation, allowing the food business to continue generating funds for grants. Forrester became a leading figure in the post-Newman organization and expanded and diversified the enterprise. Governance during this period was contentious. Newman’s daughter Susan alleged that Forrester had marginalized family members and exercised excessive control over the company and foundation. Forrester disputed those claims and stated that the organization was following Newman’s intentions. Forrester was dismissed in 2019 after an internal review related to allegations of inappropriate behavior. Jennifer Smith Turner served as interim president and chief executive after Forrester’s departure. Miriam Nelson assumed those roles in January 2020, with the board formalizing the appointments in January 2021. By April 2023, Alex Amouyel was identified as president and chief executive of Newman's Own Foundation. The brand continues to operate as a private food business, with its commercial identity tied to the promise that profits and royalties support charity. The foundation’s grantmaking has broadened over time. Its stated areas include programs for children, nutrition education and school food, and Indigenous food justice. It has supported organizations and initiatives including the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, Safe Water Network, Edible Schoolyard NYC, Shining Hope for Communities, Pilgrims Hospices and the WILD Young Women Programme. In 2023, it announced the Food Justice for Kids Prize, a two-year initiative supporting child-focused food-system work. In 2025, the foundation announced additional grantmaking for Indigenous communities and launched the Indigenous Tomorrows Fund, a participatory program in which Native American leaders help determine funding priorities. Newman's Own’s historical significance lies in its combination of consumer branding and institutional philanthropy. It has remained recognizable as a grocery brand while using its ownership and distribution structure to fund nonprofit work. The model has been cited as an inspiration for other purpose-driven consumer ventures, although its exact legal and governance arrangements are specific to Newman's Own Foundation and the company’s charitable mission.

• 2025

  Brand promotes philanthropic enterprise

  [2]Newman's Own official websitenewmansown.com

  Newman's Own launches an initiative encouraging other businesses to adopt profit-for-purpose practices.

• 2023

  Food Justice for Kids Prize is announced

  [3]Newman's Own Foundationnewmansownfoundation.org

  Newman's Own Foundation announces a two-year, $1 million funding program for child-focused food-justice work.

• 2019

  Robert Forrester is dismissed

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Forrester leaves after an internal review related to allegations of inappropriate behavior.

• 2014

  Organic licensing arrangement ends

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Nell Newman’s license is not renewed and Newman's Own Organics is transferred back to Newman's Own.

• 2008

  Wine line launches and Paul Newman dies

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Newman's Own introduces a premium wine range, while Paul Newman’s death leads to a transition toward foundation ownership and continuity of the charitable model.

• 2003

  Founders publish a company memoir

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner publish a memoir describing the business and its charitable activities.

• 2001

  Newman's Own Organics becomes separate

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  The organic product operation becomes a separate company while continuing to use a licensing relationship with Newman's Own.

• 1993

  Newman's Own Organics begins

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Nell Newman establishes Newman's Own Organics as a division focused on organic food products.

• 1988

  Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is established

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Newman co-founds a camp for children with serious illnesses, an initiative later associated with the SeriousFun Children’s Network.

• 1982

  Newman's Own is founded

  [1]Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner commercialize their homemade salad dressing and establish the Newman's Own food business.

Quality-oriented packaged food with a distinctive celebrity-founded identity and a profit-for-purpose promise that directs profits and royalties to charity.

• Salad dressing · 1982

  Newman's Own Salad Dressing

  The founding product of the brand, developed by Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner from a homemade recipe. Its early success established the company’s grocery presence and introduced the characteristic Newman portrait and humorous packaging style. Salad dressing remains one of the brand’s best-known product categories.

• Pasta sauce

  Newman's Own Pasta Sauce

  A major expansion beyond the original dressing, pasta sauce helped establish Newman's Own as a broader pantry-food company. The category reflects the brand’s strategy of applying its recognizable identity and charitable promise to familiar grocery staples.

• Beverages

  Newman's Own Lemonade

  Lemonade became one of the company’s best-known beverage offerings as Newman's Own extended from condiments into drinks. It is associated with the brand’s accessible, household-oriented food portfolio.

• Snack foods

  Newman's Own Popcorn

  Popcorn formed part of the company’s expansion into snack foods. Like other Newman's Own products, it carries the brand’s distinctive packaging and contributes to the profit-distribution model.

• Frozen foods

  Newman's Own Frozen Pizza

  Frozen pizza is one of the products most strongly associated with the modern Newman's Own portfolio. It broadened the brand into prepared frozen meals while retaining the company’s quality-focused, philanthropic positioning.

• Baked goods and snacks

  Newman's Own Cookies

  Cookies are part of the brand’s snack and baked-goods range. The category also connects with the company’s historical organic-food activities, including products once associated with Newman's Own Organics.

• Pet food

  Newman's Own Pet Treats

  Pet food and dog treats extend the brand into companion-animal products. They are among the categories for which Newman's Own is recognized and reinforce the company’s broad packaged-food remit.

• Wine · 2008

  Newman's Own Premium Wines

  The premium wine line, introduced in 2008, represented an expansion into alcoholic beverages. It applied the Newman's Own name and charitable business model to a higher-priced beverage category.

• 2019

  Robert Forrester dismissed after internal review

  Forrester was fired after an internal review connected to allegations of inappropriate behavior. Public reporting also discussed executive compensation and the wider governance dispute surrounding the foundation.

  Source

• 2010

  Dispute over governance of Newman's Own

  Paul Newman’s daughter Susan alleged that chief executive Robert Forrester had marginalized the Newman family and taken excessive control of the company and foundation. Forrester disputed the allegations and said the organization was following Paul Newman’s wishes.

  Source

Read more

• 2025Philanthropic Enterprise Campaign

  International

  Newman's Own encouraged other companies to consider business structures that direct profits toward charitable purposes.

  Outcome. The campaign positioned the company’s own operating model as a potential template for purpose-driven enterprises.

  Source
• 2025Indigenous Tomorrows Fund

  United States · Indigenous communities in U.S. territories

  Newman's Own Foundation launched a participatory grantmaking pilot led by Native Americans in partnership with Native Americans in Philanthropy.

  Outcome. The pilot distributed $720,000, with emerging Indigenous leaders participating in grant decisions.

  Source
• 2023Food Justice for Kids Prize

  United States

  Newman's Own Foundation announced a two-year, $1 million initiative supporting organizations working on food access, school food and food-system outcomes for children.

  Outcome. The inaugural beneficiaries included FRESHFARM’s FoodPrints program and the Urban School Food Alliance.

  Source

• 2023

  Fund child-focused food justiceOther

  Background

  The foundation identified food access and nutrition as continuing grantmaking priorities.

  Action taken

  It established the Food Justice for Kids Prize with $1 million in planned funding over two years.

  Aftermath

  The first recipients included FRESHFARM’s FoodPrints program and the Urban School Food Alliance.

  Announced prize funding. $1 million (Two years from 2023)

  Source

• 2019

  Replace Robert ForresterOther

  Background

  An internal review followed allegations of inappropriate behavior involving the company’s long-serving chief executive.

  Action taken

  The board dismissed Forrester and appointed Jennifer Smith Turner as interim president and chief executive.

  Aftermath

  Miriam Nelson subsequently assumed the leadership roles in 2020, with the appointments finalized in 2021.

  Source

• 2014

  Bring Newman's Own Organics back under the brandStrategy

  Background

  The licensing arrangement associated with Nell Newman’s separate organic-food company was not renewed.

  Action taken

  Newman's Own Organics was transferred back to Newman's Own.

  Aftermath

  The organic product identity returned to the broader Newman's Own organization.

  Source

• 2008

  Preserve the charitable mission after Paul Newman’s deathStrategy

  Background

  Paul Newman and Robert Forrester planned for the continuation of charitable distributions after Newman’s death.

  Action taken

  Ownership and governance were structured around Newman's Own Foundation so the food business could continue generating charitable funds.

  Aftermath

  The company remained privately held and continued operating under the profit-donation model.

  Source

• 1982

  Adopt a profit-for-purpose business modelStrategy

  Background

  Newman and Hotchner created the company after the unexpected commercial success of their homemade salad dressing.

  Action taken

  The company directed its after-tax profits to charitable causes rather than distributing them to conventional private owners.

  Aftermath

  The model became the defining feature of Newman's Own and enabled the brand to fund a wide range of nonprofit programs.

  Source

• 2025

  Newman's Own launches campaign promoting the philanthropic enterprise model[2]Newman's Own official websitenewmansown.com

  Campaign

  The brand began encouraging other companies to consider a model in which commercial profits are directed toward charitable purposes.

• 2025

  Newman's Own Foundation launches Indigenous Tomorrows Fund[3]Newman's Own Foundationnewmansownfoundation.org

  Campaign · Other

  The foundation introduced a participatory grantmaking pilot led by Native American participants and supported emerging Indigenous leaders.

• 2023

  Newman's Own Foundation announces Food Justice for Kids Prize[3]Newman's Own Foundationnewmansownfoundation.org

  Campaign · Other

  The foundation introduced a two-year, $1 million funding initiative supporting programs intended to improve food access and food systems for children.

• 2023

  Alex Amouyel named president and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation[4]Alex Amouyel named president and CEO of Newman's Own Foundationnewmansown.org

  Leadership change

  Alex Amouyel was appointed to lead the foundation, succeeding Miriam E. Nelson after Nelson's three-year tenure.

• 2022

  Newman's Own launches Newman's Deal[5]Newman's Own launches Newman's Dealprnewswire.com

  Campaign · Other

  The organization offered selected brands limited use of Paul Newman's likeness without royalty charges if they donated all profits from qualifying products to support children.

• 2022

  Newman's Own announces brand refresh and Radically Good positioning[6]Newman's Own announces brand refresh and Radically Good positioningthedrum.com

  Campaign · Other

  The refresh introduced a new visual identity, brighter packaging, and a purpose-led campaign centered on the brand's charitable model.

• 2016

  Newman's Own promotes its charitable mission to younger shoppers[7]Newman's Own promotes its charitable mission to younger shoppersnytimes.com

  Campaign

  The brand adjusted packaging and advertising to make its charitable purpose more visible to younger consumers who might recognize Paul Newman's image without understanding the business model.

1. 1Newman's Ownen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Newman's Own official websitenewmansown.com
3. 3Newman's Own Foundationnewmansownfoundation.org
4. 4Alex Amouyel named president and CEO of Newman's Own Foundationnewmansown.org
5. 5Newman's Own launches Newman's Dealprnewswire.com
6. 6Newman's Own announces brand refresh and Radically Good positioningthedrum.com
7. 7Newman's Own promotes its charitable mission to younger shoppersnytimes.com
8. 8Newman's Own, Inc. Appoints Bridgette Heller to Board of Directorsprnewswire.com