CCSI Cork Crowncap Database - Brewer/Bottler
   
Entered: 08 Mar 2016 10:16 - Jon Bailey - Modified: 08 Mar 2016 11:09 - Jon Bailey
 Brewer/bottler #7732
Name Certo Corporation
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City Fairport
State/Province New York
Country United States
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Extra info Robert Douglas was born and raised in Scone, Scotland. Robert’s father founded the Scone Jam Factory and he taught his sons the business of jam making. When Robert moved to the United States he became the first person to extract and commercially prepare pectin, the ingredient which makes fruit juice jell in 1912. Certo concentrated fruit pectin was manufactured under two patents awarded to Robert Douglas in 1913 and 1917. Douglas invented the process by which pectin found in apples juice could be concentrated through evaporation to produce syrup liquid. When mixed with cooked fruit, this product would produce jelly. The word Certo is said to have been coined by Douglas' maid who said that if a housewife used this product, she would be certain to get good results.
Three partners--Robert Douglas, Earl Neville and John Clinger--bought up a majority share of the New York State Fruit Company in 1911 and absorbed it into the newly incorporated Douglas Packing Company. The company buildings were located on the east side of North Main Street, just across the Main Street bridge in the old DeLand Chemical Company buildings. Douglas formed the Douglas Packing Company to exploit the new product and enlarged his plant. In 1921 most of the plant was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and by 1923 further expansion was necessary and the Douglas-Pectin Corporation was formed. In 1921, Robert Douglas offered his Certo liquid pectin to the retail market for home use. Six years later, Douglas landed on the Certo Corporation as the company name. Production of Certo reached over 15 million bottles a year. In 1928 General Foods bought the business for 29 million dollars and the Fairport plant became the Certo Division of General Foods Corporation . In 1934, a powdered pectin called Sure-Jell was introduced and tested and became available nationally one year later.
In 1942 the production of Certo and Sure-Jell was reduced due to wartime shortages of sugar, however the company was able to return to pre war levels after the sugar rationing ended. Certo was manufactured in Fairport until 1947. The company has continued to flourish throughout the years by maintaining a high quality and consistent formula and providing a solution to jam and jelly makers within the USA.
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Other names used for this Brewer/bottler
Name 1 Douglas Packing Company
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Name 2 Certo Division of General Foods Corporation
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Name 3 Douglas-Pectin Corporation
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