Despite its name, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was invented in
New York State, not
Philadelphia. In 1872, William Lawrence, a dairyman from
Chester, New York, attempted to make
Neufchâtel, a soft, slightly crumbly,
mold-ripened,
bloomy-rind cheese product that was popular in Europe at the time. Instead he accidentally added an excessive amount of
cream and created a richer, more spreadable cheese, which would eventually be called "cream cheese". It was not marketed as "Philadelphia Cream Cheese" until 1880. That year, Lawrence partnered with A.L. Reynolds, a cheese distributor in New York to sell larger quantities of cream cheese. At the time, Philadelphia and its surrounding area had a reputation for high-quality dairy farms and creamier cheese products, so they decided to use the name "Philadelphia" on the foil-wrapped blocks of their cream cheese. The company went through some changes over the years and the trademarked Philadelphia name was sold to the Phenix Cheese Company in
South Edmeston, New York. In 1928, Phenix merged with Kraft to form the Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company. Philadelphia Cream Cheese has remained popular in households, and popular in
bagel shops worldwide. == Outside the United States ==