Brothers Robert and George French bought a
flour mill in 1883 in
Fairport, New York. It burned down in 1884 and they relocated to
Rochester, New York. They named their new mill the R.T. French Company. Robert French died in 1893 and George became company president. George (who developed the
creamy yellow mustard) and another brother, Francis, introduced French's mustard in 1904. In 1926, French's was sold to
J. & J. Colman of the United Kingdom, a company that produced its own mustard brand and home care products such as
Lysol, Reckitt's Blue and
Brasso. In 1928, the
Atlantis Sales Corporation was formed as a subsidiary of R. T. French to handle sales and distribution of French's, Reckitt, and Colman products. Atlantis remained a separate entity through the 1950s. In 1960, French's purchased L.C. Forman and Sons Pickle Company of
Pittsford, New York. Forman produced a variety of pickle products, including a well-known
piccalilli relish. In 1965, French's introduced a new line of "Cattlemen’s"
barbecue sauce. The line was inaugurated with the trip of a horse-drawn "
chuck wagon" from
Buffalo, New York, across
upstate New York to
New York City and then to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in June, 1965. In 1970, the company purchased Widmer Wine Cellars of
Naples, New York. The winery was sold in 1983. In 1971 the company announced construction of a new plant in
Springfield, Missouri, which would "ultimately result in the termination of manufacturing operations in Rochester." The headquarters, however, was expected to remain. In 1985, the company sold its instant potato operations in
Shelley, Idaho, to
Pillsbury. In 1986, Reckitt & Colman acquired Durkee Famous Foods; in 1987 and consolidated headquarters in New Jersey. Durkee's French onions became French's crispy fried onions. In 1999, Reckitt & Colman merged with Benckiser NV to form
Reckitt Benckiser. In 2017,
McCormick & Company acquired French's from Reckitt Benckiser. For many years, the fictitious "Carol French" was the face of the company. Her name appeared on numerous recipes and cookbooks, the oldest of which may be
Dining Delights from 1948. ==Locations==