The Kraft food company began with the sale of cheese in 1903. Young J.L. Kraft began a wholesale cheese business in Chicago in 1903. He was always first in line so that he could select the finest and freshest cheeses available. The reputation of his cheeses became well-known to the local grocers who bought cheese from him.

He became one of the first to put a brand name on cheese - his own name - Kraft cheese. But J.L. Kraft was bothered by the differences in the taste of cheese from one day to the next as well as the difficulty in keeping it fresh. His real success came after he solved those problems.

Fresh and Consistent

After experimenting with mixtures of cheeses, Kraft found that if he heated and stirred the cheese and placed it in sterile containers, it would cool to a solid state and stay fresh longer. In 1915, Kraft cheese became a processed cheese product sold in four-ounce tins. Kraft quickly had to open several production facilities to keep up with the demand for this new product.

He was granted a patent for the "Process of Sterilizing Cheese and an Improved Product Produced by Such Process" in 1916. Finally, Kraft had succeeded in finding a way to produce a cheese product with a consistent quality and a long shelf life. The canned cheese product became a staple for the U.S. armed forces during World War I.

Since that time, Kraft cheese became known for food products that broke new ground. Velveeta was introduced in 1928 and quickly became popular for its quality as a cheese that would melt easily without separating. The Macaroni and Cheese Dinner became available in 1937 to the delight of children everywhere.

Kraft cheese introduced the first commercially packaged sliced process cheese in 1950. The very popular cheese spread, Cheez Whiz, made its way into markets in 1952. Today, it can be used in more than a 1,000 different ways. Kraft cheese also comes in various flavors including Bacon Cheddar, Roasted Garlic Cheddar, Pepperjack and Smoky Swiss and Cheddar.

New products include Kraft cheese Crumbles. The many lines of Kraft cheese together has resulted in Kraft Foods becoming today's largest manufacturer of cheese products in the world. Kraft Foods has also added food lines that don't contain cheese such as Miracle Whip dressing and yogurt. The child who has never tried some kind of Kraft cheese is rare indeed.