The women who built Betty Crocker
How Betty Crocker began
In 1921, Gold Medal Flour featured a puzzle advertisement on the back of The Saturday Evening Post inviting consumers to send in the completed puzzle to receive a free Gold Medal Flour pincushion in return.
But Washburn-Crosby, our predecessor company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, didn’t just receive the completed puzzles; they were flooded with thousands of baking questions from consumers.
The Advertising Department decided they needed a female persona to respond to the questions.
And that is how Betty Crocker was born.
The name Crocker came from a recently retired company director and Betty was chosen simply because it sounded friendly.
What happened next is a story of women, who in many ways were ahead of their time. Women who created, embodied and led Betty Crocker into the future.
Loading component...
[Photo of the first Washburn-Crosby Home Service Department, 1920s]
Ruth Hayes Carpenter
Ruth Hayes Carpenter was hired in 1921 to create the Home Service Department. While she was not a home economist, she had administrative experience and hired a team of 25 young home economists to build out the team.
The first task of these women was to host cooking schools across the U.S. They traveled across the country sharing recipes, cooking tips and promoting the quality of Gold Medal Flour.
Loading component...
[Agnes White developed the format for the cooking school and would later become Betty Crocker's voice on the West Coast, 1920s]
Blanche Ingersoll
Blanche Ingersoll, who was a journalist and home economist, was responsible for developing the first radio scripts for Betty's cooking demonstrations over the airwaves.
In early October 1924, she was the first voice of Betty Crocker. Initially, there were doubts that women would listen to a radio program. But very quickly, letters from across the Midwest poured in for Betty.
Her voice on the air was like the woman next door dropping in for a morning visit to share a new recipe. Women in the company’s Home Service Department personally answered each one, signing Betty Crocker.
Loading component...
[Florance Lindeberg wrote the original signature, and each letter writer was taught to imitate it.]
Loading component...
[Baking Secrets by Radio advertisement in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1924]
Loading component...
Loading component...
[Marjorie Child Husted wanted to be remembered as a person who made Betty Crocker a symbol of service. She won several achievements over her career including being the first businesswoman to win the "Woman of the Year Award" in 1949. Image circa 1944.]
Loading component...
[Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook launched in 1950 and instantly became a best seller. They are currently on the 12th edition.]
Loading component...
Loading component...
[Janette Kelley oversaw many firsts as the director of the Home Service Department.]
Loading component...
Loading component...
[The original recipe for Chiffon cake was developed by Harry Baker, in which he used a secret ingredient - salad oil. After extensive testing in the Betty Crocker Kitchens, the new recipe debuted. This ad is from 1948.]
Loading component...
[This 1948 ad featured women of the Home Service Department and included their title and universities that they attended.]
Betty Crocker Today
100 years later, Betty Crocker continues to be a beloved household name, inspiring diverse bakers and culinary enthusiasts across the world.
And it’s thanks to the many women, past and present, for her continued success.
