Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Philadelphia Cream Cheese was invented in 1872 by William Lawrence, a dairyman from Chester, New York, who accidentally created a richer, more spreadable cheese by adding too much cream to a batch of Neufchâtel cheese. Despite its name, the product was not marketed as 'Philadelphia Cream Cheese' until 1880, when Lawrence partnered with A.L. Reynolds, a cheese distributor in New York, to sell larger quantities of the cheese. The name 'Philadelphia' was chosen due to the region's reputation for high-quality dairy farms and creamier cheese products. Over the years, the brand underwent several ownership changes, including being acquired by the Phenix Cheese Company in 1903 and merging with Kraft in 1928 to form the Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company. Today, Philadelphia Cream Cheese is owned by Kraft Heinz, a global food company headquartered in the United States. The brand is produced in multiple countries to meet global demand.