In 1790, George Washington was elected the first U.S. president, Thomas
Jefferson became the country's first secretary of state, and flour
imported to Boston from England marked the beginning of the King Arthur
Flour Company. The King Arthur Flour Company, now more than two hundred
years old, produces the flour of choice for millions, from beginning
home bakers to the world's top chefs, and has evolved into a one hundred
percent employee-owned company. King Arthur Flour Company illustrates
the history of America's oldest flour company (and New England's oldest
food company). King Arthur Flour was founded in Boston not far from Long
Wharf, where the flour was unloaded from merchant ships. Five
generations of the Sands family headed the company for almost two
centuries until the Employee Stock Ownership Plan was initiated in 1996.
Marketing at King Arthur Flour has always revolved around the icon of
the lone knight on his horse, and in 1896, a lone rider dressed as King
Arthur rode through Boston's streets atop a black stallion to advertise
the product. Another creative marketing campaign featured a white sound
truck, complete with a large pipe organ and an eight-foot statue of King
Arthur, roving through New York City streets.