Newman’s Own Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Launch of Salad Dressing

Westport, CT – Monday, August 27th will mark the 30th anniversary of when Paul Newman, the late actor and philanthropist, began selling his first product, Newman’s Own salad dressing. On this day in 1982, 500 cases of Newman’s Own salad dressing were shipped to Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, Connecticut, the first retailer to sell Newman’s Own products.

• The salad dressing was an immediate hit and within the first year of business, Newman’s Own generated over $300,000 in profits, all of which went to charity.

• Paul Newman believed in sharing his good fortune with those in need. He never accepted any personal compensation from Newman’s Own, and he donated every penny he earned from the sale of Newman’s Own products to charity. Since that time, all profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own products have gone to charitable organizations.

• To date, over $350 million have been donated to thousands of charitable organizations worldwide.

• Paul Newman created his first batch of salad dressing in his Westport, CT home, filling wine bottles in his basement and giving them to friends and neighbors as holiday gifts. When friends came clamoring for more, Newman was encouraged to bottle the dressing and sell it.

• After the launch of salad dressing, Newman’s Own branched out to other all-natural products, such as pasta sauce, lemonade, salsa, popcorn, and most recently, frozen pizza and frozen skillet meals.

• Newman’s Own has more than 100 varieties of Newman’s Own products available today. The products are sold in many countries around the world, including Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

• Back in 1982, Paul Newman went against conventional wisdom by creating all-natural food products and giving 100% of the profits to charity. Newman’s Own was a unique business model when it started. There is now a rising tide of similar social business enterprises, and many organizations cite Paul Newman and Newman’s Own as sources of inspiration.

• Newman’s Own Foundation was established by Paul Newman in 2005 as a private, independent foundation, to continue his legacy of giving all profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own products to charity. The foundation provides grants to approximately 750 organizations each year.

• Newman’s Own Foundation focuses on four primary areas when providing grants. They include: Nutrition, Children with Life-Limiting Conditions, Empowerment, and Encouraging Philanthropy.

• In recognition of 30th anniversary, Newman’s Own Foundation has made a commitment to donate $30 million to charity in 2012, the largest amount the foundation has donated in single year.

• At the outset of his business, Paul Newman was asked how long an organization like his can last when it gives all the profits away to charity. Newman said, “I don't know. It's going to be an interesting experiment.” Thirty years later, with more than $350 million donated to charity, no one can argue that it has been an “interesting experiment” and an incredible success.

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Jan Schaefer

203-702-4768

jschaefer@newmansownfoundation.org

Maggie Carril

212-691-2800
carril@sunshinesachs.com

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