Fleischmann’s Yeast is a brand of yeast sold to both consumer and industrial markets in the United States and Canada. It is available in a number of different forms with various qualities and intended uses. Fleischmann’s is also a brand name of corn oil margarine. Common forms of yeast Fleischmann’s make are: cubes or "cakes" of compressed fresh yeast wrapped in foil, an original form of packaged yeast that is soft and perishable; packets of Active Dry Yeast, a shelf stable granular yeast invented by Fleischmann during WWII; packets of RapidRise yeast intended to reduce dough rising time by as much as fifty percent by bypassing the first rise; bread machine yeast, an instant yeast sold in a glass jar; and pizza crust yeast, an instant yeast packaged with dough relaxers intended to reduce the amount of time needed to make a fresh pizza crust. Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast is the best-known of their yeast products due to its innovative extended shelf life compared to fresh yeast. The brand is currently owned by Associated British Foods.
History
The company was founded by Hungarian JewsCharles Louis Fleischmann, his brother Maximilian, and James Gaff in Riverside, Cincinnati, in 1868. In 1924, the brothers' nephew Raoul Fleischmann, using the wealth generated by the family business, provided the funding for the launch of the New Yorker with his friend Harold Ross. Raoul invested $700,000 before the magazine became profitable, and he was the magazine's publisher until his death in 1969. In 1929, the company was merged into Standard Brands by J.P. Morgan, and that same year the company began the sponsorship of the musical variety radio program, The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour starring Rudy Vallée. Standard Brands merged with Nabisco Brands, Inc. in 1981. In 1986, RJR Nabisco sold Fleischmann's to the Australian company Burns Philp. Burns Philp sold its yeast business to Associated BritishFoods in 2004. In 1936, Consumer Reports disputed Fleischmann Yeast's advertising claims that it cured constipation and acne. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in March and for subsequent months, Fleischmann's failed completely to meet demand and Feischmann's yeast became largely unavailable.
