Philadelphia Cream Cheese is a brand of
cream cheese
Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...
. It is one of the best selling brands of cream cheese worldwide, first produced in 1872 and is currently owned by
Kraft Heinz
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), commonly known as Kraft Heinz, is an American multinational food company formed by the merger of Kraft Foods and Heinz co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Kraft Heinz is the third-largest food and beverage ...
.
Origin
Despite its name, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was invented in
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
, not
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. In 1872 William Lawrence, a dairyman from
Chester, New York, attempted to make
Neufchâtel, a tangy, crumblier cheese product that was popular in Europe at the time. Instead he accidentally added an excessive amount of cream and created a richer, more spreadable cheese, which would eventually be called "cream cheese". It was not marketed as "Philadelphia Cream Cheese" until 1880. That year, Lawrence partnered with A.L. Reynolds, a cheese distributor in New York to sell larger quantities of cream cheese. At the time, Philadelphia, PA, and the surrounding area had a reputation for its high-quality dairy farms and creamier cheese products, so they decided to use the name "Philadelphia" on the foil-wrapped blocks of their cream cheese. The company went through some changes over the years and the trademarked Philadelphia name was sold to the Phenix Cheese Company in
South Edmeston, New York. In 1928, Phenix merged with Kraft to form the Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company. Philadelphia Cream Cheese has remained a staple product in the average household and in many eateries and bagel shops worldwide.
Products
Philadelphia is best known for its plain cream cheese spread as well as its various other flavors. Aside from cream cheese spreads, the brand also sells dips and ready-to-eat desserts. A list of products below (some served in different sized tub containers and brick-shaped packages):
Spreads
*Original Cream Cheese (plain cream cheese)
*Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
*Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese
*Chive & Onion Cream Cheese
*Blueberry Cream Cheese
*Original Whipped Cream Cheese
*Strawberry Cream Cheese
*Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese
*Honey Pecan Cream Cheese
*Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese
*Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
*Spicy Jalapeno Cream Cheese
*Pineapple Cream Cheese
*Mixed Berry Whipped Cream Cheese
*Bacon Cream Cheese
*Peach Cream Cheese
*Olive with Red Bell Pepper Cream Cheese
*Milk Chocolate Cream Cheese
*Caramel White Chocolate Limited Edition Cream Cheese
Snacks
*Cheesecake Crumble Original Cheesecake Desserts with Graham Crumble
*Jalapeno Cheddar Cream Cheese Dip with Tortilla Chips
*Spinach & Artichoke Cream Cheese Dip with Pita Chips
*Key Lime Cheesecake Snacks
References
External links
*
{{Kraft Foods Group
Cream cheeses
Kraft Foods brands
1872 introductions