Some of the most American companies there are were started by people who had just arrived. Some of the founders had little English when they started. The following brands are so integral part of American society that asking where they come from seems strange. All were started or co-founded by immigrants, and it was hardly an exception in American business.
Levi Strauss
An immigrant from Bavaria, came to the U.S. in the 1840s and went west for the gold rush, selling dry goods before patenting riveted work trousers in 1873. The blue jean is perhaps the most American of all clothing items, having originated with a German-born merchant in San Francisco.
Procter & Gamble
William Procter, an English immigrant candlemaker and James Gamble, an Irish immigrant soapmaker, who happened to be sisters, founded the company in Cincinnati in 1837. The idea that the two competitors combine came from a father-in-law and the company, household goods giant, expanded from that.
Kohler
Founded in 1873 in Wisconsin by Austrian immigrant John Michael Kohler, the plumbing and kitchen brand is known worldwide. He started by putting an enamel finish on a cast-iron trough and dubbing it a “bathtub” and the business is still in the hands of the family.
Nordstrom
It was established in 1901 as a shoe store by Swedish immigrant John W. Nordstrom, who had raised some of the funds for the business by working in the Klondike Gold Rush. The department store chain grew from that single storefront.
Pfizer
It was founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, two cousins, a chemist and confectioner, of German decent who lived in Brooklyn. Their first product was an “intestine worm” treatment that was palatable, and that’s a long way from where the company got to.
Chobani
A more recent case. In 2005, Hamdi Ulukaya came from Turkey to purchase a closed up yogurt business in upstate New York and developed the brand that created Greek yogurt as an American staple. He has been vocal when it comes to the hiring of refugees.
Goya Foods
In Manhattan, Prudencio Unanue Ortiz, a Spanish immigrant, and his wife Carolina started the largest Hispanic-owned U.S. food firm in 1936. It became the staple of the Latino household pantry, nationwide.
Colgate
William Colgate, an English immigrant, was the founder of a soap and candle business in New York City in 1806, is the origin of the name. Decades later, his early venture became a toothpaste sold around the world.
Kraft
James L. Kraft, a Canadian immigrant who began selling cheese from a wagon in Chicago in 1903 and patented processed cheese, is the founder of the company. A category of American food essentially began with one immigrant and a rented horse.
