The other day I was using Kingsford Charcoal to grill hamburgers and hot dogs, little realizing that there was more to the Kingsford brand, including its connection with a well-known car manufacturer in the 1920s and 30s.
You heard that right. The history of Kingsford Charcoal Briquets and a car manufacturer go hand in hand.
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that middle-class Americans could afford, he converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into an accessible conveyance that would profoundly impact the landscape of the 20th century. From Wikipedia
Wikipedia gives an adequate summary of Henry Ford, but there is so much more to the man than the Ford Motor Brand and the assembly line system that he formed. There is also charcoal.
While Ford cannot claim the title of inventor or patentor of the Charcoal Briquettes, that distinction goes to Ellesworth B. A. Zwoyer, who patented the first briquettes in 1897, Ford was the first to commercial market the product. But why? Why would a man who was involved in the auto industry have anything to do with charcoal?
It’s simple. It comes down to cost and the environment. Henry Ford was at heart a businessman, but he also sought to make good use of everything that went into the building his cars. One of those things was wood. About 100 board feet of wood went into every Model T Ford. From the Steering wheel to the dash, the frame, etc.
The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, ahead of the BMC Mini, Citroën DS, and Volkswagen Type 1. Ford’s Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the United States age of modernization. With 16.5 million sold, it stood eighth on the top ten list of most sold cars of all time, as of 2012. – wikipedia)
Ford wanted to own a source of wood, so he would not be at the mercy of suppliers or every fluctuating costs. Henry Ford had a cousin who was married to Edward G. Kingsford, a Real Estate agent in Michigan. Kingsford was able to help Ford obtain a stretch of timberland, the Iron Mountain, in Michigan, to be exact.
The trees were cut and sent to the sawmill Ford built in Iron Mountain, before the wood was shipped to the assembly line in Michigan.
But something bothered Henry Ford. In addition to being a clever businessman, Ford was also a lover of nature, but that is a story for another time, and it bothered him to see so much wasted wood in his sawmill. There were lots of leftover stumps, branches, and loads of sawdust. It was during a camping trip that Ford is said to have realized he could make charcoal from the scrap wood and dust in his sawmill.
Ford’s friend, Thomas Edison, designed the briquette factory adjacent to the sawmill, and it was Kingsford who ran the operation.
Originally the product was sold exclusively through Ford Dealerships, and by the mid-1930s, Ford was even selling “Picnic Kits” that contained charcoal and a portable grill.
Following Ford’s death, Henry Ford the Second sold the Charcoal business in 1951 to an investment group who renamed the business Kingsford Charcoal in honor of Edward G. Kingsford.
So the next time you strike a match and light your charcoal Briquet, whether they are Kingsford or another brand, remember you have Henry Ford to thank for marketing the Charcoal Briquets.
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