Kedem Winery is a
kosher food and beverage manufacturing and distribution company, incorporated in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
since 1958, established as Royal Wine Corporation in June 1948 and run by the Herzog family since 1958.
Kedem currently sells over a million cases of
kosher wine
Kosher wine () is wine that is produced in accordance with ''halakha'', and more specifically ''kashrut'', such that Jews will be permitted to pronounce blessings over and drink it. This is an important issue, since wine is used in several Jewi ...
and
grape juice annually, in sixteen countries worldwide. Formerly headquartered in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, it is now based in
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...
. Vineyards for wine and grape juice are based in
Marlboro, New York.
It is especially known for its grape juice and NY state wines, as well as Kedem Tea Biscuits.
Kedem Foods is a sister brand that also produces other food products, and has merged with Kenover Marketing and B&W Foods to form the largest kosher food conglomerate,
Kayco Kosher, which in turn owns other kosher food brands, such as
Manischewitz
Manischewitz (; ) is a brand of kosher products founded in 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and best known for its Matzah, matzo and kosher wine. It became a public corporation in 1923 but remained under family control until January 1991, when it was ...
, Hadar, and Gefen.
History
The Herzog family first operated a
winery in
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. The winery was the exclusive wine supplier to Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria, who granted Philip Herzog (1843-1918) the title of
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
. Though the wines for the emperor were not necessarily kosher wines, all of the other wines were produced under the full scrutiny of
kosher law.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Herzog winery was seized by the
Nazis
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
. The Herzogs, who stayed in hiding, immigrated to the United States after the
1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état. Living in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, Eugene Herzog—Philip's grandson—began working for the Royal Wine Corporation and part of his salary was paid in company shares. By 1958, he was a majority stockholder and purchased the company and started doing business under the name Kedem. The current CEO of Royal Wine Corporation is Mordechai Herzog.
Kedem wines are part of the Royal Wine Corporation, the largest importer of
Israeli wines and spirits in the US.,
which is in turn owned by KayCo, the largest Kosher food distributor.
See also
Bartenura wine
References
{{Reflist
External links
Kedem Winery Official Website
Wineries in New Jersey
Companies based in Hudson County, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Drink companies of the United States
Kosher wine