Reddi-Wip is an American brand of
sweetened
{{Wiktionary, sweetener
A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Many artificial sweeteners have been ...
whipped cream
Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, and ...
propelled from its container by
nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has ...
. It is produced by
Conagra Brands and is sold in varieties such as Original, Extra Creamy,
Fat Free
Diet food (or dietetic food) refers to any food or beverage whose recipe is altered to reduce fat, carbohydrates, and/or sugar in order to make it part of a weight loss program or diet. Such foods are usually intended to assist in weight loss or ...
, Zero Sugar, and
Barista
A barista (; ; from the Italian/Spanish for "bartender") is a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.
Etymology and inflection
The word ''barista'' comes from Italian where it means a male ...
. In 2019, two new plant-based varieties, Non-Dairy
Coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or ...
and Non-Dairy
Almond, were released. Both products are
dairy-free and
plant-based.
Reddi-Wip was packaged in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, by Hunt-Wesson Foods and
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company founded in 1894. In 1987, its international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney, creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of ...
at Brookhill Farms Dairy until 1982, when operations were moved to
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (formerly known locally as the Black R ...
, and later sold to Conagra Brands. In 2007, Conagra relocated the production of Reddi-Wip to its
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...
facility.
Reddi-Wip remains one of Conagra Brands' major brands
and is the second most eaten brand of
whipped topping in the United States behind
Cool Whip
Cool Whip is an American brand of imitation whipped cream, referred to as a '' whipped topping'' by its manufacturer, Kraft Heinz. It is used in North America as a topping for desserts, and in some no-bake pie recipes as a convenience food or ing ...
.
History
During the
food rationing era of World War II, Aaron S. "Bunny" Lapin
invented Sta-Whip as a cream substitute using
vegetable oil
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, ...
.
In 1948, he invented Reddi-Wip in collaboration with Aaron Block, using real
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
. They developed a new
valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
more suitable for dispensing whipped cream, with
fluting to create a pattern and a tilt-to-open design that preserves the propellant. Other similar products were on the market at the time, including the non-dairy
Rich's Whip Topping
Rich Products Corporation (also known as Rich's) is a privately held multinational food products corporation headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company was founded in 1945 by Robert E. Rich, Sr. after his development of a non-dairy whipped t ...
and Delsoy Presto Whip, which were developed at
Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of ...
's
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu ...
laboratories.
Delsoy Presto Whip was packed in pressurized cans that had been developed for military
insecticide sprays during the war.
Lapin applied and received a patent for "dispensing valves for gas pressure containers". He achieved national
distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
*Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
*Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
in 1954, selling his company in 1963. In 1968,
Hunt-Wesson acquired Reddi-Wip from Marcus Lipsky, Lapin's brother-in-law. Lipsky was an associate of Chicago mobster
Ross Prio
Ross Prio (born Rosario Priolo) (d. 1972) was a Chicago mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit criminal organization from the 1930s until the early 1970s, when he died of natural causes.
Early years
Born in Sicily, Prio was brought ...
.
In 1983, then Reddi-Wip brand owner
Hunt-Wesson Foods briefly experimented with
amaretto and
butterscotch
Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter, but other ingredients are part of some recipes, such as corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt. The earliest known recipes, in mid-19th century Yorkshir ...
flavors.
Norton-Simon merged with
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company founded in 1894. In 1987, its international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney, creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of ...
in 1985 and was subsequently acquired in 1990 by
Conagra
Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...
, Norton-Simon's corporate heir.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddi-Wip
Products introduced in 1948
Brand name dairy products
Conagra Brands brands
Milk substitutes