The Heartwarming Thing Paul Newman Did With The First Revenues From His Salad Dressing
In the salad dressing aisle of nearly every supermarket in the U.S., you will find a plethora of different brands. Although your doctor would probably recommend you search out the healthiest store-bought salad dressings, there are often so many to choose from. One of the most popular brands is called Newman's Own. With 27 dressings to choose from, there's a good chance you've enjoyed one of them on your salad at least once. Tantalizing flavors such as Lemon Basil Vinaigrette and Raspberry Walnut tempt you to reach for them on the shelf, but there's a bigger story to Newman's Own.
According to the New York Times, the history of late actor Paul Newman's eponymous salad dressing starts in the basement of Newman's home in Connecticut in 1980. Newman and a friend mixed a vat of homemade salad dressing using a canoe paddle and gave it away to friends as a joke. It might not be the most sanitary cooking method, but it makes for a great story.
Before long, the dressing was being made commercially. By 1982, a single flavor of the salad dressing made hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue the first year it appeared on store shelves (via Taste Cooking). Newman had a hunch that he was onto something and made a radical decision that touched millions of people's lives.
Giving it all away
Paul Newman had an illustrious career even before his first bottle of salad dressing was created. According to IMDb, Newman worked on well over 100 movies as an actor, producer, or director, and he was also a semi-professional racecar driver. He was known for his humility and generosity and avoided what he called "noisy philanthropy (per Town & Country).
Despite his original objections, Newman's face — drawn by artist Ellen Griesedieck – has graced the label of every bottle of Newman's Own salad dressing since 1982 and still does today, continuing long after the actor's death in 2008 at age 83. The tagline "Let's Give It All Away" was later added to the labels, but the sentiment was there from the beginning. In fact, "The Hustler" actor insisted that every cent of profit from Newman's Own food products was to be given to charity. This has continued since the company was founded.
Recognizing the growing trend of organic foods, Newman's daughter, Nell, started an offshoot of the company in 1993 called Newman's Own Organic that continued the charitable mission her father started 11 years earlier (via Newman's Own). The organic line of foods — and donations — continue to this day.
Paul Newman's legacy
According to Vanity Fair, upon Paul Newman's death in 2008, both Newman's Own, the food company, and Newman's Own Foundation, a private charitable organization through which the food company donates its earnings, fell under the control of Robert H. Forrester, a former adviser to the late actor. According to the International Business Times, Forrester appeared intent on continuing Newman's legacy.
However, Newman's daughters later became concerned about the intentions of their father's successor and openly questioned his dedication to the "give it all away" mantra. Forrester eventually stepped down from his role in 2019 after allegations of improper conduct surfaced (per Los Angeles Times), and the foundation was turned over to social entrepreneur Miriam Nelson, whose after-school nutrition project received a grant from Newman's Own (via Forbes). In late 2022, Nelson announced that she was stepping down and a new CEO would be appointed (per Westfair Online).
As of December 2022, Newman's Own has given over $600 million to 272 charities (per PR Newswire). The profits from Paul Newman's cookbook were even given to charity. Newman's Own Foods has streamlined its products to five categories: food, beverages, pet food, snacks, and organic foods, but they're still honoring Paul Newman's founding commitment and continuing his legacy of generosity. They're still "giving it all away."