Colgate

Corporate Background

Colgate began in 1806, when William Colgate, an English immigrant, set up a starch, soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City. In 1807, Frances Smith was made a partner and the firm became Smith and Colgate. In 1813, Colgate bought out his partner, and the name was changed to William Colgate and Company, (http://www.colgate.co.uk/about/history.shtml).

The first Colgate advertisement for soap, mould, and dipt candles appeared in 1817. A few years later, Colgate and his brother-in-law, John Gilbert, built a starch factory in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1947, the Dutch Street factory was moved there, yet the business office remained on Dutch Street. At that time, the principal products were Windsor Toilet Soaps and Pearl Starch. In 1857, Colgate died, and the company name changed to Colgate & Company.

The company introduced perfumed soap and began manufacturing of perfumes and essences in 1866. Six years later, the first milled perfumed toilet soap, Cashmere Bouquet, was registered as a trademark. Almost 70 years after the company's founding, Colgate & Company produced its first toothpaste, an aromatic dental cream that was sold in jars.

In 1896, the company introduced the first collapsible toothpaste tube, making toothpaste much more convenient to use.

In 1864, B.J Johnson Soap Company was founded. In 1898, the company introduced Palmolive Soap, a product that was so successful it prompted B.J Johnson to change its name to the Palmolive Company 1916.

By the time Colgate & Company celebrated its 100th anniversary, they were manufacturing dental care products, laundry soaps, 160 different kinds of toilet soap and 625 varieties of perfume. In 1906, the company launched a plant expansion at its Jersey City site, where a new 8-story factory opened.