Smucker's Goober

Do you remember eating this as a kid? I remember slightly. This was always a treat product in our house. My mom didn't buy it very often. She always bought peanut butter and grape jelly. "Make your own Goober."

I bought this from Two Brothers in Montpelier for $1.00 a jar. My youngest daughter loves peanut butter and strawberry jelly. When making her peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches she has strict instructions. I have to apply the peanut butter and mix the strawberry jelly into the peanut butter. I absolutely cannot put the peanut butter on one slice of bread and the strawberry jelly on the other. "Mom, it just does not taste good that way. They have to be mixed." The solution, Goober strawberry....

While I was putting my groceries away, a salesman came to the door. I answered the door with a jar of Goober in my hand. He didn't even introduce himself, he automatically went into, "Oh my gosh, I haven't seen that in forever. I used to eat that when I was a kid." When he introduced himself, and told me why he stopped by the house (magazine sales), I told him I wasn't interested. I bet I could have sold him a jar of Goober though.

Did you know that there was an actual "Johnny Appleseed"? Yup, his name was John Chapman. He wandered the Ohio countryside sowing apple seeds and securing his place in American history.

Jerome Monroe Smucker used the fruit of Johnny Appleseed's trees to start his own business. Jerome Monroe Smucker started his business in a little town called Orrville, Ohio. He first started by pressing cider at a mill he opened in 1897. His pressed cider quickly turned into apple butter, which he sold from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Every crock of cider and apple butter was hand-signed by Jerome sealing his personal guarantee of quality.

What are we doing wrong today? Do we have to go back to horse-drawn wagons to produce a great quality product? Today it seems like a business will purchase a facility in hopes of being noticed, hoping they are strong enough to battle the God forsaken Wal Mart, and if their business does not boom, they close the doors. What ever happened to faithful business ethics, and placing customers, suppliers, and investors at top priority?

Jerome had the right idea when he started his business. He guaranteed his product to his customers. What kind of guaranteed product do you get from Wal Mart? The only thing they can guarantee is low prices. What about quality?

Before long J.M. Smucker's name became well known in its own right, as residents (faithful customers) throughout the region, and eventually the nation, came to associate the Smucker's name with wholesome, high quality fruit products. From the time when J.M. Smucker signed each and every crock of products he sold until today, the Smucker name has been a part of Smucker product packaging. It is still a guarantee of quality that has spanned FOUR generations of Smuckers. Now this is what I call a good solid family business. Way to go Smuckers!!