View source for Newman's Own

{{Short description|American food company named after Paul Newman}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Newman's Own
| logo = Newmans Own Logo.png
| type = Private
| founded = {{start date and age|1982}}
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|[[Paul Newman]]|[[A. E. Hotchner]]}}
| hq_location_city = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
| hq_location_country = U.S.
| key_people = Alex Amouyel (President and CEO)
| products = Various food and pet food products
| website = {{official URL}}
}}

'''Newman's Own''' is an American food company headquartered in [[Westport, Connecticut]]. Founded in 1982 by actor [[Paul Newman]] and author [[A. E. Hotchner]], the company donates all of its after-tax [[Profit (accounting)|profits]] to charity through '''Newman's Own Foundation''', a private [[Nonprofit organization|nonprofit]] foundation that supports child-focused programs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ctinsider.com/business/article/newmans-own-kids-hunger-charity-17322573.php | title=Newman’s Own renews focus on ‘radically good’ change for children’s health and hunger | website=CT Insider | date=July 22, 2022 | access-date=2023-05-05}}</ref>

==History==
The brand started in 1982 with a homemade salad dressing that Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner prepared themselves and gave to friends as gifts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E4D91238F935A25752C1A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=From Paul Newman's Own Company, $250,000 for Neediest |work=New York Times |author=Nadine Brozan |date=22 December 1989 |access-date=2008-09-30}}</ref> The successful reception of the salad dressing led Newman and Hotchner to commercialize it for sale, financing it with $20,000 each as seed money.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFDC1138F930A35757C0A967958260 |title=  New Salsa Is True to Newman's Own Taste |work=New York Times |author=Florence Fabricant |date=3 April 1991 |access-date=2008-09-30}}</ref><ref name="Burr">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/09/28/blue_eyed_idol_put_an_indelible_stamp_on_movies_philanthropy/?page=full |title=Blue-eyed idol put an indelible stamp on movies, philanthropy |work=Boston Globe |author=Ty Burr |date=28 September 2008 |access-date=2008-10-01}}</ref> Afterward, they also produced spaghetti sauce, lemonade, popcorn, [[juice|fruit cocktail juices]], frozen pizza, [[salsa (sauce)|salsa]], grape juice, and several other products. Newman's Own premium wines was launched in 2008.<ref>[http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080130005289&newsLang=en Businesswire.com]</ref><!--The sketch of Newman that is found on the labels of each product bottle was created by a young fan from Boston. While Newman was filming ''[[The Verdict]]'' in the area, a young girl gave him a sketch which she had drawn, and it has been used ever since.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} --> Each label features a picture of Newman, dressed in a different costume to represent the product.  The company incorporated humor into its label packaging, as in the label for its first [[salad dressing]] in 1982, "Fine Foods Since February".<ref name="Burr" /> Many of the stories on the food labels were made up.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Debra|date=2017-08-10|title=The untold truth of Newman's Own|url=https://www.mashed.com/79646/untold-truth-newmans/|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Mashed.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Newman's Own cookies.jpg|thumb|Newman-O's cookies made by Newman's Own]]
In 1993, Newman's daughter [[Nell Newman]] founded Newman's Own Organics as a division of the company, later to become a separate company in late 2001.<ref name=aboutnell>{{cite web|publisher=Newman's Own Organics |title=Nell's Corner - About Nell |url=http://www.newmansownorganics.com/nells_corner_bio.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121123415/http://www.newmansownorganics.com/nells_corner_bio.html |access-date=21 July 2015 |archive-date=2014-11-21 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It produced [[organic foods]], including chocolate, cookies, pretzels and pet food. Her father posed with her for the photographs on the labels.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E7DB1F3FF935A35757C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=Food Notes |work=New York Times |author=Florence Fabricant |date=6 April 1994 |access-date=2008-09-30}}</ref> In 2014, Nell's license with Newman's Own was not renewed, and Newman's Own Organics was transferred back to Newman's Own.<ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Mark Seal |title=Inside the Family Battle for the Newman's Own Brand Name |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/07/paul-newmans-own-family-feud-susan-newman |magazine=Vanity Fair |publisher=Conde Nast |access-date=November 2, 2018 |date=July 23, 2015}}</ref>

Newman and Hotchner co-wrote a memoir about their company and the [[Hole in the Wall Gang Camp]]s, ''Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good'' ({{ISBN|0-385-50802-6}}), published in 2003.  Newman and CEO Robert Forrester arranged for the continuation of the distribution of Newman's Own profits to charity after Newman's death through the establishment of the Newman's Own Foundation.<ref name="Haigh" />

Following Newman's death in 2008, control of the company and foundation passed to CEO Robert Forrester. After taking over, Forrester expanded and diversified the company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40410785/how-the-ceo-of-newmans-own-carries-on-an-unconventional-legacy|title=How The CEO Of The Newman's Own Foundation Carries On An Unconventional Legacy|date=April 4, 2017|publisher=www.fastcompany.com|access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref> Newman's daughter, Susan, has alleged that Forrester had taken her family "hostage" and pushed them off the board of the Newman's Own Foundation, the body set up to distribute company profits to charitable causes. Forrester said that the company and foundation are continuing to be operated in accordance with the late Paul Newman's expressed wishes.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Seal|first1=Mark|title=Inside the Family Battle for the Newman's Own Brand Name|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/07/paul-newmans-own-family-feud-susan-newman|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> Forrester's salary increased from $185,000 to $295,000 from 2010 to 2013. Forrester was fired in 2019 as a result of an internal review following allegations of inappropriate behavior, and the board appointed Jennifer Smith Turner as interim president and CEO.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Altimari|first=Dave|title=Newman's Own CEO Bob Forrester removed following internal investigation |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-newmans-own-ceo-fired-20190709-k3xugmlzmnemzjh6zwgtuda32i-story.html|access-date=2020-10-19|website=courant.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lynandro Simmons|date=2019-07-11|title=Ousted Newman's Own CEO made $270K per year|url=https://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/news/article/Ousted-Newman-s-Own-CEO-made-270K-per-year-14087948.php|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Fairfield Citizen|language=en-US}}</ref> In January 2020, [[Miriam E. Nelson|Dr. Miriam Nelson]] took over those roles, and the board finalized the positions in January 2021.<ref>{{cite press release|author=Newman's Own Foundation|title=Miriam Nelson named President and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation|url=https://newmansown.org/miriam-nelson-named-ceo-of-newmans-own-foundation/|date=2021-01-12|access-date=2023-05-05}}</ref> The current President and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation, as of April 2023, is Alex Amouyel.<ref>{{cite web|author=Phil Hall|title=Alex Amouyel named chief executive at Newman’s Own Foundation|url=https://westfaironline.com/nonprofits/alex-amouyel-named-chief-executive-at-newmans-own-foundation/|date=2023-03-02|access-date=2023-12-28|website=Westfair Business Journal}}</ref>

==Charitable funding and beneficiaries==
According to the Newman's Own Foundation website, over $600 million has been generated for charity since 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newmansown.org/|title=Homepage}}Newman's Own Foundation</ref> In 2016, the company donated profits of $30 million after gross sales of $600 million.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tom Cunneff|title=Hollywood icon's 'lark' nears half billion in charity, but some family isn't applauding|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/24/hollywood-icons-lasting-role-newmans-own-nears-a-huge-milestone.html|publisher=CNBC|date=24 March 2017}}</ref> The company co-sponsored the [[PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award]], which was presented annually to a United States resident who had fought courageously, despite adversity, to safeguard the First Amendment right to freedom of expression as it applied to the written word.

A sampling of grantees is available at the Newman's Own Foundation website<ref>{{cite web| url=https://newmansown.org/impact/organizations/|title=Organizations|date=2023}} Newman's Own Foundation</ref> along with a description of funding areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newmansown.org/mission/|title=Mission|date=2023}} Newman's Own Foundation</ref>  One beneficiary of this charity is the [[SeriousFun Children's Network]] (previously the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps), residential [[summer camps]] and programs for seriously ill children, which Newman co-founded in 1988. Today, there are camps, programs, and initiatives operating across five continents. Over 1.5 million camp experiences have been provided to children and families free of charge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://seriousfun.org/about/impact/|title=Impact}} seriousfun.org</ref>  While proceeds from Newman's Own helped finance the startup of the first camp, the network and its member camps now receive funding from many other sources. Additionally, Newman's Own Foundation also provided a grant to [[The MINDS Foundation]] to fund US operations of the non-profit that works in rural India.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Supporters|url=http://www.mindsfoundation.org/get-involved/our-supporters/|website=The MINDS Foundation|access-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> Other beneficiaries of the profits from Newman's Own have included The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund (from 1983 onwards),<ref name="Gertner">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE5DE1F31F931A15751C1A96F948260 |title=Newman's Own: Two Friends and a Canoe Paddle |work=New York Times |author=Jon Gertner |date=16 November 2003 |access-date=2008-09-30}}</ref> Shining Hope for Communities,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-roth/opportunity-engagement-an_b_1200587.html?view=screen |title=Opportunity, Engagement and Confidence: Cures for the Civic Recession |work=Huffington Post |author=Michael Roth |date=11 January 2012 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> [[Safe Water Network]],<ref name="Haigh">{{cite news |url=http://ibtimes.com/articles/20080929/newman-planned-for-charitable-legacy-after-death.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423232603/http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/20080929/newman-planned-for-charitable-legacy-after-death.htm |title=Newman planned for charitable legacy after death |work=International Business Times |author=Susan Haigh |archive-date=2012-04-23 |date=29 September 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=2019-09-12}}</ref> [[Edible Schoolyard]] NYC,<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=397900028 |title=Newman's Own Foundation Awards $4 Million for Nutrition Programs |work=Philanthropy News Digest |date=28 October 2012 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> [[Fisher House Foundation]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/fisher-house-in-pittsburgh-welcomes-ailing-veterans-families-664970/ |title=Fisher House in Pittsburgh welcomes ailing veterans' families |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |author=Michael A. Fuoco |date=5 December 2012 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> the WILD Young Women Programme (New Zealand),<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/rosa-counselling-trust-helps-teenage-girls/1350566/ |title=US charity helps fund programme for Auckland teens |work=The Aucklander |author=Rebecca Blithe |date=20 April 2012 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> and Pilgrims Hospices (UK).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/paul_newman_charity_to_fund_research_by_kent_s_pilgrims_hospices_1_1440374 |title=Paul Newman charity to fund research by Kent's Pilgrims Hospices |work=KentNews.co.uk |author=Chris Murphy |date=15 July 2012 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> Newman's Own has also contributed to the advancement of the study and teaching of philanthropy at institutions like [[Marist University]], where [[Raymond A. Lamontagne]] was designated the first Paul Newman Senior Fellow in Philanthropy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prominent Philanthropist Lamontagne is First Paul Newman Senior Fellow in Philanthropy at Marist |url=https://www.marist.edu/w/news-prominent-philanthropist-lamontagne-is-first |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=Marist University |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2025, Newman's Own launched a campaign encouraging more companies to adopt its model of donating 100% of profits to charitable causes. The initiative highlighted the brand's long-standing commitment to philanthropy and called on other corporations to embed social impact into their business models.<ref>{{cite news |title=Newman's Own invites more companies to donate 100% of their profits to charities |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2025-01-23/newmans-own-invites-more-companies-to-donate-100-of-their-profits-to-charities
 |work=U.S. News & World Report |date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-09-08}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|journal=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/07/paul-newmans-own-family-feud-susan-newman|title=Inside the family battle for the Newman's Own brand name|last=Seal|first=Mark|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=23 July 2015}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://newmansown.com/}}
*[http://newmansown.org/ Newman's Own Foundation]

{{Paul Newman}}
{{Salad dressings|state=collapsed}}

{{portal bar|Food}}

[[Category:Food manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1982]]
[[Category:Salad dressings]]
[[Category:Social enterprises]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies based in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Companies based in Westport, Connecticut]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Condiment companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Privately held companies based in Connecticut]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1982]]
[[Category:Pasta sauce brands]]
[[Category:Paul Newman]]