11 Popular Brands You Had No Idea Are 200+ Years Old

One fact that is not thought about often is how we have numerous brands at our fingertips. A simple search for the best baking, clothing, or shoe brand will yield dozens of results. While we may be familiar with numerous brand names, we may not give much thought to when exactly they were founded.

Many brands that began in the 1700s or 1800s are still in operation today and flourishing. These brands have become trusted tools and products that society goes back to time and time again. This list includes only a fraction of popular brands that are 200+ years old.

To create a list of brands that are 200+ years old, 24/7 Tempo consulted business websites, including Business News Daily and Yahoo Finance. Then, we cross-checked the information with each brand's official website, confirming the history, dates, and names.

Scroll down to read more about brands that are 200+ years old and are still around today. (After this article, read our list of popular brands you had no idea are over 100+ years old.)

• Founded In: 1764
• Founder(s): John Hannon and Dr. James Bakers

John Hannon was an Irish immigrant, and James Baker was a doctor and Harvard graduate. While in Dorchester, Boston, together, they began to import cocoa beans to make chocolate. In the 1760s, the two founded Hannon's Best Chocolate. Things seemed to be going great for the pair. However, in 1779, John Hannon took a trip to the West Indies to buy some more cocoa beans, and he never returned to the United States.

Hannon's grieving widow sold the company to James Baker, who renamed it The Baker Chocolate Company. He owned it until 1896 and then sold it to Forbes Syndicate. Forbes Syndicate did keep the name "The Baker Chocolate Company."

Now, the company is owned by Kraft Heinz. For years, this oldest-standing chocolate company has produced delicious chocolates. Whether you are looking for white or dark chocolate, coconut flakes, or cocoa, Baker's Chocolate is one of the largest chocolate brands in the nation.

• Founded In: 1795
• Founder(s): Jacob Beam

In 1795, Jacob Beam, the son of Nicholas Boehm, decided to start selling his dad's corn whiskey recipe. This was perhaps one of the best decisions he made. The first name for Jim Beam Whiskey was Old Jake Beam Sour Mash. Quickly, his whiskey became a local favorite.

When Jacob Beam's son, David Beam, took over the company, he expanded and renamed the distillery Old Tub. The more people were introduced to this local favorite whiskey, the more popular it became.

Business was booming, but in the 1920s, Prohibition forced the family to shut down the distillery. Thirteen years later, after Prohibition, Jim Beam rebuilt the distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. This rebuild only took 120 days. He earned the nickname "The Colonel and The Legend" and brought the famed brand back. The name of the whiskey distillery was changed to Colonel James B. Beam Bourbon, and since then, it has become the world's number-one bourbon.

The brand prides itself on innovation, taking chances, and moving towards the future. If it wasn't for the chances the Beam family has taken throughout the past 200+ years, the world's favorite bourbon may never have been known.

• Founded In: 1806
• Founder(s): William Colgate

Oral hygiene is an important way to care for yourself. Chances are you have heard of the toothpaste brand Colgate. However, did you know this brand, now known as the Colgate and Palmolive Company, is over 200 years old?

In 1806, Colgate began as a soap and candle business and got its meager start in New York City.

While this business's main focus was soap, it started selling aromatic toothpaste in jars in 1873 and introduced the collapsible toothpaste tube in 1896.

Worldwide, Colgate Palmolive sells products to more than 200 countries and territories. The company's focus is on personal, oral, and home care, and many of its products also focus on pet nutrition.

• Founded In: 1816
• Founder(s): Eliphalet Remington

This company's first rifle barrel was handcrafted by Eliphalet Remington while at his father's forge. From there, Remington took it to a local gunsmith to be manufactured into a flintlock rift.

Afterward, the company was moved to 200 acres next to the Erie Canal in Ilion, New York, becoming a popular rift-making business. Then, in 1856, the company became E. Remington & Sons. Although Remington has always been a trusted brand that sells ammunition, there are other products they are known for. In 1873, the very first Remington typewriter, invented by Christopher Sholes and Carlos Glidden, was produced by E. Remington & Sons.

• Founded In: 1780
• Founder(s): Robert Laird

In 1698, great, great, great, great, great Grandpa Bill settled down in Monmouth County. He was skilled in distilling and decided to use his skills and the resources at his disposal—apples. He created the applejack recipe, which was loved by family and friends.

According to the Laird & Company website, Robert Laird served under George Washington, who was also a fan of this applejack recipe. Washington asked for the recipe, and Laird decided to share it.

For a brief while, Laird & Company had to stop selling alcohol during Prohibition. Therefore, they kept their business afloat by selling other goods, such as apple sauce and cider. The ninth-generation and current president, Lisa Laird Dunn, currently runs the distillery. After 200+ years, Laird & Company is America's oldest distiller.

• Founded In: 1817
• Founder(s) James and John Harper

In 1817, two brothers decided to open a publishing house in New York City. This publishing house is now known as HarperCollins Publishers, and Harper Books is the publishing imprint.

HarperCollins Publishers has earned the oldest New York Publishing House title. Great writers such as Mark Twain, Dickens, and Harper Lee have gone through HarperCollins Publishers. This publishing house can boast numerous NY Times Bestsellers as well as Pulitzer Prize and Noble Prize Winners.

• Founded In: 1774
• Founder(s): Captain John Ames

Ames Tools is a well-known tool company that has been in business since 1774. It began with Captain James Ames creating a "mighty fine" shovel.

The Ames shovel journeyed through American history. It helped build fortifications for the War of 1812. Then, it joined in the innovation of a groundbreaking railroad. Traveled through the gold rush and helped build the Statue of Liberty pedestal, Panama Canal, and Hoover Dam.

Throughout the centuries, Ames Tools has acquired Closet Maid, True Temper, Harper, Razorback, Union Tools, and More. Through innovation and perseverance, Ames Tools has become a trusted tool brand that many families rely on.

• Founded In: 1818
• Founder(s): Henry Sands Brooks

In 1818, Henry Sands Brooks, well into his 40s, decided to open a humble store in his childhood home. This store was known as H. & D. H. Brooks & Co. and was located in NYC. Throughout the years, this store grew in recognition and class. Known for dressing innovative leaders and presidents in the most distinguished American style, you get the highest quality when shopping at Brooks Brothers.

When Henry Sands Brooks passed on, his son Henry Jr. took over the family business, and several years later, his younger brothers began to lead. From there, the name was changed to Brooks Brothers. After over 200 years of adapting to the times, changes, and creation, Brooks Brothers has rightfully earned the name of the oldest retail brand in America.

• Founded In: 1795
• Founder(s): Joseph Dixon and Son

Most Americans have encountered a pencil at some point. The famous yellow number two pencil has quite a history. In 1812, Joseph Dixon created his very first one.

Afterward, Dixon started the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company in Jersey City, New Jersey. Then, in 1873, Dixon took over the American Graphite Company, which was based in Ticonderoga, New York.

The yellow number 2 pencil many are familiar with came out in 1913. Throughout the years, the pencil has undergone many makeovers. Some had green plastic cardboard, others were unpainted brass. Many Ticonderoga models had oversized erasers, while others had no ferrule. In fact, there have been over 60 different Ticonderoga models. This pencil has seen many love notes, homework scribbles, and ample history in its time.

• Founded In: 1801
• Founder(s): Zenas Crane, John Willard, and Henry Wiswall

Crane Stationery Company prides itself on being 100 percent cotton paper and one of the oldest stationery businesses in America.

Stephen Crane opened his business five miles from Boston, Liberty Paper Mill. His company has always focused on individuality, patriotism, and enlightenment. One of Crane's very first customers was Paul Revere, who used Crane Stationery for banknotes.

When Stephen Crane's son, Zenas, took over the company, he moved Crane's Stationery to Dalton, Massachusetts. Crane's stationery has always been trusted for impeccable quality and has been used on government proclamations and banknotes.

• Founded In: 1790
• Founder(s): Henry Wood

The catchphrase for King Arthur Baking Co. is "Try it once, trust it always." Henry Wood began this flour company when he started importing flour from England. He opened the very first flour company in the United States in Boston.

Although King Arthur Baking Co. began as a flour company named Henry Wood & Company, it now sells many high-quality products. These include yeast, gluten-free products, specialty flour, and mixes.

In 1896, Henry Wood & Company was rebranded as King Arthur to showcase its important qualities, which included loyalty, honesty, and purity.

For centuries, King Arthur Baking Co. remained a top-selling brand; in 2004, it became employee-owned. Frank and Brinna Sands, the owners at the time, decided to retire, and in order to protect the product and its employees, they sold the company to the employees. This move showed how, for over 200 years, the company has remained loyal to its original purpose. (Curious about affordable U.S. brands? Read our list of the most fairly priced brands in the U.S.)