Welch's The National Drink 1984 commemorative card

Welch's
THE WELCH GRAPE JUICE CO.
The National Drink

VINELAND, NJ
SEPT
24
1984
08360

*** OFFICIAL POSTMASTERS OF AMERICA COMMEORATIVE ISSUE ***

WELCH'S

In 1869 Thomas Bramwell Welch set out to develop an "unfermented wine" for use in his church's communion services.  His confidence in the outcome had been inspired by Louis Pasteur's discovery of the pasteurization process for milk. Welch began with grape juice, exactly as though he were about to amen wine. But rather than lay the bottles aside to ferment, he lowered them into boiling water long enough to kill the yeast organisms - just as Pasteur had done with milk. Weeks went by, and when the bottles were finally opened, they were found to contain a sweet grape juice without a hint of fermentation. On September 24, 1869 the Welch Grape Juice Co. was established in Vineland, New Jersey, and the drink was distributed commercially.

In 1872 Welch's son took over the family grape juice business.  In 1896 he moved to western New York's grape-growing region, and the following year he established company headquarters at Westfield, New York.

When Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan served Welch's Grape Juice at a diplomatic dinner, the refreshing juice became know as a substitute for alcoholic drinks. The Company's line of products soon expanded to include jams and jellies as well as other grape products. Today the company employees more than 1,200 people in six plants ind a is now headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, where the original Concord grape was developed by Ephraim Wales Bull.

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© 1984 FPS
Printed in U.S.A.