King Corn

King Corn was factory bread and the first branded bread. It was for sale from 1965 to the mid 70s. King Corn was a Dutch product. The bread was very popular. This was partly due to the good marketing and communication. Advertisements appeared in newspapers, magazines and television. Can you remember the television commercials with 'Japie'? This advertisement featured a cute little boy who wanted to live with Japie because they ate King Corn at home. There were only two television networks and children barely found in advertising at that time. Several commercial videos have been made with Sebo Woldringh, as the boy was called. The slogan “the only thing you throw away is the packaging” you probably know too. I still really like the advertising videos to watch.

King Corn was known for staying fresh for a long time. Or not fresh, but soft. There was a lot of fat and sugar in the bread. King Corn had the time, as more and more supermarkets were on the rise where the bread could be sold. This was of course at the expense of the bakers. Best known was King Corn's Swedish white bread, but there was also casino and brown bread. Due to the success of King Corn, more similar brands appeared, such as Royal Scholten Honig and Bums. This created competition. Over time, people wondered if the bread was healthy. This changed the image. There were even room questions asked about it back then. Director Molenaar, however, claimed that there were only natural ingredients in the bread. Increasingly, bakery departments appeared in supermarkets where bread could be baked and where slicers were used to cut the bread on the spot. This marked the end of King Corn. 

If you like to see the commercials again, watch these videos. The latter features an interview with Sebo Woldringh, who was the boy in advertising.

Source: bakkerswereld.nl

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