The Heckers brand was first created in 1842, by brothers John and George Hecker.  They began as Hecker & Brother, a small mill just outside of New York city, on the Hudson River.  Due to their central location, there was no need to pay the exorbitant costs that came with trans-continental, and even trans-regional shipping, so they could sell their flour at as much as three dollars less than most.  It was thanks to this that their business was an immediate success, but not why it was a success in the long-term.

In 1843 the brothers opened up Croton Flour Mills in Manhattan.  At this time, the industrial revolution was coming to an end, but George Hecker remained quite innovative, and his flour mill was proof of that.  It used mill stones, not the newer method of roller milling, which was a process that would not arrive in the United States until 1860, and a technology that Croton Mills would not adopt until the 1870’s.  That is not to say, however, that Croton flour mills was not using some of the most advanced technology of the time.  George Hecker embraced industrial advances, in fact, Croton Mills was the first to use bands made of gutta percha in their machinery instead of leather.  As well they used one of the most advanced boiler systems of the time.

The mill employed seventy people and was able to produce an abnormally large amount of flour and Farina, a cereal marketed with the Heckers brand.  Unfortunately, in 1846 the mill caught fire and was burnt down along with eighteen other buildings.  Newspaper articles of the time say that the fire was caused by the fine wheat dust in the air of the mill catching fire due to sparking machinery.  Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the fire, and Croton Flour Mills was rebuilt later that year.  Information about the mill is not featured in this artifact, but its name is written as many as four times on each package depicted in the booklet, and an image of the mill is also printed on every package.  Without their own mill, the Hecker brothers could not have been as innovative, and in extension as successful as they were.

What really made the Heckers brand popular was George Hecker’s invention of self rising flour.  The compound used in the flour was not created by Hecker, but he was the first to use it in a product and successfully market it.  For this invention, he received “first premium” gold medals at the 1851 World’s Fair in London, and at the 1852 World’s Fair in New York.  This is proudly noted on Heckers packaging.  Along the side, written vertically, it says “Hecker & Brother were awarded, for their Self-Raising Flour, the first gold medal.”  World renowned recognition such as this contributed to making the Heckers brand extremely popular.  

Unfortunately, finding an extensive history on the Heckers company is extremely difficult, as it went through many name changes in its later years.  Most recently, it was acquired by the Standard Milling Company, which is now known as the Uhlmann Company.