Lewis J. Minor: The man, the legend

A profile of Lewis J. Minor, founder of L. J. Minor Corp., is presented. In January 1940, Minor left Michigan State College to become technical director of LaChoy Food Products Co. in Detroit, Michigan. After receiving a Master of Science degree in analytical chemistry from Wayne State University in 1944, Minor joined McKay-Davis Co. full-time, where his bouillon product became the forerunner of the soup and gravy bases Minor later developed to replace bouillon powder. Later, Minor moved to Cleveland and founded the L. J. Minor Corp. in September 1951. Minor's plan was to make food bases that would improve on, and eventually replace, soup bases. The first plant was a 12-by-14-foot room in a pickle plant. In 1964, Minor earned his Ph.D. in food science. His thesis topic was The Identification of Some Chemical Components of Chicken Flavor - Comparing that of Young and Old Birds. Minor became an assistant professor in the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management at Michigan State University, where he taught while still head of Minor Corp.