The Knox Gelatine Company
Knox Gelatine's Journey
1889: Charles B. Knox invented the first household version of gelatine
- The unflavored gelatine packets were originally marketed as a health food and medicine, and the company's growth was very slow
1904: Perfection Salad
- Knox Gelatine held a competition for those who could make the most interesting recipe using their product. Mrs. Cooke, a woman from Pennsylvania, entered a “Perfection Salad,” which was made by combining chopped vegetables and cheese with gelatine. She won third place, and her recipe eventually became incorporated within many of Knox’s recipe books
1908: Charles Knox passes away unexpectedly, leaving his wife, Rose Knox, to take over the company
- Rose began to market the company towards housewives, sticking to the health food concept, but emphasizing its inclusion into meals as well
- She marketed it both as a diet loss aid (See more in: The Knox Diet) and an economically beneficial food additive
1915: Dainty Desserts for Dainty People became the first pamphlet produced by Rose Knox
- The pamphlet contained recipes utilizing both Knox Unflavored Gelatin and Knox Sparkling Gelatin, also called "The Busy Housekeeper's Package," which included lemon flavoring (recipes seen above)
- The Perfection Salad made its pamphlet debut
1920: Rose's son, James Knox, began to use the product in the medical and pharmaceutical industry by encasing vitamins and drugs within a dissolvable gelatin capsule. This invention was utilized during WWI.
1929: The electric refrigerator became more popular and accessible
- Your Electric Refrigerator and Knox Sparkling Gelatine was released to explain how an Electric Refrigerator can expand the capabilities of Knox Gelatine
1929: The Great Depression began, and Knox Gelatine leaned further into advertising their product as one that can help stretch food and utilize leftovers.
- Despite the economic hardship, the company continued to grow and open new plants during this time
- Rose Knox was determined not to lay off any of her loyal employees even when money was tight
Circa 1930: Food Economy- Recipes For Leftovers, Plain Desserts, and Salads
- First page is addressed, “Dear Housewives of America”
- This pamphlet emphasizes one of the company's selling points: preventing food waste
Circa 1935: Knox released 6 flavored gelatine options- cherry, lemon, orange raspberry, lime, and strawberry- but quickly discontinued them as to keep their reputation as a brand that is "100% pure gelatine"
1938: Man Pleaser Salads
- This pamphlet dedicated to pleasing your husband emphasizes another one of Knox's main advertising points: maintaining a good housewife status and providing for the family
1939: Be Fit Not Fat
- This pamphlet was one of the more popular of the first diet-centered pamphlets that the Knox Gelatine produced. It included diet charts, as seen below, which were incorperated into later pamphlets as well.
- This pamphlet emphasized how easily the low-calorie gelatine can be used to increase the food you eat while still watching the calories. The bottom of each page of the pamphlet says, "Do not confuse Knox Gelatine with flavored gelatine desserts. They are 85% sugar-Knox is 100% pure gelatine.
1941: The US entered WWII, and James Knox began to use gelatine as a wartime aid. He invented the plasma extender- a product used during the war as a replacement for blood plasma
- The product is used to increase someone's volume of blood when going through hypovolemia
1942: As mandatory rationing went into effect, Knox began to release books leaning into patriotism and promoting their product as one that can "help with wartime meal planning"
- Don't Let Butter Rationing Scare You
- “Stretch your butter twice as far with Knox Gelatine spread”
- How to be Easy on Your Ration Card
- “Conserving food is one vitally important way that we homemakers can help in the fight for victory”
- Sugar-less Desserts and Salads
- “Perhaps right now you're looking for recipes that can be made without sugar without sacrificing appetite appeal. To help you, I've assembled seventeen of them in this little booklet…”
- Meatless Main Dishes and Leftover Hints
1950s: Don Herold, a popular comedian and cartoonist at the time, illustrated many of the diet books produced by Knox such as those seen below
1950: Rose Knox died, leaving the company in the hands of her son, James Knox
1950s + 1960s: Knox Gelatine continued to capitalize on the health and diet craze of the centuries and release books explaining how to use their gelatine to lose weight
- The Knox Protein Drink was one of the most consistent dieting suggestions. This drink is made by combining gelatine with water, juice, milk, or broth to create a satiating low calorie snack that, when drunk multiple times between meals, can prevent overeating.
1957: Knox Eat and Reduce Plan
- "The Knox Choice Of Foods Diet offers you a wide variety of good, normal foods...not extreme or faddish ones..."
Circa. 1955: fresh, real desserts to enjoy while keeping the waistline trim
- "...these Gel-Cookery desserts are low in calories- never a waistline worry in any of them."
1961: Low Salt Diets
- "In cases of cardiac failure, it is also known that a low-sodium diet, in which the fluid intake is not limited at all, can prevent or help eliminate edema, or extracellular fluid."
1972: The Knox Gelatine Company was sold to Lipton Tea Company
1994: Nabisco acquired Knox and added it to their Royal Desserts Line
2000s: After their incoorperation into larger companies, Knox Gelatine slowed their advertising significantly, and the company is now used as a common thickening and stabilizing agent in foods such as custards and whipped cream
The Knox Diet
When Rose Knox took over the Knox Gelatine Company, she immediately shifted the advertisement focus. Before the 1900s, extra weight was not disteemed and was even seen as a sign of wealth. As new transportation techniques grew in popularity and food became more accessible in grocery stores, it was easier to put on weight and harder to lose it. The 20th century progressed, and the United States became more conscious of food groups and the importance of certain nutrients. Though many claimed that thin was the healthier option, unrealistic expectations surrounding weight, most specifically for women, grew rampant. From tapeworm diets to juice-only diets, women bought hundreds of products solely for their promise of weight loss.
Rose Knox capitalized on this by emphasizing the health benefits of her product. As mentioned in their pamphlets, Knox Gelatine is "100% pure gelatine," which makes it high in protein and low in sugar. She incorporated diet charts and weight-tracking aids which promoted unattainable goals. The target of one of the most common suggestions, the Knox Drink (mentioned above), was to provide slight satiety before meals so the consumer would eat less during that meal. Low-calorie, high-satiety foods were the focus of Knox's weight loss suggestions. Knox Gelatine, holding only about 10 calories per serving, was an easy way to add practically calorieless bulk to small diet meals. The company's unrealistic calorie limits and weight goals, however, contributed to unhealthy diet culture. Despite their claims that it was sustainable, Knox Gelatine acted as a diet fad all the same.
Rose Markward Knox- A Revolutionary Businesswoman

https://fultoncountyhistoricalsociety.org/herstory-rose-knox/
When Charles Knox died in 1908, the public encouraged Rose to sell the Knox Gelatine Company, as it seemed impossible that a woman could handle the management of a business. Rose warded off the comments by explaining that she was running the company until her son could take over. As she defiantly lead the company to success, it became obvious to the public that Rose Knox was more than capable of handling the demand of Knox Gelatine. Rose began illustrating and compliling recipes utilizing her product, making it easier for consumers to understand its purpose.
As the company grew, Rose focused on three main marketing strategies: dieting, rationing, and providing. Her diet-centered books, as mentioned above, took advantage of the beauty standards at the time. Though food preservation was a marketing strategy since the beginnining of the Knox Gelatine Company's popularity, it was only propelled by the Great Depression and World Wars. Rose continued to produce relevant pamphlets, often explaining how Knox Gelatine could be used as a substitute for sparse ingredients or as a way to eliminate food waste. Her third strategy utilized the gender roles at the time. The men of the household may have been the breadwinner, but women were expected to buy and prepare the food for the family. This food was often nothing before it was creatively doctored. By providing recipes for the women of America, Rose created a reliable reputation for her company. In the beginning of the pamphlets, Rose often directly addressed the American housewife. She put in effort to remain down-to-earth and speak as though she was talking directly to someone who needed her help.
Beyond her expansion of the company, Rose was well known for her progressive employee treatment. She was dedicated to providing her factory employees with adequate vacation days, fair wages, and equal treatment, all management decisions that were uncommon at the time. By the time Rose had passed away in 1950, the majority of the workers within the Knox Gelatine Company factory had happily worked there for decades- a token of the environment she maintained. Rose Knox’s incorporation into the Knox Gelatine Company took it from a creative idea lacking a specific audience to a household staple.