Does Victoria really have a secret? The names behind the brands

Huge, multinational corporations often had humble beginnings as a single store or restaurant, and are sometimes named after a single person. We look at 10 and discover which ones have a real face behind the name.

Wendy’s

We know who was the favourite child of Wendy’s restaurant chain founder Dave Thomas. He named his burger joints after his fourth child, Melinda Lou, whose nickname was Wendy, after trying all five of his kids’ names. The young girl on the logo with red braids was created to look like her.

The first restaurant opened in 1969 in Columbus, OH, and the chain’s infamous “Where’s the Beef” commercial aired in 1984.

Burt’s Bees

A chance encounter in 1984 between Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby turned Shavitz’s business into a global success story. He was a bee keeper who sold honey at a roadside stand, Quimby an artist who used leftover wax to make candles. The pair made $200 at their first craft fair in Maine, and $20,000 in their first year. The company was sold to Clorox for $970-million in 2007, but unfortunately for Shavitz, he had already unloaded his portion of the business to Quimby for $130,000 in 1999. Shavitz died last year, he was 80 years old.

Tim Hortons

A 22 year veteran of the NHL, Tim Horton spent most of his hockey career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was signed to the team in 1949, at a time when hockey players had to work in the off season to make ends meet. He opened the first Tim Hortons coffee and donut shop in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario and partnered with police officer Ron Joyce three years later. When he died in a car accident in 1974, there were 40 restaurants with his signature on them.

Chef Boyardee

Yes, the man on the cans of Beefaroni is a real person, although the spelling his name was changed to one that’s easier to pronounce. Born in Italy, Chef Hector Boiardi apprenticed at age 11, later moving to the U.S. to work as a hotel chef before opening a restaurant. He created the canned pasta to sell after customers asked for portions to take home. The company later sold to a national chain, with Boiardi as a consultant. He died in 1985 at age 87.

Ben & Jerry’s

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield took a $5 Penn State correspondence course in making ice cream (Sadly, Penn State no longer offers any ice cream-related studies). They opened their first shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont in 1978 with $12,000. The business grew and they were named “U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year” at the White House in 1988. The company was bought by Unilever in 2000, with a deal that allowed the founders to maintain control of their social mission, brand integrity, and product quality.

Henry’s

The Canadian camera store chain has been around for more than 100 years, and it’s named after its owner — sort of. Harry Stein opened Henry & Company in 1909, using Henry instead of Harry, which he never liked. That wasn’t his first name change, he was born Harry Himelstein in Russia, shortening his last name when he emigrated to Canada. The first store on Yonge Street in Toronto sold jewellery and watches. Harry and his son started adding camera equipment in the late 1950s. There are now 33 Henry’s locations in four provinces.

Aldo

The first shoe store bearing Aldo Bensadoun’s name opened in Montreal in 1978. The son of a shoe merchant and grandson of a cobbler, Bensadoun’s company is worth an estimated $1.7-billion, making the French-raised sole owner a billionaire. The company now has 1900 stores around the world under Aldo, Call It Spring, and Globo banners.

Aunt Jemima

Aunt Jemima pancake mix was created in 1889, and a woman named Nancy Green was hired to portray Aunt Jemina the following year. Quaker Oats bought the company in 1926, and still owns it today.

Anna Robinson was the next Aunt Jemima, hired to represent the company at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. She travelled the country in the role until her death in 1951.

The character was inspired by a song called “Old Aunt Jemima” written by African-American comedian and minstrel performer Billy Kersands.

There’s an ugly side to the use of a black woman’s image in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Aunt Jemima character has been tied to the notion of the southern “mammy” — a devoted and submissive servant who tended to Old South plantations.

Converse Sneakers

Marquis M. Converse opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Massachusetts in 1908, producing rubber galoshes. Sneakers came next, and in 1920, the company’s canvas basketball sneaker were renamed “All Stars.” The name “Chuck Taylor” was added to the logo after the company hired the basketball star as an ambassador and salesman.

Victoria’s Secret

There is no Victoria behind the lingerie brand, founder Roy Raymond told Vogue magazine. The businessman opened the first store in 1977 after he was embarrassed trying to buy lingerie for his wife at a department store, and created the shops with a sense of class and dignity and a nod to Victorian-inspired style. One can only imagine what Queen Victoria would have thought of tight knickers with “PINK” stretched across the derriere.