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Edwin Perkins
Edwin Perkins was born in Lewis, Iowa on January 8, 1889. A few years later, the family moved to Hendley, Nebraska where they exchanged a small farm for a general store. Among his interests, Edwin edited and published a weekly newspaper and became the village postmaster. He also started a mail order business called Perkins Products Company, which sold items like household remedies, products to help one quit smoking, and toiletry items. In 1927, while in Hastings, NE, he came up with the idea of flavored drink mixes called Fruit Smack (Kool-Aid.) The drink mixes became so popular that he decided to move his operation to Chicago in order to run a better and more efficient manufacturing plant. Eventually, Perkins merged his business with General Foods, owned by Kraft Foods. Perkins lived with his family at 814 Ashland Ave. in River Forest until his death. Whenever you take a drink of that delicious flavored concoction, remember Mr. Perkins and his creative genius that brought about such a popular icon.
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