# Well-known brands that aren't megacorps? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524 "2009-02-26T17:17:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/41 "2009-02-27T03:12:07Z")
The biggest mega of all. Coca-Cola still named after there primary product. Still focused on one industry. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/42 "2009-02-27T04:42:28Z")
My nomination is **Beer Nuts**. [http://www.beernuts.com/CGI-BIN/LANSAWEB?PROCFUN+WORDPR01+WEBFUNC+M37](http://www.beernuts.com/CGI-BIN/LANSAWEB?PROCFUN+WORDPR01+WEBFUNC+M37) Now, there’s a company that satisfies a basic need and hasn’t compromised itself in any way to meglacorporocracy. Please send a few packages my way. ---
**Author:** ![HumanMonkeyGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c67d28/32.png) [@HumanMonkeyGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumanMonkeyGod)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/43 "2009-02-27T16:06:15Z")
Google? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/44 "2009-02-27T17:11:19Z")
For many years, **American Optical** was, despite being one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) optical company i the world. It wasn’t enormous under Beecher (the nominal founder) and the next owner, but the Wells family really built it up and acquired competitors and firms making other optical instruments, and statrted the R&D branch, and it grew to enormous size. It remained in the hands of that family for over a century, and was eventually sold to a Megacorp – Warner Lambert. Interestingly, they solf it back to a consortion, the leading member of whom bought out the others, which put it all back under a single ownder. But he sold the divisions off piece by piece, so now the company is gone, except in name But AO Eyewear is now manufactured by a former competitor, and AO Sound out in Holywood has no connection besides the name. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/45 "2009-02-27T17:14:46Z")
White Castle ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/46 "2009-02-27T17:29:30Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > PAAS Dye Company. Ever bought an Easter egg dye kit? You probably bought Paas brand. AFAICT, Easter egg dyes are all they really do. PAAS does not fit the thread. It is [owned](http://www.signaturebrands.com/230DBFA709694A4C9511CCEBE8CB2F35.asp?ccb_key=D0AFB60B4CA948FE939DC4393AB5961C&ie_key=E74D38A895614CCBA25E2412D8A61C90) by Signature Brands LLC (a spinoff of General Mills), who bought PAAS in 1999 from drugmaker Schering-Plough. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/47 "2009-02-27T17:38:33Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Mercedes-Benz Nor does Mercedes, which is owned by Daimler AG. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/48 "2009-02-27T17:50:51Z")
Kleenex & Huggies - [Kimberly Clark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_clark) ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/49 "2009-02-27T18:25:09Z")
My main two (Carmex and Tootsie Roll) were taken, but what about [Yuengling](http://www.yuengling.com). Very popular beer on the east coast, outselling Anheuser Busch in some major markets. Oldest brewery in the US and still run by someone named Yuengling. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/50 "2009-02-27T19:07:40Z")
If “megacorp” means publicly traded the huge [Mars Inc.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_Incorporated) conglomerate is entirely privately held. > [@](#): > > Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food and other food products with US$21 billion in annual sales in 2006. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, USA, the company is entirely owned by the Mars family, making it one of the largest privately owned U.S. corporations. Most of its activities in the US are based in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with the Uncle Ben’s and the pet food business at the plant in Vernon, California . ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/51 "2009-02-27T19:52:33Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > …and still run by someone named Yuengling. I’m picturing a panda sitting behind a desk. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/52 "2009-02-27T22:42:58Z")
Cargill is a pretty big company selling agricultural and other bulk products. They are privately held and have been from the beginning, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/53 "2009-02-27T22:54:46Z")
I think Little Nemo needs to clarify what he is looking for here. From the description, it sounds like he wants companies that are not [conglomerates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conglomerate_(business)), which are companies “that consists of multiple distinct and often unrelated businesses.” Mars, Inc and Cargill are large privately owned companies, but from the descriptions of their various business lines in the Wikipedia articles sound like conglomerates. I think the opposite of a conglomerate would be a “[pure play](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_play)” company, one that has a single business focus. The Wikipedia article suggests Coca-Cola is a pure play in the beverages market, while Pepsi, with its Frito-Lay subsidiary, is not. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/54 "2009-02-27T23:14:15Z")
[Dr Bronner’s Magic All-One](http://www.drbronner.com/) ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/55 "2009-02-28T00:04:13Z")
[Sabian cymbals](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabian) are well-known to most music fans. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/56 "2009-02-28T03:56:58Z")
> [@](#): > > I think Little Nemo needs to clarify what he is looking for here. More wondering about the subject rather than looking for something specific. A good example of the kind of thing I was thinking of would be McIlhenny’s Tabasco Sauce. It’s a well-known common product available nation-wide. It’s made by a company in Louisiana. And that’s what they do - they make Tabasco sauce. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/57 "2009-02-28T04:10:27Z")
Weber Grills Technically, the label says Weber-Stephen now, but no buyout was involved there. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/58 "2009-02-28T05:17:28Z")
I was going to suggest Crayola, but it turns out they’ve been owned by Hallmark for 25 years. [Nike](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc.) and [Columbia Sportsware](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Sportswear), perhaps. Not sure if the latter is enough of a household name, though. Nike branched out into sports clothing and equipment from their original athletic shoes. Not sure if that counts against them or not. [Amazon.com](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com) is another good one. Perhaps eBay too, although they did buy PayPal which may disqualify them. ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/59 "2009-03-04T16:43:28Z")
who makes bacon salt? ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524/60 "2009-03-04T21:45:52Z")
> [@pope\_hentai](#): > > who makes bacon salt? Awesome geniuses? 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-brands-that-arent-megacorps/487524.md?page=4)