177

Gebhardt's Chili Cardboard Sign Mock-Up

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Advertising Start Price:250.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 1,500.00 USD
Gebhardt's Chili Cardboard Sign Mock-Up
All items sold as is where is. See photos for condition, email info@burleyauction.com or call 830-629-9280 (Prior to sale day) if you have specific condition questions.

Winning bidders will receive an invoice on or before end-of-day Tuesday following the auction.
Circa 1930's-1940's. Measures 21" x 22" GEBHARDT MEXICAN FOODS COMPANY. Gebhardt Mexican Foods Company was a San Antonio-based firm that was started in 1896 by William Gebhardt, a German immigrant who settled in New Braunfels, Texas, with his parents in the 1880s. Gebhardt’s interest in Mexican food fueled his desire to start the company, which went on to shape the commercialization of chili powder and Mexican convenience foods across the United States for nearly a century. In 1892 young Gebhardt opened a café in New Braunfels, Texas. For four years he operated the establishment in the back of a saloon, known variously as Miller’s and later the Phoenix Saloon, and located on the corner of West San Antonio Street and Castell Street. Over those years, Gebhardt experimented with grinding herbs and dried peppers, and he cooked a variety of chilies for his customers. He discovered that by drying his chili peppers and grinding them into a flavored powder, he could keep the powder fresh for several months. He packed the dried powder, which he initially called “Tampico Dust,” into small airtight glass bottles. Producing approximately five cases of chili powder at a time, he drive his wagon into town to sell to various markets. Having learned that, historically, American Indian groups had used ancho peppers for seasoning, Gebhardt imported ancho peppers by the wagonload from San Luis Potosí, Mexico. This surplus allowed him to stock up and sell his powder any season of the year. In 1896 Gebhardt debuted the name Gebhardt’s Eagle Brand Chili Powder, and he registered the Eagle Brand name and trademarked his Eagle Brand Chili Powder. Gebhardt moved to San Antonio in 1898 and opened a factory on West Commerce Street. -From the TSHA website.