Which big brands started in Knoxville? From Mountain Dew to Ruby Tuesday | Know Your Knox
Even if you've lived here your whole life, you probably don't know everything there is to know about Knoxville's history and connections.
You probably know about the 1982 World's Fair, which produced both an iconic addition to the Knoxville's skyline − the Sunsphere − and its most beloved (or derided) nickname: the Scruffy City. And you might have heard that Knoxville is known as the Cradle of Country Music for its role nurturing the early careers of Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Flatt & Scruggs and Dolly Parton. Or if you are of a literary bent, you know Knoxville's history with James Agee and Cormac McCarthy.
But what about Knoxville's connections to some of the country's most well-known brands?
Knox News delved into the history of Knox County to track down national companies and products that got their start right here in the Marble City. Spoiler alert: One of these is outside Knox County but counts as close enough to qualify.
If you disagree with these picks, or have another suggestion to add to the list, email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.
Mountain Dew
OK, we're starting off with the one everyone probably already knows about. Mountain Dew − now one of the country's most popular soft drinks − got its start when two Knoxville brothers needed a tasty mixer for their bourbon.
That 1940s-era Mountain Dew didn't taste like today's lemonade-citrus, caffeine- and sugar-charged drink. As clear as the moonshine whose moniker it borrowed, this Dew tasted like today's 7Up or Sprite.
Brothers Barney and Ally Hartman moved to Knoxville in 1932 to open an Orange Crush bottling plant, then began selling other soft drinks and beer. One of their favorite lemon-lime drinks was not available here, so the Hartmans set out to make their own version.
The brothers initially only occasionally bottled a few dozen cases of "Personal Setup" for themselves, employees and friends. They debuted Mountain Dew to the public at a 1946 Gatlinburg bottling convention, but it was not a hit until a revamped drink came out in 1960.
Fun fact: There is an actual historical marker for "The Birthplace of Mountain Dew" at 1921 E. Magnolia Ave.
White Lily flour
White Lily flour, founded in Knoxville in 1883, is a distinctly Southern brand that has been a staple for both professional bakers and home cooks. Step into any grocery store across the South and you'll likely find the iconic, extra-tall (because the flour weighs less per cup) white bags on the baking aisle.
What eventually would become White Lily got its start when J. Allen Smith came to Knoxville from Elberton, Georgia, in 1878 and opened a grain business, J. Allen Smith & Co., downtown in 1882. Soon it was producing 100 barrels of flour and 200 bushels of cornmeal a day, and by 1884, Smith had moved it to Depot Avenue at Central Street.
J.M. Smucker Co. bought the White Lily brand name in 2006 and closed the Knoxville plant in 2008. Dewhirst Properties purchased the historic structure in 2012 and renovated it into White Lily Flats.
White Lily flour became much better known nationally during the bread-making craze of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks in part to specialty food distributors looking for flour to replace missing stock. White Lily flour began appearing on shelves far from its usual Southern distribution area, including Iowa, California and Wisconsin, Eater reported.
JFG Coffee
JFG Coffee Company's origins date back to 1882, when the brand was founded as a Morristown wholesale grocery company. It was roasting in Morristown by 1919, according to a Facebook post by the city of Morristown, but moved its operations to Knoxville a few years later.
In 1936, JFG opened a roasting facility in the Old City, Knoxville historian Jack Neely wrote for the Old City Association.
In 1965, JFG was acquired by Louisiana-based Reily Foods, according to a timeline on the company's website.
The roasting operation offered a pleasant aroma throughout the Old City until the company moved out of the factory in 2007. Today, the building on West Jackson Avenue is home to apartments but maintains its JFG branding, including a JFG sign on its roof.
A JFG Coffee sign that dominated the South Knoxville landscape for over a decade was taken down in 2023, and has not yet found a new home.
Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday got its start in 1972 when University of Tennessee student Sandy Beall teamed up with four of his fraternity brothers to open a restaurant adjacent to campus. Focusing mostly on hamburgers, the restaurant was a hit from the start among the UT college community and elsewhere.
The Cumberland Avenue restaurant venture grew into more locations across 46 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and 14 other countries. Some of the Knoxville locations over the years included the L&N Station on Henley Street downtown, Suburban Plaza (where Barnes & Noble is now) in West Knoxville and both West Town and East Towne malls.
Four years after opening the first Ruby Tuesday, Beall, along with his wife, Kreis, set out to create a very different hospitality experience: Blackberry Farm.
Clayton Homes
Clayton, a national home builder of site-built and off-site-built homes, opened its first store in Knoxville in 1956.
Jim Clayton started the company as a mobile home business in the 1950s. Back then, it was a small store location that hosted local country music performances and family events. What began as just one location has grown to over 350 home centers offering a variety of housing options.
Dumpsters
You might not know George Dempster's name immediately, but I guarantee you know the invention he brought to the world: the dumpster.
Dempster changed how folks think about trash by inventing the Dempster Dumpster, the first-of-its-kind waste disposal container now routinely used to move trash from container to truck.
Dempster was nearly 50 years old in 1935 when he came up with the Dempster Dumpster concept while working alongside his brothers for their construction company. The company built highways, railroads and water supply dams across the southeast, according to writings from Dempster in the Knox News archives.
Bush's Beans
You could argue that Bush's Beans did not get its start in Knoxville. But we maintain it belongs on this list because of the proximity of Chestnut Hill, as well as the fact that the Bush Brothers & Co. headquarters moved to Knoxville in 1991.
In 1908, A.J. Bush opened a modest little cannery in Chestnut Hill and started what Bush's Beans now calls a "beautiful bean odyssey."
In 1969, Bush's introduced the signature product that defined its success at the start of the 21st century: baked beans.
"We stumbled across a new way to prepare our beans that would change our world forever," the company says on its website. "Simmering navy beans in a secret family recipe, our baked beans would get world-famous when A.J. Bush’s great-grandson Jay Bush – and his ol’ pal Duke – uttered those five inimitable words: 'Roll that beautiful bean footage.'"
It’s here it’s here! I was asked by Bush's Beans to fulfill perhaps my greatest purpose: to write and perform a full blown musical tribute to the magic of beans. This video is autobiographical (yes I was bullied for my bean love as a youth), romantic (??!!), whimsical (I got to play dress up!) and has a very special cameo. It was honestly the most fun to write and it was directed by the great Jonathan Krisel (Portlandia, SNL) AND Bush's Beans will also be donating 250,000 cans to Feeding America. All in all a great thing. Presenting: Bean Song. As they say at a schmancy affair, please enjoy. -JG #ad
Posted by Josh Groban on Tuesday, April 6, 2021
The best thing my research turned up about Bush's Beans? In 2021, the company collaborated with multiplatinum recording artist Josh Groban to produce an epic three-minute-long ballad to beans − otherwise known as my newest obsession that I am forwarding to everyone I know.
Know Your Knox answers your burning questions about life in Knoxville. Want your question answered? Email knowyourknox@knoxnews.com.
MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY KNOW YOUR KNOX
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Mountain Dew, Bush's Beans among brands that started in Knoxville
