Baking Innovator. Charles Israel Corby and his brother William contributed to the modernization of the baking industry, standardizing and mechanizing the bread-making process. In the period around 1900, large corporate bakeries were starting to dominate the baking business. The Corby Baking Company, founded in 1890 by William, started as one of the leading independent baking companies. In 1891 a partnership between the brothers was formed. The Corby company made modern baking history, perfecting several processes and machinery for handling the bread in the making. The brothers filed patents in 1899 and 1900 for machines that mixed and manipulated dough into loaves and other shapes; these machines were used by bakeries through the country. They pioneered the use of refrigeration for fermentation control, opened a laboratory for studying fermentation, and developed an energy-efficient oven that doubled baking output. Other innovations included perfecting a system for pasteurization, using milk in bread, and initiating a schedule of baking and delivery which they advertised as bringing hot bread to every neighborhood store in time for family meals. They moved into a new location in 1894, constructed a new building in 1902, and more additions in 1912 that filled most of the block, making it Washington’s largest bakery. They used only the most modern baking technology, including machines that could produce about 90,000 uniform loaves of bread and a half ton of cakes each day. The bakery became famous for its “Mother’s Bread,” which it advertised as being “pure as mother made it.” A master salesman, he created another ad, typical for the exaggerated claims of the time, stating “We believe it is true that Corby’s Mothers Bread has established the standard in bread; and we know it is equally true that we are bending every effort to maintain that standard—the BEST BREAD SCIENCE and SKILL CAN BAKE.” In the same vein, a 1904 advertisement for Mother’s Bread announced that in honor of George Washington’s birthday, a free hatchet would be given away with each loaf of bread, apparently in regard to the famous story of young George chopping down a cherry tree. By 1915, 165 people were on the payroll at Corby`s, including 60 bakers. The self-contained factory had its own power plant, well, and refrigerating plant, and even built, painted, and maintained its own bread delivery wagons. Continental Baking Company bought Corby Baking Company in 1925, and he retired from the business about this time, but continued to be part owner of the new company. Continental continued to operate under the Corby name in Washington, but replaced Corby’s “Mothers Bread” with its Wonder Bread. He built a mansion in Montgomery County, a 120-acre estate named Timberlawn, and died in the grandstands of the Nautilus polo field in Miami Beach, Florida in February 1926 from a heart ailment, a year after retiring from the baking business.
Baking Innovator. Charles Israel Corby and his brother William contributed to the modernization of the baking industry, standardizing and mechanizing the bread-making process. In the period around 1900, large corporate bakeries were starting to dominate the baking business. The Corby Baking Company, founded in 1890 by William, started as one of the leading independent baking companies. In 1891 a partnership between the brothers was formed. The Corby company made modern baking history, perfecting several processes and machinery for handling the bread in the making. The brothers filed patents in 1899 and 1900 for machines that mixed and manipulated dough into loaves and other shapes; these machines were used by bakeries through the country. They pioneered the use of refrigeration for fermentation control, opened a laboratory for studying fermentation, and developed an energy-efficient oven that doubled baking output. Other innovations included perfecting a system for pasteurization, using milk in bread, and initiating a schedule of baking and delivery which they advertised as bringing hot bread to every neighborhood store in time for family meals. They moved into a new location in 1894, constructed a new building in 1902, and more additions in 1912 that filled most of the block, making it Washington’s largest bakery. They used only the most modern baking technology, including machines that could produce about 90,000 uniform loaves of bread and a half ton of cakes each day. The bakery became famous for its “Mother’s Bread,” which it advertised as being “pure as mother made it.” A master salesman, he created another ad, typical for the exaggerated claims of the time, stating “We believe it is true that Corby’s Mothers Bread has established the standard in bread; and we know it is equally true that we are bending every effort to maintain that standard—the BEST BREAD SCIENCE and SKILL CAN BAKE.” In the same vein, a 1904 advertisement for Mother’s Bread announced that in honor of George Washington’s birthday, a free hatchet would be given away with each loaf of bread, apparently in regard to the famous story of young George chopping down a cherry tree. By 1915, 165 people were on the payroll at Corby`s, including 60 bakers. The self-contained factory had its own power plant, well, and refrigerating plant, and even built, painted, and maintained its own bread delivery wagons. Continental Baking Company bought Corby Baking Company in 1925, and he retired from the business about this time, but continued to be part owner of the new company. Continental continued to operate under the Corby name in Washington, but replaced Corby’s “Mothers Bread” with its Wonder Bread. He built a mansion in Montgomery County, a 120-acre estate named Timberlawn, and died in the grandstands of the Nautilus polo field in Miami Beach, Florida in February 1926 from a heart ailment, a year after retiring from the baking business.
Bio by: Pete Mohney
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