From Heartbreak to Historic Victory: How One Woman's Tenacity Redefined a Global Industry

The blue haze rises just above the clear, rushing water of the Pigeon River, which is in the Smokies, or as they are officially known - the Great Smoky Mountains . In fact that’s how the mountains got their name … from the blue haze.The Pigeon River, which is a translation of its 18th-century French name, Rivière aux Tourtre runs through the mountains, starting in North Carolina, and covers over 70 miles before emptying into the French Broad River in Newport, Tennessee.The river is hydroelectric dam-controlled, which means its ebb and flow is controlled by the Walters Dam, built in 1930. The dam itself reaches a height of 180 feet tall and around 800 feet long. It’s actually one of the countries more smaller dams, with the tallest one in the U.S. being Oroville Dam at 770 feet.But how did Pigeon River get its name?If you guessed from a pigeon, you’d be right. Turns out passenger pigeons used the water as a guide for migration each year. But the poor birds were also a source of food for The Meherrin people, a Native American tribe that lived in North Carolina around the 13th and 14th centuries.In the spring, Meherrin scouts would go out in the early part of the day to locate large roosting populations of pigeons. Using long poles, they would knock the younger birds from their nests, making it easy for them to catch. In the evenings, the scouts hunted adult pigeons with blunt arrows. Once caught, the pigeons were boiled, smoked, or dried for preservation. Their fat was used in cooking, notably for frying cornbread or making dumplings.But it wasn’t just the Meherrins that dined on pigeons - so did early European settlers. In 1709 a settler named John Lawson documented the abundance of passenger pigeons, describing flocks of "many millions" that could break tree limbs with their weight.In fact Lawson also noted that some Native American towns had over 100 gallons of pigeon fat stored in barns and huts. Sadly because of the intensive hunting of the birds, their numbers slowly dwindled from roughly 3–5 billion across North America to near extinction in the early part of the 19th century.Why are we talking about passenger pigeons in the first place? Well, it’s not so much the birds that matter to our story (well yes, their lives mattered) but the river they were named for - the Pigeon River. Because in 1898, Newport Tennessee’s transportation infrastructure was limited, with dirt roads and rudimentary rail connections. So if you were manufacturing goods back then, shipping your products on the roads and rails was risky business. Sometimes the stuff being shipped would break from the rough roads. And the rails weren’t always dependable.The best way to avoid any of these headaches was putting your goods on the boats and barges that moved up and down the River. In fact the Pigeon River was integral to the region’s agricultural and economic life, as it supported local farmers who grew crops such as corn, wheat, squash, pumpkins, tobacco, potatoes and tomatoes. One of the local farming businesses that shipped their crops of canned tomatoes on the Pigeon River was the Stokely Brothers & Company. Over time the company expanded from canned tomatoes to beans and eventually into beverages.In fact that beverage is now the world’s leading sports drink, generating an incredible $7 billion in sales annually.But the beginning wasn’t easy because the family faced several hardships, starting with the ….The Country’s First Economic DisasterIt’s not often talked about in newspapers, but The Panic of 1893 was a severe economic depression in the United States … one of the worst in its history until the Great Depression of the 1930s.The panic was triggered by a combination of both domestic and international economic factors that destabilized the U.S. economy.One such factor was the rapid expansion of railroads during the 1880s, fueled by speculative investments and massive borrowing, which led to overbuilding. Many railroads, including the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, collapsed in February 1893, became insolvent, and dragged down banks and businesses that had invested heavily in them.Another factor was that the U.S. was on the gold standard, and the Treasury was required to maintain a minimum of $100 million in gold reserves. By April 1893, reserves fell below this threshold, sparking fears that the U.S. might abandon the gold standard. This led to a run on gold as investors rushed to convert paper currency and securities into gold, intensifying the crisis.Then there was a banking catastrophe happening in Australia, and economic downturns in France and Germany. Foreign investors began to withdraw funds from U.S. markets, further draining gold reserves.The Panic led to widespread unemployment, bank and business failures, and agricultural distress, with ripple effects felt in rural areas like the Pigeon River region. Farmers in this area saw a decline in crop prices, which made it harder for them to credit from banks. And that made it difficult for the farmers to pay their debts or have money to invest in new planting.Something had to be done to reverse course. So in order to provide nationwide economic relief, in February 1895, President Grover Cleveland borrowed $65 million from J.P. Morgan and the Rothschild banking family through the Morgan-Belmont Syndicate to bolster Treasury reserves.The loan involved the sale of U.S. bonds to acquire gold from European sources. That deal, considered controversial at the time, helped restore confidence in the U.S. dollar.Eventually by 1897, the economy was back on an upward tick. Yet sadly, the Stokley family faced a hardship of the personal kind.A Girl’s Got To Do What A Girl’s Got To Do John Burnett Stokely, head of the Stokely family was born on August 9, 1846, in the Pigeon River region of Tennessee to Charles Stokely and Sarah Black. He was one of several siblings, including Sarah Ellen Stokely (1851–1936), Jesse William David Stokely Sr., and several others.Family records show that generations of Stokelys had lived in the area going back as far as 1690 with the birth of Joseph Stokley. And each generation of Stokley’s were farmers.Because the family had lived in the area for many generations, John Burnett Stokely was quite a notable figure.So notable that in 1872, he married Anna Rorex, daughter of James Addison and Rebecca Badgett Rorex, in Cocke County, Tennessee. Together, they had five sons (James R., John M., William B., George Sassing, and Jehu Thomas) and three daughters.John and Anna ran the family farm. Their main crops were vegetables and tomatoes, which they sold at local markets. They struggled when the Panic of 1893 hit. But for this family things were going to get a lot worse.That’s because on September 1, 1890, John suddenly died at the age 44. I couldn’t find any historical records to show the cause of death but it could have been a heart attack or "la grippe," which was basically a form of influenza.But what we do know is his death placed a personal and financial hardship on Anna because she not only had to run the family farming business but also raise the children. And because John was seen as the “principal purveyor of the farm,” Anna found it difficult maintaining business relationships that John had developed over the years.Now Anna probably got some help from the tight-knit Appalachian community that surround the area such as bartering for food or other resources that were needed. But whatever aid she received, it certainly was not enough to sustain the family forever.Anna had to figure something out and quickly. Luckily by then her sons James and John were teenagers and helped as much as possible, not only on the farm but taking odd jobs whenever possible.Those odd jobs provided James with inspiration for the family to do something bigger than selling their vegetables and tomatoes to local markets. In fact he realized that if the family started canning the farm’s produce, particularly tomatoes, they could sell it in distant markets, which would allow them to expand the business. And if they were successful at doing that, then they would bring in the money needed to keep the farm afloat. Anna liked his idea. So she and her children began experimenting with home canning, gaining the skills and knowledge to actually start the business. At the same time, she managed to save up money to put toward opening their new enterprise.In fact by 1898 Anna saved $1,300 to invest into the business alongside a neighbor, A.R. Swann who matched her investment. Her sons James R. and John M. each put up $650, which allowed the family to form Stokely Brothers & Company - a canning company set up along the French Broad River.With the company now formed, they began the canning process, which involved washing and sorting the tomatoes by hand for quality assurance. After that, the tomatoes were blanched briefly in hot water to loosen the skins. The next step was peeling the skins of manually — either entirely or by scoring and then slipping off the skin. Once that was completed, the tomatoes were then pushed or squeezed through funnels directly into cans.The cans were hand-soldered shut, which basically involved manually applying a solder to seal the metal lids onto cans. Once sealed, the filled cans were boiled or steamed in large vats to sterilize the contents. This step was crucial for killing microbes and reducing spoilage.After cooling, the cans were labeled, stacked, and ready for distribution. Call them hard workers or just desperate to succeed but in their first year of business, the Stokely family managed to pack 4,000 cases of tomatoes, which is an incredible amount. Those cases were then shipped by barge to markets in Knoxville and Chattanooga.One Thing Leads to AnotherThose 4,000 cases of tomatoes marked the beginning of a very successful business enterprise.While records are scarce on how much money they actually made, the success of the first season enabled the Stokely Brothers & Company to quickly expand their operations. They also divided up the business into different sections with James managing operations, John handling sales, William overseeing farms, and George focusing on machinery.They created a robust business model that allowed them to pursue new opportunities almost as quickly as they came about. Those opportunities continued to have a positive impact on the business.So much so that by the early 20th century, the Stokely’s had acquired over 1,400 acres in Tellico, Tennessee, which allowed them to grow larger quantities of crops. And at the same time, they diversified their canning portfolio to include sauerkraut, green beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, and lima beans.And their business kept growing. By 1936, Stokely Brothers & Company was recognized as the largest vegetable packing company in the world, operating 70 plants across five states, with nine in Indiana.When the Stokelys expanded their business into Indiana, a funny thing happened - they were introduced to another canning company - one many considered a pioneer in the industry.Some Beans With Those Tomatoes PleaseThat company was the Van Camp Packing Company, established in 1861 in Indianapolis, Indiana, by Gilbert C. Van Camp and his partners, Calvin Fletcher and Martin Williams.Gilbert C. Van Camp was born in 1814 in Brookville, Indiana, to a farmer and wagon maker of Dutch descent. Not many ancestry records exist on his parents, but more than likely they immigrated to the U.S. before his birth, possibly in the late 18th or early 19th century. But we know they were farmers and Gilbert probably worked on the farm until a teenager. Then he began training as a miller’s apprentice where Gilbert learned the tinsmith trade. He continued in that trade until moving to Indianapolis in 1860.In 1861, Gilbert and his wife Hester, who he married at the age of 35 opened the “Fruit House Grocery” in his new home state of Indianapolis. Their grocery business, located on Missouri Street, sold fresh fruits and vegetables.But being a former tinsmith, Gilbert began canning fruits and vegetables and selling them in their grocery story. But he was also an astute businessman and saw an opportunity to work with the U.S. Army supplying them beans in cans.You see, beans were a stable of the Army’s diet for soldiers but as you can imagine, beans are a little more difficult to cook especially out in the field. So Gilbert came up with the idea of putting the beans in a can, which would keep them preserved for long periods of time. Plus they could be eaten right out of the can.Since the Civil War had just begun, Gilbert somehow managed to secure a contract with the Union Army to supply them with his canned beans. The contract was so lucrative, Gilbert along with partners Calvin Fletcher (a financier) and Martin Williams (a fruit farmer), established the nation’s first successful commercial cold storage warehouse in Indianapolis.The Van Camp Packing Company was formally incorporated in 1875 as G. C. Van Camp & Son, also reflecting the involvement of Gilbert’s sons, particularly Frank Van Camp. By 1882, the company was producing eight million cans of pork and beans annually at its factory. Considering canning was still a relatively new technology, producing that many millions of cans required a highly efficient operation, probably involving hundreds of workers, substantial number of raw materials (pork, beans, and tinplate), and a well-coordinated production lineAnd while the company was doing well, a pivotal moment came in 1894 when Frank Van Camp, after finding the flavor of reprocessed canned baked beans lackluster, added Van Camp’s ketchup to create the iconic “Van Camp’s Pork and Beans with Tomato Sauce.”This recipe, first sold in Pittsburgh, became a national sensation, with the company selling 67,030 cases the following year after aggressive marketing, including a job ad in the Indianapolis News that drew 300 house-to-house canvassers. By 1898, production reached six million cans annually, and by 1909, Van Camp’s, was the nation’s top producer of canned baked beans.The company expanded its product line to include Worcestershire sauce and evaporated milk. By the early 20th century, it operated six plants nationwide. Van Camp’s innovative advertising, including full-page magazine ads and streetcar promotions, helped it dominate the canned food market.But why have two canning companies when one will do?That’s why in 1933, the Stokely brothers put a deal together that merged the two businesses into one. From that point on the name of the company became Stokely-Van Camp Inc.By the 1950s, Stokely-Van Camp operated over 70 plants across 17 states, Canada, and Venezuela, reflecting its rapid growth and ability to scale operations. The company’s focus on canned and frozen vegetables, alongside its signature pork and beans, solidified its position as a household name.Under the leadership of figures like William B. Stokely Jr., the company maintained a family-driven work environment while continually upgrading its manufacturing capabilities. By the time 1960s came around, the company was well-positioned to explore new opportunities - like in the beverage market.Scientifically Backed Drink At the same time that the Stokley-Van Camp Company was looking for new markets to break into, the Florida Gators football team was struggling in the heat, with players experiencing dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and low blood sugar.So head coach Ray Graves turned to a team of scientist working at the university for help. That team included Dr. Robert Cade, Drs. Dana Shires, Harry James Free, and Alejandro de Quesada who began studying the players' sweat and taking blood samples.They discovered that players were losing significant amounts of water and electrolytes (primarily sodium) through sweat, leading to dehydration and performance decline.Knowing this, they began experimenting with different ingredients that would counter or at least balance out the loss of water and electrolytes that players were losing. One of those experiments rendered a drink containing water, sodium (salt), sugar (for energy), and other electrolytes like potassium and phosphate. This drink was designed to be absorbed quickly by the body, replenishing lost fluids and electrolyte.They then “drafted” 10 football players to taste-test the new beverage during workouts. The initial version of the drink was reportedly not very palatable, with some players even vomiting after drinking it. Dr. Cade's wife suggested adding lemon juice, which greatly improved the taste and made it more appealing to the players.The scientists conducted another round of test with the new version, which took place during a scrimmage between the Gators' B team and the freshmen, with the freshmen, who had been given the drink, showing improved performance. Soon after that, the Gators began winning more consistently, especially in the second half of games, and were no longer suffering from the same levels of heat exhaustion. The drink was a success but now it just needed a name. The University of Florida researchers initially considered naming their product "Gator-Aid." But the doctors soon realized that they probably shouldn't use the 'Aid' suffix, since that would mean that if the drink were ever marketed, they would have to prove that it had a clear medicinal use and perform clinical tests on thousands of people. So they simply renamed it Gatorade.It also just happened that one of Dr. Cade’s research team members, who had worked for Stokely-Van Camp, introduced the company to Gatorade in 1969. Recognizing its commercial potential, company executives struck a deal with Dr. Cade and his team, paying $30,000 in cash and a 5-cent-per-gallon royalty in perpetuity for the rights to produce and market Gatorade. A year after its commercial introduction, Stokely-Van Camp tested multiple variations of the original Gatorade recipe, finally settling on more palatable variants in lemon-lime and orange flavors. A Woman to the RescueBy the time Quaker Oats acquired Stokely-Van Camp in 1983 (after a bidding war with Pillsbury), Gatorade was seen mostly as a niche drink for athletes, mostly football players - professional, college and high school level. However one woman believed it could be something much larger. And also appeal to a larger consumer market. And that woman was Susan Wellington.But not everyone on the Quaker Oats executive team agreed. The board meetings were filled with hesitation. Even doubt. Why fix was isn’t broken?Susan was determined and she didn’t give up. She believed in the drink. After all, she was a competitive swimmer and triathlete herself. So you could say she had a natural affinity with people who competed in sports related activities.She was also a consumer-centric driven person. Susan spent significant time engaging directly with consumers, getting their feedback on the drink. Heck she even visited places like New Trier High School to as she described "crack the teen code."All her hard work paid off. When she first took over the brand under Quaker Oats, Gatorade’s revenues were around $250 million. However under her stewardship, Gatorade went from a niche sports drink to a $4 billion brand by the timePepsiCo’s acquired Quaker Oats in 2001 for $13.4 billion.Today Gatorade is the number-one sports drink not just in the United States but also in several other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It holds a dominant market share, accounting for approximately 67.7% of the U.S. sports drink market.Gatorade's dominance in the sports drink market is significant, with sales that are often five times greater than its closest competitors such as Powerade and Monster Energy. Last year alone, Gatorade reported $7.2 billion in annual sales.What began as a family farm, carried through economic hardship by Anna Stokely’s resolve and her sons’ vision, grew into a canning empire that transformed the food industry. Their bold acquisition of Van Camp’s and eventual pivot to Gatorade—a drink born from scientific curiosity and a desire to solve a real-world problem—shows how small beginnings can lead to monumental impact.Amazing Quotes By Amazing People“All great things have small beginnings.” - Peter Senge Get full access to Just One Good Idea at justonegoodidea.substack.com/subscribe