National Biscuit Company At 2450 Holcombe Blvd.

[Ashikaga]

I think that I also remember a NABISCO plant somewhere in Houston. I remember learning that it stood for NAtional BIScuit COmpany. I don't have any Fritos and bean dip in the cabinet. But I have some RITZ crackers and potted meat. That made me remember NABISCO. But the plant that I remember might not have been in Houston. Maybe someone out there can set me straight.

Now, to spread the potted meat on the RITZ!

[Ashikaga]

There was, until just a few years ago: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/04_15_00/page_03.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow! How is it that all of you on this forum are able to come up with and post relevant items immediately? I posted NABISCO not even five minutes ago.

[Subdude]

Here's an older topic about it.

[citykid09]

My 2nd cousin use to work there.

[57Tbird]

So it appears that most of my memories of Houston are accurate.  This article says that NABISCO was on Holcombe.  Someone else told me that the Prudential Building was also on that street, and I remember it, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nabisco was bordered by Holcombe, Almeda, and OST. My wife lived about 2 blocks from there when we were dating. I loved the aromas that wafted over to her house. Prudential building was/is on Holcombe and Fannin.

[brucesw]

I think that I also remember a NABISCO plant somewhere in Houston.  I remember learning that it stood for NAtional BIScuit COmpany.  I don't have any Fritos and bean dip in the cabinet.  But I have some RITZ crackers and potted meat.  That made me remember NABISCO.  But the plant that I remember might not have been in Houston.  Maybe someone out there can set me straight.

Now, to spread the potted meat on the RITZ!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Nabisco plant fronted on Almeda which was Texas 288 then. I bet every school child within a hundred miles of Houston made a class field trip to Nabisco to see the crackers being made. I think I remember when they closed it was stated they never made Oreos there, but they did make Ritz. I remember when I was about in the fifth grade, looking down on the huge production area from a glassed-in walkway above and seeing the huge stainless tub of Ritz crackers that they said had broken in the process and wouldn't be packaged. Such a waste.

Remember Gebhardt's Potted Chili Meat? (Not a Nabisco product).

[Ashikaga]

The Nabisco plant fronted on Almeda which was Texas 288 then.  I bet every school child within a hundred miles of Houston made a class field trip to Nabisco to see the crackers being made.  I think I remember when they closed it was stated they never made Oreos there, but they did make Ritz.  I remember when I was about in the fifth grade, looking down on the huge production area from a glassed-in walkway above and seeing the huge stainless tub of Ritz crackers that they said had broken in the process and wouldn't be packaged.  Such a waste.

Remember Gebhardt's Potted Chili Meat?  (Not a Nabisco product).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wasn't there some way those broken RITZ could have been recycled? When I was in college, I worked as a security guard for a turkey processing plant. No part of the turkeys were thrown away, even cancers. They were put in a big steel box container labeled "Condemned Poultry Parts" and shipped across town to a dog food plant where they were made into meals for man's best friend.

No, I've never heard of Gebhardt's Potted Chili Meat. It sounds good.

[lowspark]

I worked very close to that Nabisco plant from 1992 - 1999 and remember smelling the wonderful smells some mornings.

Wasn't there some way those broken RITZ could have been recycled? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I knew someone who worked for Nabisco several years ago, and he told me that the recipe for fig newtons required a mixture of broken crackers/cookies. So, assuming he wasn't lying, they did recycle the broken stuff.

[HoustonianInColorado]

I definitely remember the plant and their sign. Does anyone have any photos of it?

[Ashikaga]

I think that I also remember a NABISCO plant somewhere in Houston.  I remember learning that it stood for NAtional BIScuit COmpany.  I don't have any Fritos and bean dip in the cabinet.  But I have some RITZ crackers and potted meat.  That made me remember NABISCO.  But the plant that I remember might not have been in Houston.  Maybe someone out there can set me straight.

Now, to spread the potted meat on the RITZ!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I developed diabetes in 1998. Before that, I used to like to pour milk on a bowl of NABISCO Vanilla Wafers, let them soak, then crush them up and eat them.

[brucesw]

Wasn't there some way those broken RITZ could have been recycled?  When I was in college, I worked as a security guard for a turkey processing plant.  No part of the turkeys were thrown away, even cancers.  They were put in a big steel box container labeled "Condemned Poultry Parts" and shipped across town to a dog food plant where they were made into meals for man's best friend.

No, I've never heard of Gebhardt's Potted Chili Meat.  It sounds good.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I imagine there was. I was only about in the 5th grade and wasn't asking a lot of hard questions.

[Ashikaga]

I imagine there was. I was only about in the 5th grade and wasn't asking a lot of hard questions.

I've noticed in the supermarkets that NABISCO brands are not in big supply, mostly cookies. In Wal-Mart, Great Value is mostly there, also in shredded wheat and vanilla wafers, what NABISCO is best known for. Will Wal-Mart cause NABISCO to bite the dust?

[west20th]

Now, to spread the potted meat on the RITZ!

Potted Meat:

Mechanically Separated Chicken, Beef Tripe, Partially Defatted Cooked Beef Fatty Tissue, Beef Hearts, Water, Partially Defatted Cooked Pork Fatty Tissue, Salt. Less than 2 percent: Mustard, Natural Flavorings, Dried Garlic, Dextrose, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite

Yuuuuuuuummy!

[57Tbird]

Potted Meat:

Mechanically Separated Chicken, Beef Tripe, Partially Defatted Cooked Beef Fatty Tissue, Beef Hearts, Water, Partially Defatted Cooked Pork Fatty Tissue, Salt. Less than 2 percent: Mustard, Natural Flavorings, Dried Garlic, Dextrose, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite

Yuuuuuuuummy!

Potted meat sandwiches and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches were standard fare for me in my school, sack lunches loooooooong ago. I had Spam when I didn't have potted meat. Strangely, I liked both of them. Glad I didn't know what was in the potted meat. I guess that was before the ingredients had to be posted on the can. Please don't tell me what's in Spam. I still like it.

[west20th]

Potted meat sandwiches and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches were standard fare for me in my school, sack lunches loooooooong ago. I had Spam when I didn't have potted meat. Strangely, I liked both of them. Glad I didn't know what was in the potted meat. I guess that was before the ingredients had to be posted on the can. Please don't tell me what's in Spam. I still like it.

Spam:

Ingredients:

Chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added.

Salt (for binding, flavour, and firmness)

Water (to help in mixing)

Sugar (for flavour)

Sodium Nitrite (for colour and as a preservative)

Nothing nasty about the Spam ingredients. I like it too. Fried w/eggs. Yum. Here are some Spam haikus in honor of the pink meat (authors unknown).

"Slow down," she whispered

now guiding my trembling hands

"Turn the key slowly."

Silken pig tofu

The color of spanked buttocks

Blushing at my knife.

Edited January 17, 2006 by west20th

[Ashikaga]

My 2nd cousin use to work there.

I guess you could say that Nabisco is "All-American." Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers are regarded as American snacks. When I was a little kid, I remember one of their competitors was a company called Sunshine. Its logo was the robust baker.

[Ashikaga]

My memory/knowledge + google

Nabisco does well. I'm looking on page 390 of the 2006 Edition of The World Almanac. Of all cookies, Nabiso Oreo sold $197,957,900 worth in 2004-05 and topped the industry with a 5.4% market share. Nabisco Chips Ahoy came in second.

The Budweiser brewery there in Houston should be in good economic shape. Bud Light beer sold $1,341,192,448 worth in 2004-05 for a 15.6% market share. Regular Budweiser came in second with a 9.8 percent market share.

[Heights2Bastrop]

As kids, my sister and I used to make our own version of S

[Ashikaga]

As kids, my sister and I used to make our own version of S’mores. We slathered peanut butter on a Ritz Cracker, topped it with a marshmallow, then baked them until the marshmallow turned brown.

Yes, sometimes when you have to make up your own recipes, they turn out better than the original product.

[Vertigo58]

Nabisco was bordered by Holcombe, Almeda, and OST. My wife lived about 2 blocks from there when we were dating. I loved the aromas that wafted over to her house. Prudential building was/is on Holcombe and Fannin.

It's a miracle the old building is still there. Has a new name though. When you go inside its like going back in time. It was made for the masses or rather the big crowds of employees. The RR's are quite large as if in a stadium. Won't be surprised if demolition is in the plans...but when?

[Hanno]

My dad did all the work on the conveyer systems for Nabisco, Frito Lay and Kebbler... He used to bring home gobs of discarded treats - boxes were dented etc. We had the EL Fudge cookies right before they were placed on the shelves.

[FilioScotia]

My dad did all the work on the conveyer systems for Nabisco, Frito Lay and Kebbler... He used to bring home gobs of discarded treats - boxes were dented etc. We had the EL Fudge cookies right before they were placed on the shelves.

I used to live on the far south side and I drove into town on Almeda Road. There were times of day when the aromas coming from the Nabisco Plant were to die for.

[IHB2]

with a se wind wafting over Nabisco, there was no way to concentrate sufficiently to hit a decent golf shot anywhere on the back 9 at Hermann Park GC.

[e streeter]

i went to kindergarten across from the nabisco factory in the early 60's at sacred heart dominican college. of course back then the school windows were opened and most days the classroom would smell of cookies. i also remember getting cookies from there (wonder if they were the broken ones). hated it when we got fig newtons, just not appealing to a 5 year old.

those are some of the best memories of my childhood, mainly due to remembering the smell of the nabisco factory.

i am pretty sure the land is owned by the texas medical center now. i hope they keep this an the old prudential building standing and renovate them and not tear them down.

[JLWM8609]

I used to live on the far south side and I drove into town on Almeda Road. There were times of day when the aromas coming from the Nabisco Plant were to die for.

I remember growing up in the early 90s when the Nabisco plant was still alive, my mom would drive to the Kroger (then called AppleTree) on OST. Instead of taking MacGregor to 288 and taking 288 to OST, sometimes we'd take the long way, which was taking Ardmore down to Holcombe and turning down Holcombe. We'd get to OST from Holcombe via either Almeda, or Grand Blvd to Van Etten. Either one of those detours would take us right past the bakery, and she'd put the window down to let me smell the bread baking.

MMMM.... freshly baked bread...

[FilioScotia]

i am pretty sure the land is owned by the texas medical center now. i hope they keep this an the old prudential building standing and renovate them and not tear them down.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the old Prudential Bldg is coming down. It's literally falling apart and it's beyond repair. Look for it to be imploded or demolished before the end of this year.

[TexasUltra]

As a native Houstonian and second generation employee of the cracker factory I'm thrilled to find this thread. I was employed there and witnessed the last RITZ cracker come off the oven in '99.

I was not part of the demo crew that removed all of the equipment but was fortunate enough to visit twice after the new construction was in progress. It was an amazing re-use of a building built to last a long long time.

[IronTiger]

It looks like there was another, older Nabisco plant in the East End area.

Link. Whatever happened to that?

[TexasUltra]

I don't know if the Canal location is still there, but it's worth a drive over there soon to see. Thanks for the link.

 

 

[IronTiger]

Physically, I believe it's still intact, but have no idea when it ceased being used by Nabisco. If the Canal location opened in 1940 with the bigger plant near TMC opening in 1949, did Nabisco only operate it as a bakery for less than a decade?