 |
|
Yes, You Too Can Make History
The year was 1959. Britain’s revolutionary small car, the Mini, was rolled out. The European Free Trade Agreement was ratified. The USSR’s Luna 2 became the first spacecraft to impact the surface of the Moon. US Vice President Richard Nixon debated with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev about the merits of Capitalism versus Communism. The Sino-Soviet ideological split was widening, as the Soviet Union restricted the transfer of science and technology to Beijing. And the ill-fated “Great Leap Forward,” which led to one of the most tragic famines in history, began in the PRC. It cost 25-cents to put a gallon of gasoline into a Chevy bound for the levee that was dry. Elvis Presley, then saluting Uncle Sam as a soldier based in West Germany, was still the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. The Barbie Doll was born, Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba, Charles de Gaulle was proclaimed President of the Fifth Republic in France, and Volume 1, Number 1 of Quick Frozen Foods International (QFFI) rolled off the printing press. The only business magazine of its kind in the world has been covering the march of the global frozen food industry, without interruption, ever since. Quick Frozen Foods International was founded by Edwin W. Williams of New York City in 1959, making it the oldest global frozen food industry chronicler in continuous publication on the planet. It was initially geared primarily for the then evolving frozen food markets of Europe, as well as the more developed North American marketplace. Over the years, with the advance of the industry in all directions, the magazine’s circulation and readership has grown and spread to more than 130 countries around the world. Ed Williams, who by the time he launched QFFI had more than 20 years under his belt as the publisher of a magazine in the US dedicated to the frozen food trade, was an entrepreneurial man of vision. In the first edition of Quick Frozen Foods International he wrote: “Reading the pages of this magazine will reveal that frozen food, its techniques and advantages have become the property of the world. Its rate of growth will vary from nation to nation, depending upon the standard of living, customs, technical advancement, but one this is certain – it will grow! “The threat of the intercontinental ballistic missile has underlined, if anyone ever doubted, that this globe is one world. Frozen foods will bring that fact home to the masses with greater impact than a nuclear explosion.” In that very first issue a story was published about packaging, entitled “Boil in-the Bag: Wave of the Future.” It was also reported that Japan had 838 frozen food processing plants with total production capacity of 8,301 tons per day; the US had just reduced import tariffs on imported fish fillets; and Birds Eye was about to build the largest cold storage warehouse outside of the United States. Located in Lowestoft, England, the facility would have capacity for 4,500 tons of product. Much has changed over the past five decades, as the business of producing and exporting frozen food products has become more competitive than ever. These days, however, the market is increasingly global in scope, which is why the distribution of Quick Frozen Foods International magazine has been bolstered among key buyers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators and manufacturers in more than 130 countries. As in the beginning, its primary circulation remains in Europe and North America. Meanwhile, readership of both the print and website edition (www.qffintl.com) in East Asia, India, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa continues to grow steadily. This October, you too can be part of the last 50 years of history of the frozen food business by advertising in QFFI’s expansive “Leaders of the Frozen Food Industry Special Half-Century Celebration of Progress Section,” which will have bonus distribution at major food exhibitions. As our editorial team digs through the archives to prepare stories for the Golden Anniversary Issue, we invite you to publish history about your company along with an advertisement in this special collector’s edition, which will be kept by readers for many years to come. In essence, for the price of one page of advertising we will make available a two-page spread for participating companies to spotlight their historic achievements as well as promote new products and services. We would be pleased to reproduce a vintage ad that you ran years ago, or publish a current advertisement, along with historical and contemporary editorial about your company. Contact QFFI today for more details. |
