Davidson's Prize Club

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The Davidson’s Baking Company was founded in 1914 by Eugene F. Davidson and was one of the largest baking companies in the Northwest. The company’s first store was located in Portland, Oregon and their main product was “Liberty Bread” which was comprised of cornmeal, rye, rice, bran, whole wheat and white flour. The bread was comprised of so many ingredients because of the war and the conservation of wheat. This bread would later be known as Davidson’s Sunbeam Bread. The company marketed their bread with Little Miss Sunbeam and a corresponding national contest in which young girls would compete to locally represent the company. In 1964 the company was producing about six or seven loaves of bread per Oregonian (12.5 million loaves per year). The biggest competition for the Davidson’s Bakery was the other family owned Franz Bakery, inventor of the modern day hamburger bun.

Battistella, E. Davidson Baking Company (Sunbeam Bakery). The Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/davidson_baking_company_sunbeam_bakery_/