J.H. Filbert

{{Short description|Food manufacturer based in Baltimore, Maryland}}

J.H. Filbert, Inc. was a company based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States that produced margarine and butter substitute products, including Mrs. Filbert's Margarine and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!.

The company was founded by John H. Filbert, who died in 1917. His widow, Martha V. Filbert (and the namesake for Mrs. Filbert's Margarine(21 April 1960). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I5seAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kMwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4436,4210949&dq=martha-filbert&hl=en Mrs. Filbert Rose To Conquer], Daytona Beach Morning Journal (sample advertisement)) then took over as president, and served in that role for over thirty years, until her death in 1954.(13 October 1954). [https://www.nytimes.com/1954/10/13/archives/mrs-john-h-filbert.html Mrs. John H. Filbert (obituary)], The New York Times(13 October 1954). [https://archive.today/20130131135104/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1687701982.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+13,+1954&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=MRS.+FILBERT+DIES+AT+AGE+76&pqatl=google "Mrs. Filbert Dies At Age 76: Headed Food Products Firm For Over 3 Decades"], The Baltimore Sun

In 1972, Central Soya acquired the privately owned company, which at that time had reached annual sales of $63 million and was the largest privately owned manufacturer in Baltimore.(31 March 1972). [https://archive.today/20130131135032/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1752551872.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+31,+1972&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=Filbert+to+join+Central+Soya&pqatl=google "Filbert to join Central Soya"], The Baltimore Sun(4 January 1978). [https://archive.today/20130131134724/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1777672962.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+04,+1978&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=Alvin+B.+Filbert,+69,+dies;+headed+margarine+firm&pqatl=google "Alvin B. Filbert, 69, dies; headed margarine firm"], The Baltimore Sun In 1979, Filbert invented I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and began marketing it in 1981.Lazarus, George (June 1, 1981). [https://archive.today/20130131195111/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/635228442.html?dids=635228442:635228442&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jun+01,+1981&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Filbert+can't+believe+you+won't+like+its+new+butter+blend&pqatl=google "Filbert can't believe you won't like its new butter blend"]. Chicago Tribune. ("Filbert has moved into the Syracuse, Albany, and Pittsburgh markets with a one-pound blend called 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.'") {{Subscription required}}

Unilever acquired Filbert in 1986 for $23 million in order to add East Coast U.S. manufacturing capacity. It continues to market some Filbert-created products.Shurtleff, William and Akiko Aoyagi [http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/central_soya.php Work with Soy - A Special Exhibit - The History of Soy Pioneers Around the World], unpublished manuscript, SoyInfoCenter.com, Central Soya Company (2004)Wyman, Carolyn (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=VgG9e8-r42oC&dq=%22I+Can%27t+Believe+It%27s+Not+Butter%22+filbert&pg=PA48 Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods That Changed The Way We Eat]. Quirk Books. pp. 50–52. {{ISBN|1931686424}}Jones, Geoffrey (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=XepDRQVsVUUC&q=%22I+Can%27t+Believe%22&pg=PA238-IA3 Renewing Unilever: Transformation and Tradition]. Oxford University Press. pp. 102–03. {{ISBN|0199269432}}(27 January 1977). [https://archive.today/20130131152122/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1862294592.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+27,+1977&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=Filbert's+president+resigns+over+move+to+Fort+Wayne,+Ind.&pqatl=google "Filbert's president resigns over move to Fort Wayne, Ind."], The Baltimore Sun ("Walter Scott, Jr.. has resigned as president of JH Filbert, Inc. ...")