Tapioca is made from manioc (also known as cassava), a plant found in Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The root is roasted, dried, and sifted into different grades ranging from “flake” (finest) to “pearl” (largest). Tapioca produces a starchy pudding when cooked. In 1883, Susan Stavers, a Boston housewife, began using her coffee grinder on manioc roots to produce small, translucent nodules that made a smooth pudding. She sold them in paper bags from door to door. They came to the attention of a local publisher and grocery store owner, John Whitman. He purchased the rights to her process and began selling it as Tapioca Superlative. In 1894, he renamed the product to Minute Tapioca and built a factory in Orange, Massachusetts, to manufacture it. Tapioca became one of a number of lighter desserts viewed as fashionable in the early 1900s. The plant operated in Orange until 1967.