Minute Tapioca factory

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

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.

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Details

Item typeDocumentary Photograph
Postcard
PhotographerAdams, Willis Seaver
Date1920
PlaceOrange, Massachusetts
TopicIndustry, Occupation, Work
Commerce, Business, Trade, Consumerism
Food, Cooking, Beverage, Alcohol
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
Great Depression and World War II, 1929–1945
Counterculture, Civil Rights, and Cold War, 1946–1989
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography
Dimension details; ;
Catalog #1997.08.01.0060
View this item in our curatorial database →
Adams, Willis Seaver, photographer. Minute Tapioca factory. Photograph. 1920. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1997-08-01-0060/. Accessed on December 9, 2024.

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