11 Oldest US Companies Still in Business

If you’re curious to find out which US companies are older than the country itself, this list of the 11 oldest US companies still in business includes some companies that predate the revolution that spawned the most powerful nation on Earth today.

Before the US was known as the land of opportunity, it had to get some businesses up and running first. And so, companies were established as early as the 1600s, beginning with Shirley Plantation in Virginia, the oldest family-owned business not only in the US but also in North America. During that century, farms, schools, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses were established, to cater mainly to the people of the British colonies at the time. And from those institutions, many have survived to this day, with some even taking prominent roles in shaping the nation into what it’s become today. This list of the oldest US companies still in existence includes institutions that are still operating or have otherwise continuously sold products since their respective inceptions.

We have to make some distinctions for this list, as the first seven businesses established in the US are either farms, hotels, or restaurants. For this list, we are not considering companies in those sectors, as many such farms, hotels, and restaurants deemed to be the oldest in the US tend to function more as historical landmarks than actual businesses. This list instead aims to shine the spotlight on those companies that have continually evolved and remained relevant over the centuries without being gimmicky.

Baker’s Chocolate, owned by Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHC), Bixler’s Jewelers, Caswell-Massey, D. Landreth Seed Company, Hartford Courant, owned by tronc Inc (NASDAQ:TRNC), King Arthur Flour, Laird & Company, Lakeside Mills, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The John Stevens Shop, and Towle Silversmiths, owned by Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ:LCUT) are the companies that made our list.

Six of these companies are even older than the US, while two of these companies even had the Founding Fathers as some of their notable clients and customers. Some of these companies remain family owned, while others have been part of publicly traded companies, but have managed to survive lo these many centuries.

Head to the next page to begin the countdown of the 11 oldest US companies still in business.

11. King Arthur Flour

The company formerly known as Sands, Taylor & Wood Company has been supplying flour, baking ingredients, cookbooks, and baked goods since its foundation in Boston in 1790. Now based in Norwick, Vermont, King Arthur Flour is a private, employee-owned company that claims its flour is neither bleached nor bromated.

10. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tracing its origins from The Pittsburgh Gazette in 1786, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is a daily broadsheet newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The publication, currently owned by private company Block Communications, has won six Pulitzer Prizes since 1938.

9. Bixler’s Jewelers

The oldest jeweller in North America, Bixler’s Jewelers was founded in 1785 by Christian Bixler III, who set up shop in Easton, Pennsylvania after the American Revolutionary War. Following six generations of family ownership, the brand is now part of Devotion with Forevermark, a brand under the diamond mining conglomerate De Beers Group.

8. D. Landreth Seed Company

In 1784, brothers David and Cuthbert Landreth established a seed producing company in Philadelphia. Now part of American Meadows, a private wildflower seed company, D. Landreth Seed Company has been recognized as the company that brought plants such as tomatoes, white potatoes, and zinnias to the US.

7. Laird & Company

Recognized as the first licensed distillery in the US, Laird & Company was built in 1780 by Robert Laird, whose cider spirits recipe was sought after by George Washington himself. The company was founded in New Jersey, but now distills its products in Virginia, where it gets its apples for its applejack beverage.

The next six companies on this list of the 11 oldest US companies still in business were established even before the US gained its independence in 1776.

6. Baker’s Chocolate, owned by Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHC)

Baker’s Chocolate has been in existence since 1764, when John Hannon and James Baker started producing chocolate in Massachusetts. Baker’s Chocolate, owned by Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHC) since 1989 (then known as Kraft Foods), continues to offer its products, catering to home bakers.

5. Hartford Courant, owned by tronc Inc (NASDAQ:TRNC)

The Hartford Courant started in 1764 as the weekly publication Connecticut Courant. Hartford Courant, owned by tronc Inc (NASDAQ:TRNC) since 2000 (tronc was known as Tribune Publishing at the time), is often recognized as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the US.

4. Caswell-Massey

American personal care products company Caswell-Massey was founded in 1752 in Rhode Island, and back then it even had an apothecary shop. In more recent times, the company has served bespoke products to celebrity clients such as Jacqueline Onassis and The Rolling Stones.

3. Lakeside Mills

Perhaps the oldest continuous corn meal producer in the country, Lakeside Mills has been in operation in North Carolina since 1736. The company survived the Civil War, despite the mill being the site of heavy fighting. The company has been family-owned since inception, although it has changed hands through different families before the current ownership by the King family started in 1929.

2. The John Stevens Shop

Probably the oldest surviving stone carving company in the US, The John Stevens Shop was opened in 1705 in Rhode Island by John Stevens. The founder’s family kept the shop until 1927, when John Howard Benson bought it. Benson’s family has been operating the legendary institution ever since.

1. Towle Silversmiths, owned by Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ:LCUT)

Towle Silversmiths was officially founded in 1857, but the silversmith business of the Moulton family that started Towle traces back to as early as 1690. With this centuries-old origin story, Towle Silversmiths, owned by Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ:LCUT) since 2006, can stake its claim as the oldest of the 11 oldest US companies still in business.

Disclosure: None