It Happened Right Under Our Noses
Albert Alexander Hyde
Albert Alexander Hyde (1848-1935) was a partner in founding The Yucca Company in 1889, which manufactured and marketed laundry and toilet soap and shaving cream. One of their first products was a cough syrup containing menthol and camphor, and after several years of research, consultation and experimentation, the company introduced Mentholatum Ointment, which enjoyed brisk sales. Hyde became rich and donated most of his earnings to local churches and Christian missions. He moved the business, renamed The Mentholatum Company, to Buffalo, New York in 1906. The original Mentholatum building still stands on East Douglas, now the home of The Spice Merchant.
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