The History of Reddi-Wip

In March 1955, Aaron “Bunny” Lapin patented a nozzle that was used on aerosol whip cream containers. By the time he received his patent, his invention was already wildly profitable. Lapin was originally a food salesman. In the early 1940s, he started selling Sta-Whip, a wartime substitute for whipping cream that was made mostly from light cream and vegetable fat. He also offered Fount-Wip, a refillable aerating gun that he offered to bakers and other commercial customers who wanted to be able to easily whip his Sta-Whip product. In 1946, when the Crown Cork and Seal Company introduced the Spra-tainer (one of the first seamless, lined, and lithographed aerosol canisters), Lapin became one of the first customers. He put his product in the aerosol cans and began selling it through milkmen in St. Louis. He called it Reddi-Wip. Its popularity exploded and distribution soon expanded throughout the United States and Canada. In just five years, Lapin became known as “The Whipped Cream King.” (He even founded another company that made and sold its own valves and produced one the of the first aerosol shaving creams, Reddi-Shave.) Although Lapin sold his portion of the company in 1963, Reddi-Wip continued to gain popularity. Today, it remains a beloved convenience item that’s considered a staple around Thanksgiving and other major holidays and is still one of the most recognizable products on modern store shelves.