  
 When Albert Braswell packed his first case of pear preserves in 1946, he never
dreamed he'd someday be at the helm of a multi-million dollar company, or that his
jellies, relishes and hot sauces would be on dinner tables across the country. In
those early days, his only goal was to make a living in his hometown of
Statesboro, Georgia.
"I wanted to stay right here in Statesboro," recalls the 80 year-old founder of the company, "and I didn't have anything to do. There was
farming, but no industry, nothing." Like many young men of his generation, Albert was at loose ends when he
came home from the war. "I studied business in college, but that's only useful if
you're going to work in a bank," he states. Despite the fact that he knew nothing about cooking ("The only time I went into
the kitchen was to have a piece of Mama's cake and a glass of milk," he says.), he
decided to try making and selling pear preserves. Reasoning that since people in
the area made pear preserves from the fruit of their own trees, outsiders might
be willing to buy the tasty product.
The company's early operation was primitive. Albert gained permission to use
one of the small community canning plants the government had financed during
the war. "It was being used as a hog pen," he chuckles, "We had to shoo out
the hogs, sweep and clean it before we could begin work."
He hired a farm couple, Charlie and Blanche Nesmith to produce the
preserves. Albert bought pears from the local orchards, often picking them
himself. "I'd haul them out in a croaker sack, put 'em in the back of a pickup and
take them to the kitchen. We'd peel and slice the pears with pen knives,
then cook them." During the 3-week harvest season, the trio produced 4-5
cases for each 12-hour workday. Customers gobbled up as much as the group could produce.
The work had its exciting moments. "The boiler would get too hot…red hot,"
Albert remembers. "Charlie would beat on the pipes with a wrench to relieve the
pressure, and if that didn't help, he'd yell "Everybody run!!", and we'd run out into
the cotton patch until the boiler cooled down. Then we'd go back inside and
get back to work."
During the next 20 years, the business
grew steadily…as did the work load.
"Soon my brother came to work with me.
We worked 7 days a week," Albert
says. His employees worked hard too,
building a strong bond between
themselves and the Braswells. "At one
time, we employed about 50 women
who sang gospel as they worked all
hours of the night," Albert recalls. "It
was simply beautiful. They were all
good farm women…"
The facility is no longer primitive.
Eighty employees operate a 75,000 square-foot plant near
downtown Statesboro producing about
435,000 cases of condiments each
year, all of which proves that a lot of hard work pays off.
Your payoff will come when you taste Braswell's fine products!
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