It all started with a leaky machine and a pile of clay. Back then, the world used clay to clean up oil. Then they used shovels to clean up the clay. Not safe, not smart. Time and money were being wasted, and it was one big mess.
Our founders ran an industrial cleaning business in 1985, so they were already up-close and personal with the frustrations of fighting grime. But they were determined to find a better way. Wearing their inventor hats, they cut up pantyhose and stuffed them with everything from sawdust to rice hulls and finally ground corncob. The PIG Original Sock, and the contained absorbents revolution, was born!
The story of the "New Pig" name
Our first product testing area was aptly nicknamed the Pig Pen (that’s it shown above), where our prototype looked like it was wallowing in the slop. People kept calling them “pigs,” and the name stuck. Some big-city advertising people told us not to use it, but what did they know? When it came time to give our company a name, co-founder Ben Stapelfeld (the handsome fellow at the top of this page) chose “Pig Corporation,” but it was already registered to a local farmer. Out of respect to farmers (and lawyers), we added “New” to our name, and the rest is history.
Coming into our own
When we started out, our products weren’t the only things breaking new ground. We were also the only folks on the market who were having fun in the industrial absorbents space. Our knack for goofy pig hats, crazy marketing campaigns and colorful catalogs helped us stand out from the crowd. And customers loved it. From cartoon pig mascots to our Pork Avenue address and 1-800-HOT-HOGS® phone number, we’ve never been shy about putting a smile on your face.
