Way back in 1930’s Colonel Harland Sanders got some distinguished Kentucky folks lickin’ their fingers. Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken, was born on September 9, 1890.When he was six, his father died and his mother was forced to go to work while young Sanders took care of his three year old sibling. By the time he was seven, Harland Sanders was a master of a
range of regional dishes. After a series of jobs, in the mid 1930s at the age of forty, Colonel Sanders bought a service station, motel and cafe at Corbin, a town in Kentucky about 25 miles from the Tennessee border. It is here that Sanders began experimenting with different seasonings to flavor his chicken which travelers loved and for which he soon became famous. During the next nine years he developed his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique which is still used today. Sander's fame grew. He sold his chicken on the highway! But when the highway was removed, he sold up and traveled the United States by car, cooking chicken for restaurant owners and their employees. If the reaction was favorable Sanders entered into a handshake agreement on a deal which stipulated a payment to him of a nickel for each chicken the restaurant sold. By 1964, from that humble beginning, Colonel Harland Sanders had 600 franchise outlets for his chicken across the United States and Canada. Later that year, Colonel Sanders sold his interest in the United States operations for $2 million. The 65-year-old gentleman had started a worldwide empire using his $105 social security cheque. Sadly, Colonel Harland Sanders passed away on December 16th, 1980 aged 90. His legacy lives on with KFC restaurants all over the world. KFC now stretches worldwide with more than 13,000 restaurants in more than 80 countries and territories around the world serving up the Colonel’s Original Recipe. It is a $13 billion brand based out of Kentucky and is the leading QSR around the world which is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Yum! Brands own 5 brands, out of which KFC is the largest brand within the Yum! Portfolio, founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in the year 1938.
