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Five Generations. 130 Years.
B&W’s healthy roots go back five generations, to the year 1870, when brothers-in-law Richard Salmon Baker and Richard Soltan formed Soltan & Baker. Soon, nephew Albert W. Baker joined the operation, and eventually his son, Richard W. Baker, ran the company.
In 1963, Richard R. (Dick) Burgoon married Richard Baker’s oldest daughter, Patricia, and was welcomed into the family business. When Baker retired in 1969, Burgoon bought the business and merged with Donald E. Weaver. To reflect the union, Burgoon and Weaver changed the company’s name to B&W Quality Growers. Weaver retired in 1990 and sold his share of the business to Burgoon, whose family currently owns and operates B&W.
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A Timeline of Growth
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1870 |
Brothers-in-law Richard Salmon Baker and Richard Soltan form Soltan & Baker Watercress in New Jersey. The two use a wagon to haul their crops to the railroad.
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1872 |
Nephew Albert W. Baker joins the operation.
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1874 |
Frank Dennis finds an abundance of watercress growing in a large pond on his family’s property in West Long Beach, New Jersey. He begins selling the tasty green for "pin money," and a new business is born.
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1880 |
Soltan & Baker’s watercress business expands with the addition of a second farm in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
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1924 |
Monroe Weaver gives up raising chickens and begins selling watercress to customers in Pennsylvania and New York. His farm is based in Shiremanstorm, Pennsylvania.
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1929 |
Monroe Weaver moves his business to Florida, where he becomes the first watercress grower in Oviedo, Florida.
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1936 |
Albert Baker’s son, Richard W. Baker, begins transporting and selling Soltan & Baker Watercress to the New York market.
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1939 |
With fields in Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Dennis Watercress becomes known as the "king of watercress."
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1960 |
Richard R. (Dick) Burgoon marries Richard Baker’s oldest daughter, Patricia.
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1963 |
Richard R. (Dick) Burgoon joins Baker Watercress.
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1969 |
When Richard Baker retires, Burgoon buys the business and merges with Donald E. Weaver. The new company is called B&W Quality Growers.
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1970 |
B&W Quality Growers, the largest grower of watercress in the United States, celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
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1973 |
B&W Quality Growers purchases Dennis Watercress Company.
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1990 |
Donald Weaver retires, selling his share of the business to Burgoon, whose family currently owns and operates B&W.
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1995 |
The 5th generation of the B&W family joins the business, with the addition of Richard Burgoon’s son, Steven. Also joining the company are Burgoon’s two son-in-laws, Andy Brown and Alan Temple, along with nephew, Robert Burgoon.
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1996 |
B&W Quality Growers moves it headquarters to Fellsmere, Florida.
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2001 |
B&W Quality Growers launches www.watercress.com.
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2020 |
 B&W's fifth generation stands ready to take the reins.
Jonathan Temple, Andrew
Brown,
Madison Temple, Kaitlynn Brown and Sarah Brown
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