Margaret Rudkin

Margaret Loreta Rudkin (; September 14, 1897 – June 1, 1967 ) was an American businesswoman who founded Pepperidge Farm and was the first female member of the board at the Campbell Soup Company.

Early life On September 14, 1897, Rudkin was born as Margaret Loreta Fogarty in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Rudkin's parents were Joseph J. Fogarty, an Irish clerk, and Margaret Healy. She was the eldest of her four siblings. Rudkin had reddish hair and green eyes. Rudkin learned cooking from her grandmother, who started her off with cakes and biscuits. The family moved to Flushing, Queens, after her grandmother's death. She studied finance and graduated valedictorian from her high school.

Rudkin grew up baking with her grandmother, who taught her the basics of cakes and biscuits. These skills she would go on to hone when she began making bread. Her son's asthma and severe allergies were attributed to over-processed food and preservatives, so his doctor recommended a diet of fruits, vegetables, and other minimally processed foods. Using her grandmother's recipe, Rudkin decided to make a stone-ground whole wheat bread – more nutritious than store-bought white bread, which lost vitamins and minerals in processing and was artificially fortified. Other ingredients she used included whole milk, butter, honey, and molasses. The company was one of the first successful examples to focus on healthy, natural food. For her efforts, she went on to win the Medallion of Honor at the Women's International Exposition in 1955. The average annual growth rate of the company was 53% even 26 years after its initial founding.

Rudkin is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. Her son Mark became a landscape architect known for working on famous gardens in France, such as the Jardins du Nouveau Monde.