A Quick History of Watkins
"J. R. Watkins Medical Company", (the original name)
is still inscribed on the face of Watkins
headquarters
building, a constant reminder of Watkins roots
in the
health and nutrition fields. Medicinal products were
the company's specialty -- liniments, salves and other
home
remedies.
In 1868 the J. R. Watkins Medical Company was founded in
Plainview, Minnesota by Joseph R. Watkins.
Watkins
moved 25 miles south in 1885, to Winona, Minnesota. Watkins corporate
headquarters has been
located in a beautiful office building
near the banks of the Mississippi River since 1911. Joseph "J. R."
Watkins
began the tradition of selling all natural products,
traveling around the countryside, delivering his
liniment
door to door from the rear of his horse drawn wagon. J. R.
Watkins hand mixed his Red Liniment
in a vat, mixing such
ingredients as camphor (from the Asian evergreen tree),
extract of capsicum
(from red peppers), oil of spruce and
other botanicals in an invigorating alcohol based rub.
He was so confident in his product that he offered his
customers the first ever money back guarantee.
J. R. Watkins
believed in giving his customers honest value for their hard-earned money. A hard earned
dollar for a bottle of his
liniment was an investment that needed a guarantee of
quality. To that J. R. had
a special "Trial Mark"
molded into the bottle. He would leave the bottle with the
customer upon payment
and if the product had not been used
past the mark by his next visit, the customer could get a
full refund
of their purchase price.
At the time of his death in 1911, J. R. Watkins had more
than 2,500 people selling his liniment door-to-door.
This is
the first recorded network marketing endeavor. Over 134 years
later, Watkins still offers Red
Liniment
as well as other products to make
you feel better, live longer and preserve the well-being of
our planet.
Today, instead of the Watkins Man making horse and buggy
delivers, Watkins products are handled by more
than 80,000
Independent Associates throughout the United States and Canada, with orders processed using
state-of-the-art
technology and promptly shipped for delivery direct to your
home or business.
Watkins - yesterday, today and tomorrow!