Paul Newman's Food Company Started As An 'Inside Joke.' 44 Years Later, It's Donated $600m To Charities

Paul Newman was famous for his good looks that lasted as long as his acting career, but he was also a staunch advocate for making a difference in the world. The actor, who was a '60s box-office success, fought for civil rights at the March on Washington in August 1963 and spoke out against nuclear weapons and testing in the 1980s. Additionally, his philanthropy will forever be remembered through his food company, Newman's Own.

Ironically, Newman didn't intend to establish a food brand. He told The New York Times in 1985 that it started "as an inside joke" in his basement. Five years before, Newman invited his playwright friend A.E. Hotchner to his home, and they drank beer in his barn as they made salad dressing to give as Christmas gifts. Hotchner later told Vanity Fair in 2015, "It was ridiculous, but it was fun. We drank beer and we mixed up the stuff." The joke turned into Newman's Own, which the two men founded in 1982. The company made $4 million from selling salad dressing, spaghetti sauce, and popcorn within three years, and Newman chose which charities would receive donations. "We've discovered that being philanthropists is more difficult than being an actor or a writer," Hotchner said to The New York Times. "It's almost a full-time job."

In 2005, Newman created the Newman's Own Foundation to collaborate on giving out grants with a staff. The philanthropic food company also expanded its line of products and has donated over $600 million to charities since 1982, as of writing (per Newman's Own Foundation).

While many celebrities own companies to expand their wealth, Paul Newman never wanted to benefit from Newman's Own. A.E. Hotchner told Vanity Fair that Newman wanted to give away the over $900,000 profit from the company's first year: "Paul said, 'We can't be in the business of making money off of it! You're a writer and I'm an actor and this isn't what we do. Let's give it all away to charity.'"

In the 1985 New York Times interview, Newman explained his distaste for making money off of his self-titled brand. "It is bad enough we sell ourselves on film and on pages," he said. "If we give the money back to the people who support us, then no one can call us tacky." The first president of the Newman's Own Foundation, Robert Forrester, confirmed to CBS News in 2013 that the actor refused to be compensated for his work with the food company. Alex Amouyel, the president and CEO of the Newman's Own Foundation as of writing, told Forbes in 2025 that Newman himself reportedly wrote the end-of-year checks to the charitable organizations he was supporting with Newman's Own until he established the foundation.

The profits go to a variety of causes, including Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with serious illnesses, and contributes to the company's mission to combat childhood food insecurity. Although the Western heartthrob passed away in 2008, he would probably be happy that people recognize his efforts to improve the world through Newman's Own, instead of focusing more on Newman's tragic background.