A loan of $100 is all it took for James T. Williams to open a grocery store in Minneapolis in 1896. But this businessman's legacy would not be in the goods he sold but the product he developed in 1912. Williams redesigned elbow macaroni with a thinner wall and larger hole and, as a result, invented the first quick-cooking pasta.

Williams named his macaroni Creamette®. The Minnesota Macaroni Company manufactured the Creamette® brand until Williams bought out the firm and Creamette® became its official new name. The history of innovation that Williams employed to create his fast-cooking noodles was indicative of the spirit that propelled Creamette® to a leading share position throughout much of the Midwest.

In the 1950s, consumers came to know Creamette as the "recipe company" for the easy recipes listed on every box. Creamette® has grown from a regional brand popular across the Midwest to a regional favorite. It's widely distributed in 37 states through the U.S.

Creamette was run by the Williams family until 1979 when it was sold to Borden. Today, Creamette® is part of the New World Pasta family of brands, the leading dry pasta manufacturer in the United States. New World Pasta brands include Ronzoni® Smart Taste™ and Ronzoni Healthy Harvest®.