The Heckers brand was started in 1842 by two brothers, John and George Hecker, who emigrated from England and built a small mill just north of New York City on the Hudson River. “Hecker & Brother” was successful from the start. George Hecker developed the first self-rising flour and was awarded “first premium” gold medals at the 1851 World’s Fair in London and the New York World’s Fair in 1852. The publicity generated from the awards allowed the Hecker’s to expand and the brothers built a new larger mill on Cherry Street in New York City and the trade name was changed to George V. Hecker & Company. As the milling industry went through a period of consolidation in the late 1800’s, five local New York City flour mills were combined to form the Hecker-Jones-Jewell Milling Company. The George V. Heckers Co. was the largest and oldest of the five mills. The Standard Milling Company acquired the Hecker-Jones-Jewell Milling Company in April of 1902. The Standard Milling Company is now known as the Uhlmann Company.