Opinion: We Didn’t Get to Be the Official Mayonnaise of the NFL by Cutting Corners

Grant Peters, CEO of Hellman's Mayonnaise

Much has changed since Richard Hellman first opened his doors in 1913, but one thing has never changed: our dedication to making the greatest mayonnaise on earth.

Yes, Mr. Hellman never could have imagined how his wife's delicious recipe would one day become the official mayonnaise of the National Football League, but here we are. And as he always said, there is no shortcut to greatness, whether in football or in mayonnaise.

Just like the NFL, we have changed a lot over the last century. We moved out of a humble kitchen of a Manhattan deli into our state-of-the-art production facilities. We sell our products into 150 countries around the world. We've stopped relying on child labor. But we've never lost sight of what makes us great: amazing mayonnaise.

It hasn't always been easy. We've faced hard times. We've survived wars, depressions and more health fads than you can name. We've been investigated repeatedly for our use of child labor. Many of our competitors took the easy way out, sacrificing quality to make short term money. Not us. Through it all, we've stayed loyal to Richard's Hellman's belief that there is no shortcut to a great mayonnaise.

So as we look forward to our second century our future is bright. I envision a world in which we are the official mayonnaise of not just the NFL, but also the NBA and the NHL. But I think we can do even more. We should be the official mayonnaise of newer leagues in MMA and gaming. We should be the official mayonnaise of women's leagues like the WNBA. We should be the official mayonnaise of leagues throughout the world from the English Premier League to Indian Cricket. One day we can even be the official mayonnaise of the Olympics.

As our Richard Hellman taught us, dream big, and never cut corners.