Jell-O was nearly worthless for its first few years.
In 1899 its owner sold the entire brand for $450. New owner Orator Woodward sent salesmen across rural America handing out free recipe booklets where Jell-O was unknown. Within a decade, sales hit $1 million a year. That $450 castoff still moved roughly $688 million of dessert in 2022.
Jell-O on Brandseum