Bacon is delicious, amazing — and everywhere! At Hempler’s, we’ve been on the front lines of the bacon world for 83 years (ever since Hans Hempler founded the company in 1934), perfecting our techniques, developing new flavors, and bringing the world the bacon they love.

But we weren’t the first, and bacon hasn’t always been the booming industry it is now. At various times throughout history, it’s been a) just another provision folks ate along with everything else, b) widely unpopular, c) an obsession, and d) not that great. But these days, people eat over 18 pounds of bacon a year. And there’s a good reason for that.

So, what happened to get it here? A lot, but here are a few key facts about the history of everyone’s favorite crispy, crunchy, luxurious meat goodness.

– According to Time magazine, bacon dates back to the Roman empire, when it was called petaso. That’s just further proof that bacon is a timeless, perfect product.

– The process of making bacon hasn’t really changed all the much in the hundreds of years it’s been in production! That’s hard to believe, considering how cooking technologies have evolved over time.

– Between 2001 and 2009, bacon consumption rose 25%! And in recent years, that number keeps growing 2-3% every year.

– Bacon exists in pretty much every type of food and industry. From bacon salt to bacon-printed clothing, bacon covered donuts to tons of flavors of bacon, there’s just no end to how much people love it.

Which brings us to the best point:

– Bacon is forever! Considering it has been around for centuries, and its popularity still hasn’t plateaued despite such a saturation across the food world, media, and pop culture, it’s amazing that we haven’t grown remotely sick of it. And that’s why we keep making the bacon you love, and are always thinking of new ways to delight you with America’s favorite food.