The Jewish Guy Who Invented Whipped Cream in a Can

Image by Wikimedia Commons

By John A. Oswald January 5, 2016

There are a few hours left to National Whipped Cream Day and boy, oh boy, do we have a good reason to celebrate.

That’s because, it turns out, that Reddi-wip®, the red-canned mass-market version of the fluffy white stuff was invented in 1948 by one Aaron S. “Bunny” Lapin. Yep, a Jew.

According to the product’s website, Lapin used real cream to make Reddi-wip and got a patent for “dispensing valves for gas pressure containers.” He went national in 1954, and sold his company in 1963.

It is now owned by packaged foods giant ConAgra.

John Oswald is The Forward’s deputy digital media editor.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO