Eighty years. That’s how long SPAM, the canned cooked meat made by Hormel Foods Corporation (not unsolicited emails or text messages), has been around. Well, officially, that is. In actual fact, SPAM was invented in the 1920s and it wasn’t until 1937 that it was introduced to consumers. Since then, it has won the world over. At least it is for the United States and to some extend, South Korea which, apparently, is largest market for SPAM products outside of the U.S. While some may not fancy the taste of canned cooked meat, for lovers, there is something to rejoice about. No, we are not talking about all-you-can-eat SPAM buffet; instead, there’s a place to celebrate your love for the canned food and it is a museum dedicated to SPAM. Yup. SPAM Museum is a thing!
The Hormel Foods owned and operated museum, which is located in Austin, Minnesota, features a sprawling 14,000 square feet (1,300 square meters) of floor space showcasing the history of SPAM, interactive galleries so you can have an in-depth grasp of everything SPAM. Some of the exhibits include SPAM canjos (can banjos), a 780 cans-long SPAM brand train that runs around the entire museum, historical photos and product advertising posters, various sample of SPAM holiday gift packs, a SPAM rocket that’s capable 22,000 feet altitude, and even a replica of SPAM packing station for fans to experience packing SPAM products. Finally, there is, of course, a SPAM shop, so you can take home some memorabilia, including SPAM products which you can consume.
Well, what can I say? It sure sounds like a SPAM heaven for serious SPAM aficionados!
Images: Hormel Foods/YouTube.