SAKRETE's 75-Year Legacy is Right Mix of Innovation, Quality and Customer Support

The history of SAKRETE as evolved from bagged concrete mix to packaged building materials.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Art and Mary Avril created the SAKRETE concrete business in 1936. Their vision, commitment and hard work have provided solutions for effective construction for both commercial and DIY applications to millions of people worldwide.

Seventy-five years later, the SAKRETE brand has evolved from its foundation product – a convenient, high-quality bagged concrete mix – to a range of the finest-quality, competitively priced packaged building materials.

SAKRETE, the 1st in Bagged Concrete Mix, the first 50 years – innovation and growth

The growth of SAKRETE – a brand now recognized around the world as a leader in concrete and concrete-related products – occurred because at the very start, Art Avril saw the need for packaged concrete. He was also the first to provide concrete specified for strength, not proportion (which continues today).

In his ready-mix concrete business in Cincinnati, Avril had seen many people come into his plant looking for a bucket or shovelful of “drippings.” They had a small job to do around the house and just didn't need a cubic yard of concrete. Avril reasoned there might be a market for a bag of dry concrete and mortar homeowners could mix and use as needed.

But he also knew the average homeowner couldn't mix consistently good, strong concrete. He had the idea. Next, he needed the product. Avril knew the technology of making good concrete but needed a process that provided dry material, a package with a moisture barrier and a system which would incorporate the principle of proportioning the contents of each package as an individual unit. The container – a multi-wall paper bag with a moisture barrier – resulted in a product of high quality and long shelf life. The system was then patented.

He knew his bagged concrete mix was not only a superior product, it was very convenient. Art and Mary Avril – truest partners in business and marriage – sold distributors and retail dealers on the idea of convenience. No cement, sand or gravel to shovel, just buy a sack of SAKRETE. That sold customers who had no experience mixing cement but still had a job to do.

Through imagination, knowledge and drive, the Avrils grew the brand with partners throughout the Unites States, and later the world, who purchased licenses to produce SAKRETE. The Avrils were wise to know that brand strength was as important as product quality and consistency, so the SAKRETE name has been aggressively promoted and protected for 75 years.

How did the product get its name?

There is usually sophisticated research for naming products, but Art and Mary Avril did it their way – together. To name this great new product, they made lists of names, and then spread them out on the dining room table. Narrowing the list to 50, they pulled out the name “SAKRETE.” It’s also true that the name originated because Art Avril developed a process for drying and blending the ingredients necessary to make concrete and placing them in a “sack,” hence the origin of the name “SAKRETE”.

The last 25 years – expansive product development to meet customers’ needs

SAKRETE is a leader and innovator in cement mixes and other related products, helping define the industry for both construction and home repair.

The last 25 years have seen SAKRETE expand its leadership from concrete mixes, mortar mixes, gravel and sand to a wide range of products that also include concrete and masonry repair, roof and foundation coatings, blacktop maintenance and repair, bonding and curing agents, cleaners, grouts and anchoring products, stucco and masonry, and ancillary products such as form tubes and cement colors.

The names of these products vary, but all packaging features the diamond-shaped black and yellow logo of the SAKRETE brand – a logo representing trusted performance.

One of the keys to success of SAKRETE products is their convenience for use in all projects, both small and large. The SAKRETE website provides “How to Videos” and quantity calculators which are two of the largest draws on the site, enabling users to quickly see how to do an assortment of projects and easily figure out exactly how many bags they need for their project.

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