[1] The brand started in 1982 with a homemade salad dressing that Paul Newman and A. E. Hotchner prepared themselves and gave to friends as gifts.

[2] The successful reception of the salad dressing led Newman and Hotchner to commercialize it for sale, financing it with $20,000 each as seed money.

[9] Newman and Hotchner co-wrote a memoir about their company and the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good (ISBN 0-385-50802-6), published in 2003.

Forrester said that the company and foundation are continuing to be operated in accordance with the late Paul Newman's expressed wishes.

Forrester was fired in 2019 as a result of an internal review following allegations of inappropriate behavior, and the board appointed Jennifer Smith Turner as interim president and CEO.

[22] Other beneficiaries of the profits from Newman's Own have included The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund (from 1983 onwards),[23] Shining Hope for Communities,[24] Safe Water Network,[10] Edible Schoolyard NYC,[25] Fisher House Foundation,[26] the WILD Young Women Programme (New Zealand),[27] and Pilgrims Hospices (UK).