Starting the DuPont Company

Starting the DuPont Company. . , The du Ponts arrived in the United States with a list of eight possibilities for businesses and other ventures. These included real estate, shipping, dry goods, printing, and other ideas. Eventually, the family settled on the business that would lead to their success in America: black powder manufacturing., Making black powder relied on the training E. I. received more than a decade earlier. Black powder was a product of countless uses from mining to farming to hunting to military purposes. America needed it to grow but relied on Europe for its supply. At the time, there were no manufacturers of quality black powder in the United States., E. I. and Victor traveled to Paris in 1801 seeking investors and equipment for the business They returned to the United States later that year with the money, machinery, and business charter they needed to start the new E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont")., Now they needed a location to build their factory. A long list of requirements would need to be met: access to transportation networks, reliable water powder to run machinery, nearby financial centers where they could raise money, and a community that would welcome them.