By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
One of the world's most guarded trade secrets, Colonel Sanders' handwritten original recipe, made a safe return to its remodeled KFC headquarters in Louisville, Ky., Monday. Armed guards were fittingly present for the occasion marking the homecoming of the blend of 11 herbs and spices, an unmistakable KFC trademark.
The return of the valued secret comes five months after it was temporarily moved to a secure off-site location while its original vault at the KFC headquarters underwent security reinforcement measures.
"We're glad to have the secret recipe safely back home," said KFC President Roger Eaton. "The Colonel's Original Recipe is priceless, so I've had a few sleepless nights while it was kept off-site. I can finally get a good night's sleep knowing it is now back in Louisville in our high-tech safe and vault."
American entrepreneur Harland David Sanders, commonly known as Colonel Sanders (Sept. 9, 1890 to Dec. 16, 1980), founded Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in 1952, but his recipe was first conceived in 1940 and has remained unchanged since. Sanders' fried chicken, based on his recipe, is a mainstay KFC item and his image continues to represent the chain in its advertisements and packaging.
Last September, KFC temporarily relocated the prized possession to an undisclosed secure location while upgrades were made under the supervision of corporate security expert and former New York City police detective Bo Dietl.
"The Colonel and KFC kept the secret recipe safe for 68 years and while it has never changed, the security needed an upgrade," Dietl said. "We designed this system to keep the recipe under wraps for at least another 68 years."
The recipe's new home is reminiscent of a Hollywood movie set. The custom-built, digital safe protecting the recipe weighs more than 770 lbs and has a thick steel door. The computerized safe also boasts a dual-opening system that requires both a smart key and a personal identification number (PIN). A built-in silent alarm and time lock feature provide additional layers of safekeeping, designed to alert the security team of any attempted intrusion and allow access to the safe only during pre-set periods of time.
For additional safety, the vault housing the new safe is reinforced with two feet of concrete in the ceiling, walls and floor to ensure that no one can tunnel or drill into the vault. The vault and safe are now under 24-hour video and motion-detection surveillance.
A subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc. since 2002, KFC is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain, with over 14,000 outlets in more than 80 countries around the world, serving some 12 million customers daily. Visit www.KFC.com for more information about Colonel Sanders and the secret recipe.