Shane Parrish

One in three frozen french fries sold anywhere in the world comes from the same company, and it all traces back to a small town with a population of about 1,600.

There's a sign when you drive into Florenceville.

It reads, Florenceville, french fry capital of the world.

You might think it's a joke, something the local chamber of commerce put up to attract tourists, but that means you don't know the real story.

Florenceville is the founding place of McCain Foods.

They sell in over 160 countries, they employ more than 20,000 people, and they process more than 1 million pounds of potato products every single hour, and they do over 16 billion a year in revenue.

And it started with two brothers from a farming family.

They had no technical expertise and a tiny budget.

Harrison McCain, the central figure in our story, didn't invent frozen fries.

He was a salesman from the sticks who understood a few things about the world a little earlier and a little more clearly than the people around him.

But he had the appetite to pursue it in the biggest way possible.

This is the story of Harrison McCain.

In 1949, a 22-year-old Harrison McCain walked into a job interview he assumed was a formality.

A pharmaceutical company needed a salesman.

He'd studied organic chemistry.

This should be an easy fit.

The sales manager set him straight.

Three graduate pharmacists had also applied.

Then he added, the chances of you getting this job are zilch.

Harrison didn't budge.