3 Gas Station Brands Owned By The Chevron Corporation

Chevron is one of the largest gas station chains in America, offering drivers thousands of opportunities to fill up at one of its stations from coast to coast. But, as is often the case with such large corporations, the true scope of Chevron's reach goes beyond simply the Chevron name.

As Chevron's number of locations has continued to grow, behind the scenes, the company has spent just as much time and energy (not to mention money) on acquisitions, partnerships, and international ventures. Today, Chevron's portfolio includes other names: Texaco and Caltex.

From the late 1800s through to the modern day, these three gas station brands now stand as the pillars of the Chevron Corporation. But their shared corporate history does not necessarily mean they all operate under precisely the same ownership structure or business arrangement in every country. Let's take a look at each one and its specific offerings below.

Chevron is obviously the crown jewel of the Chevron Corporation, and not just because it's the namesake. Originally called Pacific Coast Oil Co., the brand's history dates all the way back to 1879. Back then, California's burgeoning petroleum industry was bringing in prospectors from all over the country hoping to strike it rich and discover oil.

At first, the company focused on developing its regional operations there in California. From there, they began constructing refining facilities and building transportation infrastructure to physically move petroleum from extraction sites to customers. As the company expanded and grew, it eventually became Standard Oil Co. (A name most recognize as one of the biggest in modern history.) 

When antitrust proceedings hit, the company we now know as Chevron split off and focused on expanding the service station network. Merging with Gulf Oil in the 1980s only made them an even bigger name in the gas station biz. That's the industry Chevron is still synonymous with today.

While the company we now know as Chevron was in its early twenties, Texaco was just getting started. Founded in Beaumont, Texas in 1902, The Texas Company was soon shortened to Texaco and adopted its instantly recognizable five-point star emblem with a red letter T in the middle. That branding remains central to Texaco, which still exists today with locations throughout the American South/Southwest and abroad.

Like Chevron, Texaco built its petroleum business through the help of several key acquisitions. To name a few: Indian Refining Company in 1931, Fire Chief gasoline in 1932, and Sky Chief in 1938. And though Chevron wouldn't take control of Texaco until 2001, the two have actually been working together in some capacity or another since 1936. That's when Standard Oil Co. of California and The Texas Company first established their joint venture that still exists today, the California Texas Oil Company (also known as Caltex).

When Standard Oil Co. of California and The Texas Company formed Caltex in 1936, the two simply hoped to combine their different strengths in petroleum production and international distribution into one. Standard Oil of California brought its experience with Middle Eastern production to the table, while Texaco brought its operations across Africa and Asia.

Despite the Great Depression toppling businesses in America and around the world, Caltex managed to weather the storm. (This is an oil company, after all, not some humble mom-and-pop operation.) By 1968, the company had adopted the name Caltex Petroleum Corp. complete with a new star logo reminiscent of Texaco's. As the mid-20th century gave way to the 21st, Caltex slowly left the American market for places abroad. Its stations are now exclusively located in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and parts of Southern Africa. In addition to its gas stations, the company's product portfolio also includes Havoline and Delo lubricants. (The former being one of the best motor oil brands around.)