Russell Stover
Encyclopedia
Russell Stover was the founder of the Russell Stover Candies
.
south of Alton, Kansas
in Osborne County, Kansas
. His family moved to Iowa City, Iowa
where he attended Iowa City Academy and a year and a half at Iowa State University
where he studied chemistry.
In 1911 he married Clara Lewis and they moved to a 580 acres (2.3 km²) farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, which they received as a wedding gift. In 1912 they moved to Winnipeg
and then went to work for a Minnesota candy company and then candy company A.G. Morris in Chicago
. In 1918 he moved to Des Moines where he worked for Irwin Candy Co. and they moved to Omaha, Nebraska
.
pitched the concept of mass producing a chocolate covered ice cream treat called the I-Scream Bar. Seven companies had rejected it earlier because it easily melted. Nelson patented it on January 24, 1922. The agreement was signed on the letterhead of Graham Ice Cream Company of Omaha.
Stover went into partnership with Nelson renaming it the Eskimo Pie
and taking out the stick to make it a sandwich. The pie immediately became so successful they couldn't keep up with demand and licensed it to 1,500 manufacturers in exchange for 4 cents for every four dozen sold.
The treat was marketed under the brand of Russell Stover Company. The New York Times claimed they were receiving $30,000 a week in royalties in the first year.
Many manufacturers then came up with similar but different processes for making the pies and at one point they were paying $4,000/day in legal fees to defend their patent which they ultimately lost.
where they operated "Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies" which operated out of Clara's kitchen in their bungalow
. In 1925 they opened a candy factory in Denver and another one in Kansas City, Missouri
. In 1931 he moved the headquarters to Kansas City.
When he died in 1954 it was producing 11 million pounds of candy annually through 40 Russell Stover shops and in about 2,000 department stores.
His wife would operate it until 1960 when it was sold to Louis Ward who would transform the regional brand into an international company. The Ward family still owns the brand which keeps the Russell Stover brand.
Russell Stover Candies
Russell Stover Candies, Inc. is a supplier of candy, chocolate, and confections in the United States. They are headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.- Ice cream years :...
.
Early life
Stover was born in a sod houseSod house
The sod house or "soddy" was a corollary to the log cabin during frontier settlement of Canada and the United States. The prairie lacked standard building materials such as wood or stone; however, sod from thickly-rooted prairie grass was abundant...
south of Alton, Kansas
Alton, Kansas
Alton is a city in Osborne County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 103.-Geography:Alton is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 117 people,...
in Osborne County, Kansas
Osborne County, Kansas
Osborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 3,858. The largest city and county seat is Osborne.-19th century:...
. His family moved to Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
where he attended Iowa City Academy and a year and a half at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
where he studied chemistry.
In 1911 he married Clara Lewis and they moved to a 580 acres (2.3 km²) farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, which they received as a wedding gift. In 1912 they moved to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and then went to work for a Minnesota candy company and then candy company A.G. Morris in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In 1918 he moved to Des Moines where he worked for Irwin Candy Co. and they moved to Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
.
Eskimo Pie
On July 31, 1921 Christian Nelson of Onawa, IowaOnawa, Iowa
Onawa is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,091 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monona County. It is the largest town on the Iowa side of the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Sioux City....
pitched the concept of mass producing a chocolate covered ice cream treat called the I-Scream Bar. Seven companies had rejected it earlier because it easily melted. Nelson patented it on January 24, 1922. The agreement was signed on the letterhead of Graham Ice Cream Company of Omaha.
Stover went into partnership with Nelson renaming it the Eskimo Pie
Eskimo Pie
Eskimo Pie is a brand name for a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar wrapped in foil, the first such dessert sold in the United States. It is now marketed by Nestlé, owners of Dreyer's of the Western United States, and Edy's of the Eastern United States...
and taking out the stick to make it a sandwich. The pie immediately became so successful they couldn't keep up with demand and licensed it to 1,500 manufacturers in exchange for 4 cents for every four dozen sold.
The treat was marketed under the brand of Russell Stover Company. The New York Times claimed they were receiving $30,000 a week in royalties in the first year.
Many manufacturers then came up with similar but different processes for making the pies and at one point they were paying $4,000/day in legal fees to defend their patent which they ultimately lost.
Russell Stover Candies
They sold the company for $30,000 in 1924 and moved to Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
where they operated "Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies" which operated out of Clara's kitchen in their bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
. In 1925 they opened a candy factory in Denver and another one in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. In 1931 he moved the headquarters to Kansas City.
When he died in 1954 it was producing 11 million pounds of candy annually through 40 Russell Stover shops and in about 2,000 department stores.
His wife would operate it until 1960 when it was sold to Louis Ward who would transform the regional brand into an international company. The Ward family still owns the brand which keeps the Russell Stover brand.