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Russell Stover Chocolates History
1923 | Clara and Russell Stover begin making candy in the kitchen of their Denver bungalow home. The company, initially employing seven employees, is first known as Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies |
1924 | The Stovers operate five stores in Denver and stores in Kansas City, Lincoln, Omaha and St. Louis. |
1928 | The Stovers find their business is expanding rapidly and open their first factory in Kansas City, Missouri. |
1932 | All company operations relocate to Kansas City. |
1934 | The Stovers open a drive-in store, ice cream parlor and ice cream factory in Kansas City. |
1943 | The company name is officially changed to Russell Stover Candies. Russell Stover heads the Committee for the National Confectioners Association in Washington D.C. |
1954 | Russell Stover dies at the age of 66 on May 11th. |
1960 | Louis Ward, a box maker who has been supplying packaging materials to Russell Stover Candies, purchases controlling interest in the company. At this time the company is publicly traded. |
1975 | Clara Stover dies at the age of 93. |
1981 | Russell Stover Candies again becomes a privately owned company. |
1993 | Tom and Scott Ward are named co-presidents of Russell Stover Candies. Russell Stover Candies acquires Whitman's Candies. |
1994 | It is a box of Russell Stover chocolates that leads Forrest Gump to quote his mother..."My mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." |
1996 | Louis Ward dies at the age of 76 on February 10th. |
1998 | Russell Stover Candies launches a line of sugar-free chocolates and quickly becomes the leading producer of sugar-free candies in America. |
2002 | Russell Stover Candies was awarded six Gold Taste Awards by the prestigious American Culinary Institute. The awards recognized Russell Stover as having America's best-tasting toffee, chocolate covered cherries, fudge, truffles, nut bars and sugar-free chocolates. |
2003 | Russell Stover Candies launches a Net Carb line of "reduced carb" chocolates to meet the needs of consumers leading low carb lifestyles. A Net Carb Whitman's Sampler® is also introduced. |
2004 | Two new product lines designed specifically for diabetic consumers are also added. Diabetix, by Russell Stover and Whitman's Sucratrol lines offer diabetic consumers great-tasting chocolates that are also fortified with chromium, zinc and magnesium. |
2005 | Whitman's Candies partners with Weight Watchers International to launch the Weight Watchers® by Whitman's® line of chocolate candies. each of these chocolate candies has a POINTS® value of 1 per piece and contains no trans fat. |
2008 | Russell Stover Candies celebrates their 85th anniversary |
2012 | Whitman's Sampler® celebrates it's 100th anniversary |
2014 | Pangburn's® of Texas celebrates it's 100th anniversary |
2014 | Lindt & Sprungli, manufacturer of premium quality chocolates worldwide, acquires Russell Stover Candies and Whitman's Candies. |