Russell Stover Candies

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Russell Stover Candies

Type of Company	Private
Founded	1921
Headquarters	Kansas City, USA
Products	Chocolate Confections
Net income	?
Website	http://www.russellstover.com/

Russell Stover Candies, Inc. is a supplier of boxed candy in the United States. The headquarters are in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1921, an Iowa schoolteacher named Christian Nelson invented the world's first chocolate-dipped ice cream bar, and at a dinner party Clara Stover suggested calling it Eskimo Pie. Incidentally, Clara was the wife of Nelson's business partner, Russell Stover. The Nelsons and Stovers decided to go into business together, making a fortune in their first year. However, other companies soon began to release similar products, nearly forcing them out of business. In response, the Stovers sold their shares for $25,000 and moved their business to Denver, Colorado. They did not sell ice cream products anymore. From their home, they began packaging and selling boxed chocolates, becoming the largest manufacturer of boxed chocolates in the US and North America.[1]

Russell Stover was started as a family business in 1923 by Russell and Clara Stover in Denver. It remained a private partnership until 1969 when it was purchased by Louis Ward. It now distributes to 50 company stores and 40,000 other outlets, having expanded internationally to Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Its other brands include Whitman's Candies and Pangburn's Chocolates.

The most notable Russell Stover product is its heart-shaped box of chocolates, commonly found in stores around Valentine's Day.