| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1921 |
| Headquarters | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Products | Chocolate Confections |
| Website | http://www.russellstover.com/ |
Russell Stover Candies, Inc. is a supplier of candy, chocolate, and confections in the United States. They are headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.
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The Russell Stover Candy Company did not start with candy. In 1921, Russell Stover and his partner, Iowa schoolteacher Christian Nelson, invented the world's first chocolate-dipped ice cream bar. At a dinner party Russell's wife Clara suggested calling it an Eskimo Pie. The product was a success for them, making them quite a fortune in their first year.[1]
However, as other companies soon began to release similar chocolate-dipped ice cream products, Russel Stover were nearly forced out of business. The Stovers sold their share of the company for $25,000 and moved to Denver, Colorado. In 1923, Russell and Clara created the new eponymous company from their home, packaging and selling boxed chocolates.
Russell Stover remained in the Stover family until 1969 when it was purchased by Louis Ward who transformed the Midwest regional brand into a world-wide brand. It is still owned by the Ward family.
Russell Stover Candies is the nation’s leading manufacturer of boxed chocolates and the third largest American chocolate manufacturer, trailing only Hershey and Mars. The company’s three brands – Russell Stover, Whitman's and Pangburn's – account for more than 60 percent of all boxed chocolate sales in the United States.[2] Russell Stover candies are sold in nearly 40 company-owned retail stores (famed for their mirrored violet pigmented structural glass storefronts)[3] and through 70,000 wholesale accounts in more than 20 countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company manufacturers nearly 100 million pounds of chocolate annually.
The most notable Russell Stover product is its heart-shaped box of chocolates, commonly found in stores around Valentine's Day.