Russell Stover Candies

History

In 1921, Russell Stover partnered with Christian Kent Nelson, an Iowa schoolteacher who invented the Eskimo Pie, to create a chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwich. They licensed the product to manufacturers, and it sold well. But when other companies released similar items, the Stovers nearly went bankrupt. They sold their share for $25,000 and moved to Denver.

In 1923, Russell and Clara started a new company from their home, Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies, selling boxed chocolates. They renamed it Russell Stover Candies in 1943. Louis Ward and a partner bought the company for $7.5 million in 1960. Ward served as chairman and president until a stroke forced his retirement in 1993; his sons Scott H. and Thomas Ward then took over.

The company expanded by acquiring Whitman's that year and Pangburn's in 1999. Swiss chocolate maker Lindt bought Russell Stover Chocolates from the Ward family on July 14, 2014. The integration tripled the marketing team and shifted focus away from seasonal products. The company worked on its sugar-free line, replacing the artificial sweetener sucralose with stevia by 2019 and redesigning packaging to attract a wider audience, aiming to reverse a three-year sales decline.

In 2020, Russell Stover Chocolates became the top sugar-free chocolate company in the United States. Strong 2019 sales led to plans to expand facilities in Iola, Kansas; Abilene, Kansas; and Corsicana, Texas, while closing its Montrose, Colorado plant and several retail stores and distribution centers in 2021. The company joined a July 2020 virtual job fair hosted by the Kansas public workforce program, helping jobseekers affected by the COVID pandemic find work while social distancing.

In September 2020, it laid off 300 employees due to the pandemic; the Montrose plant closure also eliminated about 300 jobs.

Did You Know?

• The Stovers sold their share of that first company for $25,000 after copycat products nearly forced them out of business.
• In April 2021, Russell Stover entered a work release program with Topeka Correctional Facility, hiring 150 inmates for its Iola and Abilene facilities.