As mentioned in the July 23 blog entry, there are many great stories to share from our recent 25th Anniversary Staff Tour. I’ve asked other staff to share some of their experiences and favorite moments firsthand from our two days of traveling through southwest Minnesota. Enjoy!
Beyond the Ice Cream
Liz Maiers
Development Officer
As we toured The Schwan Food Company Research and Development Center in Marshall last week, I couldn’t help but be amazed. Many people know Schwan for its delicious ice cream delivered right to their home. But, every time you buy a Tony’s pizza from your favorite grocery store, you are also experiencing a taste of Schwan.
A leader in the frozen food market, Schwan is much more than ice cream. Schwan is vegetables. Schwan is pie. Schwan is beverages. It is seafood, chicken, pizza, egg rolls and pre-packaged meals, too!
My mind wandered as we toured the facility, saw the various kitchens where products are tested and learned about things like the length of time it takes to get a product from an idea to market. I couldn’t help but think back to my childhood. Hot summer days playing in the sandbox usually ended with an ice cream mustache from my orange push-up and sticky fingers. On evenings my mom was working, my dad would bake a frozen Chicken Kiev and I’d watch as that buttery goodness filled my plate after my first bite.
With those memories came a real-time awareness completely unrelated to food.
There is no question that Schwan is creative in its business strategy and marketing tactics. They also do creative things for southwest Minnesota. I think they call it “corporate citizenship.” I call it “giving back.”
Did you know that Schwan supports the Southwest Initiative Foundation each year? Did you know it has supported both the Marshall and Balaton community foundations of SWIF using challenge grants? It’s probably a given that Schwan supports other great organizations, too. They’ve even involved their employees who can wear jeans and casual attire on Fridays and donate $1.00, which is used to support worthy organizations. In one year alone, that strategy raised $60,000.00, which Schwan used to make a difference.
Schwan does the right thing. They take care of customers. They take care of their employees (18,000 and counting!). They take care of their community and region. And it all started in 1952 with one van, 14 gallons of ice cream and a 23-year old entrepreneur named Marvin Schwan.
As we ended our tour of the R&D Center, I tried to pick just one favorite Schwan treat. I couldn’t! But I’ll offer you my top three: Passion Punch Sherbet, frozen asparagus spears and, of course, Chicken Kiev…with all of its buttery goodness.
What’s your favorite?
