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Schwans
Apr 19, 2020 19:07:08 GMT -5
Post by hondobrode on Apr 19, 2020 19:07:08 GMT -5
Some of us have heard of this, others probably not.
Schwans is a direct-to-consumer frozen foods company that I worked for as one of my first jobs out of college.
I was a door-to-door salesman for them on straight commission and had a blast taking my territory from # 98 out of 100 to # 4 in 5 years and my being in President's Club.
Marv Schwan, the founder and owner, died in 1993, and I left the company two years later after my boss failed to promote me into management like he promised.
They had great stuff and just today I placed an order for some ice cream, fish, and vegetables.
Wondered if anyone else here has heard of this great company or had any of their exceptionally excellent food.
BTW, here's a pic of a truck similar to the one I used to sell empty.
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Schwans
Apr 19, 2020 21:39:30 GMT -5
Post by codystarbuck on Apr 19, 2020 21:39:30 GMT -5
Some of us have heard of this, others probably not.
Schwans is a direct-to-consumer frozen foods company that I worked for as one of my first jobs out of college.
I was a door-to-door salesman for them on straight commission and had a blast taking my territory from # 98 out of 100 to # 4 in 5 years and my being in President's Club.
Marv Schwan, the founder and owner, died in 1993, and I left the company two years later after my boss failed to promote me into management like he promised.
They had great stuff and just today I placed an order for some ice cream, fish, and vegetables.
Wondered if anyone else here has heard of this great company or had any of their exceptionally excellent food.
BTW, here's a pic of a truck similar to the one I used to sell empty.
Yeah, they've operated here in Illinois, though I never saw much appreciable savings in their food, vs a grocery store. Also, I'm generally pretty suspicious of door-to-door sales, regardless of how legit. Call it a byproduct of having my cartoons interrupted by the Watergate hearings! I've never actually tried any of their products; so, I am no judge of quality. Where I live right now borders on some higher income neighborhoods; so, I see a Schwan's truck around, often. |
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Schwans
Apr 19, 2020 22:14:22 GMT -5
Post by Cei-U! on Apr 19, 2020 22:14:22 GMT -5
There used to be a Schwann's truck that made regular visits to one of the units in my building but I haven't seen one in probably 20+ years.
Cei-U!
I summon the inexplicable nostalgia!
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Schwans
Apr 19, 2020 22:24:26 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2020 22:24:26 GMT -5
We have them here in this part of Ohio. I had never heard of them until I moved out here though. One of the drivers used to stop in where my wife worked and she would pick up stuff there, but that driver moved on and whomever took over his route doesn't stop there anymore, so we haven't purchased anything from them in years. We also got rid of the old freezer we had in the basement so we do not buy much surplus frozen stuff like we used to.
-M
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Schwans
Apr 19, 2020 22:48:06 GMT -5
Post by hondobrode on Apr 19, 2020 22:48:06 GMT -5
Some of us have heard of this, others probably not.
Schwans is a direct-to-consumer frozen foods company that I worked for as one of my first jobs out of college.
I was a door-to-door salesman for them on straight commission and had a blast taking my territory from # 98 out of 100 to # 4 in 5 years and my being in President's Club.
Marv Schwan, the founder and owner, died in 1993, and I left the company two years later after my boss failed to promote me into management like he promised.
They had great stuff and just today I placed an order for some ice cream, fish, and vegetables.
Wondered if anyone else here has heard of this great company or had any of their exceptionally excellent food.
BTW, here's a pic of a truck similar to the one I used to sell empty.
Yeah, they've operated here in Illinois, though I never saw much appreciable savings in their food, vs a grocery store. Also, I'm generally pretty suspicious of door-to-door sales, regardless of how legit. Call it a byproduct of having my cartoons interrupted by the Watergate hearings! I've never actually tried any of their products; so, I am no judge of quality. Where I live right now borders on some higher income neighborhoods; so, I see a Schwan's truck around, often.
There is NO appreciable savings vs a grocery store, but, costs are similar or higher, but, you can't get better food.
When I worked for them, Schwans was the largest privately owned food company in the country; their brands include Tony's, Freschetta, and Red Baron's, and MaMa Rosa's pizzas, Edward frozen desserts, Mrs. Smith's pies, Minh's, Pagoda, Stilwell's and Coyote Grill, among others.
Marv and Sam (Wal-Mart) Walton were friends and fellow billionaires. Others had tried to replicate what Marv did and none succeeded. Marv always feared if Sam were to do it, he could actually pull it off, but he never did.
I had the honor and privilege of meeting Marv himself and having drinks with him (both whiskey guys) and an annual awards banquet for winning the Central Region Ice Cream Contest in 1993 just before his fatal heart attack later that year. He was a regular guy so like you or me.
Schwans owns their own factories and makes their own ice creams and novelties, pizzas, sandwiches, Asian and Hispanic foods, and desserts. The other products they sell they have made to their exacting specs by other companies, like Tyson, who makes their chicken products.
The products they sell off of the Schwans truck are unique to that truck and are unavailable anywhere else. For certain products like unbreaded fish, shrimp, fruit and vegetables, with minimal processing, the difference is the 20 to 30 below zero system transportation system from processing to warehouse to semi to direct delivery to your door, that keeps the product at the optimal texture, taste, and nutritional content.
The product is so cold off my truck I could bang two half gallons of ice cream together and they would clang.
and I put the UPS guys to shame; depending on the day I ran 100 - 200 stops a day depending on what part of town I was running.
Believe it or not, an average work day ran about 15 hours. I only had to run 4 days a week, but when I was off, I usually worked helping other guys with their routes as an unofficial assistant manager for my manager. Sometimes I'd actually take the time off to spend with my family. My wife stayed home with our 4 kids, so I did what I had to do, but I had fun doing it.
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Schwans
Apr 20, 2020 10:55:43 GMT -5
Post by Rob Allen on Apr 20, 2020 10:55:43 GMT -5
There are Schwan's trucks, or at least one, in my neighborhood but I've never ordered from them or tasted their food, to my knowledge. But your endorsement makes me a lot more interested than I was.
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 20, 2020 11:41:21 GMT -5
Who cares how good the food is, when you get to drive such a cool-looking truck!
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Schwans
Apr 20, 2020 11:52:54 GMT -5
Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 20, 2020 11:52:54 GMT -5
There's a Schwan's truck in the area. We bought a few things a number of years back but the quality just never seemed to outstrip the cost. It always seemed that everything was at least half again what I could get it for in the grocery store. I also tend not to buy that much frozen stuff, certainly not meat and not veggies if I can avoid it.
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Schwans
Apr 20, 2020 14:18:23 GMT -5
Post by DE Sinclair on Apr 20, 2020 14:18:23 GMT -5
We still have them here in Wisconsin too. Haven't ordered anything from them in years, but never had a problem with the quality when we did. Maybe I should look into that again to cut down on trips to the store. First need to clear out some freezer space though.
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Schwans
Apr 20, 2020 14:26:34 GMT -5
Post by The Captain on Apr 20, 2020 14:26:34 GMT -5
There's one that comes up and down my street on occasion. I know they stop at a couple of my neighbors' homes to deliver.
My parents bought stuff from them when I was growing up, but my wife and I never have. Just not something that has ever appealed to me.
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Schwans
Apr 20, 2020 16:28:41 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by hondobrode on Apr 20, 2020 16:28:41 GMT -5
I hardly ate ice cream before Schwans. Frozen fruit doesn’t work very well except for baking or smoothies. The fish and seafood are unbeatable and the ice cream is very good. One of my customers had moved from Texas and talked up Blue Bell, which I can attest to living in Oklahoma, was also quite good.
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Post by hondobrode on Apr 20, 2020 16:32:42 GMT -5
Who cares how good the food is, when you get to drive such a cool-looking truck! Yes it was fun. The large white tanks at the bottom are for propane. I had to fuel at farm Co-ops and sometimes limp in on fumes or hustle before they closed ! |
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Schwans
Apr 20, 2020 20:54:11 GMT -5
Post by hondobrode on Apr 20, 2020 20:54:11 GMT -5
Besides Reid Fleming, my avatar, World's Toughest Milkman, being one of the funniest comics you'll ever read, I feel a certain kinship with him via our shared route sales experience. Has anyone else here read this comic ? Back in the 90's it came dangerously close to becoming a movie starring Jim Belushi.
and
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 21, 2020 13:11:44 GMT -5
Back in the 90's it came dangerously close to becoming a movie starring Jim Belushi.
That sounds like a good news/ bad news joke. |
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Schwans
Apr 21, 2020 15:10:03 GMT -5
Post by hondobrode on Apr 21, 2020 15:10:03 GMT -5
LOL
Hopefully someday before I die this movie gets made.
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