Schwan's Company, formerly known as The Schwan Food Company, is a food service company with approximately 12,000 employees. Having originated in the United States as a family-owned business, since 2019 the company has been a subsidiary of CJ CheilJedang of South Korea — with five major business units including Schwan's Home Service, Schwan's Consumer Brands, Schwan's Food Service, Strategic Partner Solutions and SFC Global Supply Chain.
The Schwan's family maintains 100 percent ownership of Minnesota-based Schwan’s Home Service, a privately held, independent entity tracing to the company’s home-delivery business launched by Marvin Schwan in 1952. Schwan's Home Service sells frozen foods from home delivery trucks, in grocery store freezers, by mail, and to the food service industry. As of 2022, Schwan's Home Service will be rebranded as Yelloh.
The Schwan's Company is widely known for its consumer brands, including Schwan's, Red Baron, Freschetta, Tony's, Mrs. Smith's, Edwards, Pagoda, and Larry's.
In 1952, Marvin Schwan (1929–1993) began home delivery of his family's homemade ice cream (Schwan's Dairy and Dairy Lunch) to rural western Minnesota. Schwan's expanded to cover the Midwestern United States and made a number of acquisitions, including the Holiday Ice Cream Company and Russell Dairy. In 1957, the product line was expanded to include juice concentrates, and in 1962, Schwan's began selling frozen fish products.
During the 1970s, the company began selling pizza to schools, launched the Red Baron pizza brand for sale in grocery stores, and formed the Red Baron Squadron flight team to promote the brand. During the 1980s, Schwan's made further acquisitions, including pizza manufacturer Sabatasso Foods and Asian-foods manufacturer Minh Food Corporation. Schwan's opened a plant in Leyland, Preston, England in 1989. In 1990 Schwans started Schwans Canada, with an ice cream plant in Manitoba and routes in Saskatchewan and Alberta, but they ceased operations in December 1999.
In 1993, founder Marvin Schwan died of a heart attack at the age of 64. The Marvin Schwan Memorial Drive in Marshall is named after him. His older brother, Alfred Schwan, who had been the company's head of manufacturing, was named president.
In October 1994, the Minnesota Department of Health informed the company that 67 people in southern Minnesota had been infected with salmonella enteritis and that there was a strong statistical link between the illnesses and Schwan's ice cream. Schwan quickly halted the production and sale of the company's ice cream and began a public-awareness campaign asking people not to eat Schwan's ice cream products. An investigation found that the source of the contamination was a contractor's truck that had delivered ice cream pre-mix to Schwan's. The trucking company had inadequately washed the tanker truck after transporting raw, unpasteurized eggs. Schwan's actions in response to the recall were unconventional at the time and have since been imitated by companies facing recalls.
In 1996, Schwan's introduced the Freschetta pizza line and acquired La Roue du Pays d'Auge, a frozen foods producer in France. In 1998, Schwan's opened a pizza plant in Osterweddingen, Germany. In 2001, Schwan's acquired the Edwards dessert company from Ripplewood Holdings, and in 2003, the Mrs. Smith's dessert company from Flowers Foods. Also in 2003, the corporation changed its name from Schwan's Sales Enterprises to The Schwan Food Company.
In 2010, Schwan's teamed up with the TV series Top Chef and served dishes that were made famous by chefs that were featured on the Bravo television series.
Here is their website......
I buy from Schwans every two weeks. They have super good meals....
Here are a few I buy....skillet meals (each one is good for me for 3 meals)
- 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound narrow or medium egg noodles
- In a large skillet over medium heat, combine sausage, onion, and green pepper. Cook until sausage is browned and onion is tender; drain off pan drippings.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, sour cream, water, sugar, chili powder, and salt; mix well. Stir tomato mixture and noodles into skillet.
- Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.