On Tuesday, March 18, 1952, a 23-year-old Marvin Schwan packed his beat-up 1946
Dodge panel van with 14 gallons of his family’s signature ice cream and
delivered it to rural families in western Minnesota. At the end of that
historic trip, all 14 gallons were sold and the Schwan home-delivery business
was born.
The first Schwan home-delivery route ran from the Schwan family dairy in
Marshall, Minnesota, 30 miles north to Montevideo, Minnesota.
Driving back from Montevideo after his first delivery, Marvin thought about his
new business venture and was excited by its success. Farm customers were eager
to buy ice cream, and they appreciated the service. The delivery saved farmers
a trip to town and eliminated the problem of getting the product home from the
store before it melted.
By the spring of 1953, Marvin had more customers on his delivery routes than he
could handle with an old panel truck packed with dry ice. He bought his first
refrigerated vehicle and had an artist paint it a creamy yellow with a new
logo. At this time, he was selling 120 gallons of ice cream per day and began
planning for future expansion. He hired his first route manager that year.
Today, over 6,000 Customer Service Managers work hard to continue the tradition
started by Marvin Schwan by delivering more than 400 great-tasting Schwan's® Home Service
products to homes across the country.