User:Dtjoe/Blumenthal Chocolate Company

The Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company, makers of Goobers, Raisinets and Sno-caps, began operations as the Peerless Extract Company around 1900. The company had three vanilla percolaters in a 13 x 15 foot room at 48 North Second St. in Philadelphia, PA. It was founded by Joseph Blumenthal, fourth of the thirteen children of Samuel and Henrietta Blumenthal. He had learned the extract business working as a salesman for the Frank H. Fleer Company (makers of bubble gum and chicklets candies). The company failed twice in its first few years, but Blumenthal was persistent went to work for others to save money and start the business again. In 1905 he established a partnership with which eventually included brothers Aaron, Abraham, Moses, and Jacob; his sisters Hilda and Edna were employees. In addition to vanilla extract, the company made “Peach Mellow”, which was popular at ice cream parlors, and “Edgeoff”, which was sold to bootleggers in the south to take the “edge off” uncured corn whiskey. After surviving the panic of 1907, the firm moved to larger quarters at 357 N. 3rd St. One of their neighbors was the H.O. Wilbur Company, a successful chocolate manufacturer. The sight of so many trucks coming and going from that plant inspired the Blumenthal brothers to try their hand in the chocolate business in 1909. Knowing nothing about making chocolate, they hired a recent German immigrant who claimed expertise, bought machinery, and started to roast and grind cocoa beans. But their hired hand was an alcoholic whose expertise led to the loss of their capital. Undaunted, Blumenthal travelled to New York in search of a line of credit from “Papa” Neischlage, a major importer of cocoa beans. When asked about the business, he described the plant on 3rd St. and it seven employees. When asked about payroll expenses, he replied that the employees were five brothers and two sisters, and that if there were any money left over at the end of the week, there was a payroll. His evident sincerity and integrity convinced the importer to provide a line of credit. By 1911 the business was doing well enough to buy land along the railroad tracks in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia at the corner of Margaret and James St. (Tthe building still stands and the BB logo on its tower can be seen by passing Amtrak passengers.) (more to come) This account is taken from the history of the company compiled by Mike Blumenthal (son of Meyer, one of the thirteen) in 2004.