Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple!
When Lisa Allen was a child, she often visited the factory where her grandfather worked. “I can still remember walking in and smelling the sweet smell of the frozen treats they were making,” she says. “When I walk into the factory today, I sometimes feel that wave of nostalgia hit me.”
Ziegenfelder began as a small candy store on the corner of 18th and Jacob streets in Wheeling in 1861. Lisa’s family started working for the company in the 1920s, around the time it began producing ice cream and frozen novelties. Her father, Charles Lando, taught her the business and worked alongside her from the late 1990s until his death in 2005. Today, Lisa is the president and CEO.
These days, the Wheeling company is one of the largest suppliers of frozen treats in the world. From its unique sugar blend to the process the company uses to create its Super Saver twin pops and Monster Pops, the company offers a rainbow of colors and flavors, from classics like grape and orange to seasonal favorites like lemon lime and root beer. The company has evolved its business in the last 150 years under the same guiding principle—the customer is always right. “My father always said that people are smart,” Lisa says. “If you make something inexpensively, but skimp on quality, people might buy it, but they will only buy it once.”
The quality and love that go into this family business can be seen in the clear wrapping. “You can see the product in the packaging, and you can smell it before you taste it,” Lisa says.
The West Virginia company produces its signature Budget Saver twin pops in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Ziegenfelder products can be found in independent grocers, as well as in WalMart, Food Lion, ALDI, Save-A-Lot, and Giant Eagle.
written by Lydia Nuzum
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