The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-15
How keIIoss-BIrse Co. Discovered
Formula for Making Famous
aRed Glover Brand
Syrup"
HAS HAD A BIG GROWTH
Company Has Been In Business Since
1856 and Each Succeeding
Year Has Shown an
Increase.

A chemist for large manufacturing
concern will often spend eighteen
hours day for eighteen months striy-
ing to perfect formula that viii make
come particular article more salable,
and in the end find he has failed to
attain the perfection to which he was
working. On the other hand he will
often throw together certain ingred-
1ents in a sort OF haphazard fashion
and luckily turn out product that
meets with great success in the selling
market This has been emphasized
time and again and Is often one of
those freaks OF fortune which puts
barrels OF money into the hand5 Of our
present day miIlionaires.
Red Glover Brand Syrup, a pro
duct Of the KeEloggBirge Company Of
this city, is one Of the greatest sellers
Of It's kind and the story OF how the
present formula was reached Is one of
those interesting little stories OF bust
ness life.
About fire years ago the estate Of
the late ]. C. Huhinger was being clos
ed up. J. C. Hubinger had dipped into
the grocery business and from his es-
tate the Kellogg Btrge Company had
bought some miscellaneous goods, In
Guiding two hfty-pound cans Of honey.
and the company was at loss to know
how TO utilize It Finally one of the
department heads suggested that it be
used in corn syrup that Was being
made at the time. The suggestion
was adopted and five percent honey
went into the syrup. a few samples
we're made up, the goods were labelled
five percent honey and the travel
ing men were told to sell the syrup
The new syrup made a ten-strike. but
the company paid no attention to its
selling possibilities until sometime
after the supply had been exhausted.
Requests came in, inquiries we're made
OF the travelling men. and the demand
became such that the company decfd-
ed to make the syrup with honey In it.
1t seems that the honey supplied what
was lacking In the previous syrup and
Red Glover Brand Syrup has become
known all over the country.
That is the story OF how Just one
article manufactured by the Kellogg
Birge Company attained its selling
magnitude Dealing with the iobbfns
plant as whole is an entirely differ
ent story. Established away back in
1856, the company has reached It's
present proportions not through any
lucky turn in the wheel OF fortune, but
because OF the progressiveness and in
tegrity OF It's officers. For fifty years
the company did business at Third and
Main streets, and for the past six years
has been housed in fine home at the
corner Of Fourth and Johnson streets.
The Kellogg-Birge company is ore
Of the i've leading grocery iobbers IN
the state Of Iowa Travelling men sell
for the company In more than half
the states Of the Union. and an In
nense volume OF business is done
every year.
One OF the new departments which
has been growing every year is .he
manufacturing, In which candies, ~
rups, preserves, jelIies, jams, cereals,
Gavoring extracts, spices and canned
goods are made. This department mas
been In eIistance for nine years and
today is the largest connected with
any wholesale grocery house west OF
Chicago One hundred people are
employed during the busy season and
the goods are sold by the regular
travelling men from Ohio IN the east
to Colorado in the west. The princt
pal brands are Cate City and @Kel
logg's.'
Especial attention has been giyer
TO the sanitary and hygenic condi
tons In the manufacturing depart
ment. Every morning before the EN-
ployes go to work everything is steri
iized and absolute cleanliness is th'
motto.
For years the Kellogg-Birge com
pany has been one OF Keokuk's mos
stable commercial institutions. 4
large force OF people is employed t
carry on the business and many )
the employees have been with tn
company for a number Of years. Tn
officers are Ira W. Wills, president
G. R. Joy, vice president; z. N. MAJ
ors. treasurer; Arthur Hambleton
cashier; H. c. Brown. secretary
Adv.