1913 *LOOSE-WILES COMPANY* BOSTON, MASS. COVER+SCOTT# Q2 PARCEL STAMP+POSTMARK!

Description

AUGUST 11, 1913  ~LOOSE-WILES COMPANY~  119-127 WASHINGTON STREET NORTH, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS ADVERTISING COVER WITH "NORTH POSTAL STATION" POSTMARK PLUS 2 CENT SCOTT# Q2 "CITY CARRIER" PARCEL POST STAMP!
Early 20th Century business and postal history!
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Sunshine Biscuits
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Sunshine Biscuits, Inc.
Former type
Public
Industry
Food processing
Fate
Acquired
Successor
Keebler
/
Kellogg's
Founded
Kansas City
,
Missouri
(1902
; 118 years ago
, as Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company)
Founder
Joseph Loose
Jacob Loose
John H. Wiles
Defunct
1996
; 24 years ago
Headquarters
Elmhurst, Illinois
,
U.S.
Area served
Nationwide
Products
Snacks
Parent
Keebler Company
(
Ferrero SpA
)
Sunshine Biscuits
Owner
Kellogg Company
(Keebler Company)
Country
U.S.
Introduced
1902; 118 years ago
Related brands
Keebler
Markets
Nationwide
Sunshine Biscuits
was an independent American baker of
cookies
,
crackers
, and
cereals
. The company, whose brand still appears today on a few products (e.g.,
Cheez-Its
), was purchased by
Keebler Company
in 1996,
[1]
which was subsequently purchased by
Kellogg Company
in 2000. Around that time, Sunshine Biscuits was headquartered in
Elmhurst, Illinois
, the same town in which Keebler was located
[2]
until 2001.
At the time of its purchase by Keebler, Sunshine Biscuits was the third largest cookie baker in the United States.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
Until the late 19th century, the biscuit/cracker industry was made up of small independent local bakeries preparing products and selling them in bulk. The barrels and crates of biscuits were delivered by horse and wagon, set out in the grocery store and sold to the consumer by the measure.
In 1890, a group of thirty-three Midwest and western bakers combined to form the American Biscuit & Manufacturing Company. This consolidation was done primarily to compete with United States Baking Company, another Midwest group and the New York Biscuit Company, an east coast conglomerate. Soon the American Biscuit and New York Biscuit groups were opening bakeries and lowering prices in each other's area in an attempt to eliminate the competition. Finally in February 1898 the competing groups combined 114 factories and formed the
National Biscuit Company (Nabisco)
.
Although Joseph Loose was a member of Nabisco's Board of Directors, in 1902 along with his brother Jacob and John H. Wiles, he liquidated his holdings in National Biscuit Company and formed the
Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company
in
Kansas City
. They envisioned a factory which would be filled with sunlight and so they adopted the name SUNSHINE for their products. Soon they began expanding and opened new plants in
Boston
and then
New York
. In 1912 Loose-Wiles opened their "Thousand Window" bakery in the
Long Island City
neighborhood of
New York City
, which remained the largest bakery building in the world until 1955. The plant was closed in 1965 and the production was moved to
Sayreville, New Jersey
.
Loose-Wiles never registered their "Sunshine" brand name and therefore spent much effort in the first forty years trying to dissuade other companies from using the word "sunshine" or any related word on their product or in their advertising. Since Loose-Wiles claim was not based on a registered mark, they often had to investigate when and where the other company first used the word to determine which company had first claim so as not to lose their right to the name "Sunshine" for their own products. Finally in 1946, the Loose-Wiles Company officially changed its name to Sunshine Biscuit, Inc.
The early part of the company's history was dominated by developing new items and acquiring established brands from other smaller companies. Many of the products and their names are similar to those of their largest competitor, the National Biscuit Company. For example, Nabisco's first individually packaged cracker was named "
Uneeda
". Loose-Wile's cracker was "
Takhoma
". Loose-Wiles made "
Trumps Cookies
". Nabisco produced "Aces". Sunshine Biscuit had "
Animal Crackers
" and "
Toy Cookies
". Nabisco produced "Barnum's Animals".
The
American Tobacco Company
purchased the company in 1966. It was then sold to G. F. Industries, a privately held California company, and finally merged with the Keebler Company in 1996.
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We strive to find rare and unusual vintage pieces to match up with your special collection.
Returns are readily accepted if the item(s) is the same as described. Item(s) must be in the exact condition as delivered. Buyer pays return shipping.
Items .00 or more will be shipped with tracking.
Items 0.00 or more will be shipped with insurance.
Combined shipping discount for multiple purchases (Please wait for us to send invoice for 2 or more items).
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billheads, letterheads, stock certificates, stock coupons, bank checks, railroad and steamship ephemera, Civil War ephemera, World War I ephemera, World War II ephemera, promissory notes plus many other special items we can pass onto our customers.
Empire Stamp Company
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