Bell Brand chips were a southern California brand. This group of photos includes some from the 50's and 60's. Nice grocery store display set ups, promo photos and behind the scenes distribution pics.
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86 comments:
Amazing photos! Thanks for sharing them...
Hey - didn't Bell make "Granny Goose" chips? Have any bags in your collection?
yeah there is a Bell / Granny Goose connection - I think bell might have made the chips and Granny Goose distributed them - I have one early bag and some 70's bags
50's Granny Goose bag
Suddenly I am craving potato chips.
This was great to see. My father was Bell Brand's VP Sales & Marketing in the 50's and early 60's and my first summer job was at their plant in Santa Fe Springs. Bell Brand didn't make Granny Goose chips.
Does Bell Brand still exist? and do they still make potato chips?
Theirs were the best and I'm fed up with only finding Lays in my stores. Fortunately Albertsons is now carrying Laura Scudders, when they have stock.
Fantastic Photos!!!! Just shared them with my brothers and sisters. Just Like Neil, we were a Bell Brand family, living in Santa Fe Springs, CA until Dad was transfered to the Hayward plant in Northern California in 1966. Went through the aquisition of Bell Brand by Sunshine Biscuits and then by American Tobacco (which became American Brands) and 2 different packaging standards. Dad was there until 1974 as Plant Manager, when the Hayward was closed. Great memories through the photos! From what I understand Bell Brand is now a privately held company (still making potato chips) in Poway, CA, a San Diego suburb.
As for Granny Goose and Scudder chips, they were the competition. We never had them in our house! LS had a distribution warehouse in Hayward and Granny Goose had their plant in Oakland. That was as close as things got.
I worked for Bell Brand in the '80's in cost accounting. I believe Granny Goose's Oakland plant was also bought by Sunshine Buscuits & American Brands, and thus they became connected.
I was born and raised in SoCal and am happy to see this flashback. Having spent all of my childhood listening to the radio and watching television and most of my adult life in broadcasting, I have a natural interest in old logo lines from products I grew up with (like Bell Brand Potato Chips). Wasn't theirs something like, "If it's Bell, it's swell!"?
In the early 40s there was a family-run storefront take-out potato chip maker I think called Bell or Bell's Potato Chips. They were located on Huntington Drive in the East LA community of El Sareno. Does anyone here know if they were the origination of Bell Brands?
I worked there in 83 worked for a great guy named Howard langford anyone know what might have happened to him.
I collected the baseball cards that were given out in the chip bags from 1959-62. Does anyone have any idea how many were printed?
Thanks
Bell Potato Chips had a product placement in the movie "The Seven Year Itch". A screen shot and short video is available on Brandspotters.com.
I loved the cheese puffs, every road trip that my family and I went on we took a detour to the Circle K, this was the only store that I remember carrying this brand. I was a chugroll back then and I could literally eat a whole bag! I'm 47 now and I'm craving them. Do they still exist??????
If you like to hear what their commercials sounded like here is a link for all you nostalgic people: http://www.voiceover.nu/BellBrand.mp3
I worked for Laura Scudders for 24 years and Granny Goose for 2 years...from Route sales in San Bernardino and Big Bear to Account Sales Manager out of the corporate office in Anahaeim. I've done it all from one end to the other. Bell Brand as well as Frito-Lay were my competitors. I still know many of the great guys that worked for all the chip companies, mostly in the 1960's through the 1980's era. Laura Scudders was bought by Bordens and drove into the ground. Granny Goose was bought by a gut in Korea until they went broke. Frito-Lay, with their mother company of Pepsi-Cola has driven these unique companies out of business and not have it all wrapped up. You'll still see the Laura Scudders name in some stores, with Grande Foods buying the name. Smuckers owns the right to the Laura Scudders Peanut Butter, which you'll still see in most stores. Laura Scudder her self was the intavator of the Potato Chip and putting the product into wax coated bags...she was a great woman, and being the first at being a female lawyer in California, advertising on billboards aside the roads. I had the largest Laura Scudders collection of memorbellia which I just sold to Laura Scudder's grand son, John Scudder where he's making a musuem in the San Diego area. What memories and the sales wars and advertising campains these companies had. I still have a movie and some 1950's & 66's memorbellia left.
Steve Portias
(909)-886-3822
E-Mail: Buffaloportias@aol.com
I remember you, Steve Portias...you drove Frito-Lay sales people craze with your relentless sales practives and customer relations from Mom & Pop stores to chain stores, Disneyland, corporate store calls to each store...I swore their was 5 of you out there. You made my life miserable for years, and we butted heads often, but now give you a lot of credit. And yes, the business has changed a lot and Frito was the only real survivor from the old days...Money-money-money.
Bill
Branch Manager
Frito-Lay
Yes, I remember Jerry Whitmore was the driving force behind Laura Scudders in the 70's and 80's and the great sales team he had. Bell Brand was the same way with their people, everyone knew each of them. It didn't take long for Borden to hire some guy named John Kruse which destroyed the Laura Scudders company and name almost over night. He ruined the company and many households. What a work of art he was. Even all the stores corporate buyers hated him. ...he was even worse than Frito-Lay's Layon Cook.
Bobby Anderson
Bobby did you work for Bell Brand or Scudders? Their were some great names from people who worked for both companies, remembering from Scudders: Daryl Sunny, Ken Davis, Pat Swaynie, Jerry Whitmore, Ray Schrock, Vessio, Smith, Dominic, Barbone, Rick Steen (Bell & Scudders), Al Segger, Ray Coares, Kerry Winters, Phil Heorr, Dick Dudley, Frank Toth, Fred Smith, Bob Rickerson, Don Thompson, Lyle Whitney, Farrington, Sandy McKovich (Scudder & Bell), Bruce Waterworth (Scudder & Bell), Don Vargo (Bell & Scudders), Jim Arnold (Bell & Scudders), Russ Nemire, Mike Curren, Ron Chadwick, Ronnie Chavez, Mike Jonker, Dave Dadzman, Ed Stedham, Jim Mitcham...Bell Brand: Jim Sargent, Ted Brown, Hal Adams, Hugh Granger, Dick Krupa, and many more I'll think about as my brain shakes loose some cob-webs. But, your sure right about Layon Cook and especially John Kruse. I heard Cook is doing something with Toys, and Kruse was with an Ice Cream company (which I'm sure he is long gone by now) I think Cook and Kuuse were hated by more workers as well as buyes and vendors than anyone I can think of with any business.
Steve
Don't forget Granny Goose, Tom's, Eagle Snacks, Snyders, and Pringles. As well as some of the off brands like Mission, Guerro, Wise, Clover Club, Grande, and many others. But, now when you walk into a chip and snack isle in a grocery store you see 85% of it being Frito-Lay...In the 60's and 70's you use to see Scudders with 70% of the chip and Snack isle....then came along Pepsi-Cola taking over Frito-Lay and they through so much money out to the grocery stores to cut back and eliminate businesses we grew up with like Scudders and Bell. The local companies could not afford the price tag it took to keep up with a national brand and their Pepsi backing money. I remember walking into a Stater Brothers #24 in San Bernardino and others that surrounded in that area in the 70's where Frito and Bell had one end cap, and Scudders had 3 huge perminate ends, 2 other end displays, and Scudders clipstrips even all over out Frito and Bell racks, Then side stack displays scattered throughout the store. They were killing Bell as well as Frito in those areas.
Hal (Bell Brand)
Well, most of those names I never heard of except maybe, Bruce Waterworth and Steve Portios. Only know those names because I worked for Eagle in the Food Service or Institional sales end calling on statiums and ammusment parks and really never made any headway to get any business from them, and finnally they fired me....the justomers were just so loyal to these guys from Bell and Scudders.
Robert St.Clair
Goose and Eagle's snacks were superior compared to the Laura and Bell brands, but we just got a late start in knowing the cusomers the way they did to make any headway.
Gary Borden
I think it was mostly due to the other company employees were not dedicated to spend 13-18 hours every single day out there pushing and getting to know each customer. Meeting with a customer when they may get to work at 4:00 a.m. was just too early for some of the account people...and like th eold saying goes, of something about a bird and the worm! And Gary it's spelled "Portias"
Steve Portias
"Laura Scudders, the Noisest Chips in the World", Granny Goose's claim was "Are you Man enough just to eat one?" Frito's was "Munch-munch-munch a bunch of Fritos Corn Chips", not sure what Eagle said, except "Budwiser, help we need more money to stay a float!!!"
Steve Portias
Portias your a dick, was then and most likely now.
But, whoever you are that doesn't want to state his name....the only one's who thought I was a "Dick" were those that were lazy asses and didn't want to do the job correctly or the one's that were theives from the company.
Later, Steve
I remember Scudders having the #1 selling corn chip called "Wampum", out selling Frito corn chips by far in the 1960's. Even in the Twin Pak Potato Chip was dominated by Scudders in the 70's and 80's and Bell-Goose-and Lays were not even in the ball park in sales...but as time progressed and Pepsi taking over Frito Lay and being nation wide could take the profits out of other areas and throw so much cash at the grocery chains corporate offices that the smaller indepents like Scudder & Bell could not take the hits...even Budwiser backed Eagle snacks could not keep up with the Frito & Pepsi spending frenzy to squeeze out the competitors. Like we told the grocery chains once all the compitition is gone now their is no reason for Frito to give you anything. Bell and Scudders were forced into the Private Label business to keep a float where Frito-Lay said no way they would play that game, but did play the money game where they knew they could really hurt the others. It's sad that all of these well known local companies with great products have been eliminated from the marketplace.
Steve Portias
Oh, and yes, for many years the Bell Brand "Padrinos" Tort Chips blew the Fritos "Doritos" and Scudders "Pocitos" and Tort Chips away in sales. Bell did a good job with their Padrino tort chips before again Frito threw so much money out on the table that they could no longer compete. Later Grande and G&A Snacks took over the Padrino name and did well with it for several years.
Steve
Bell Brand Potatoe Chips was a privately owned company started in the 1920's by Max I. Ginsberg. He was an immigrant from the Ukraine who came to the US on his own at the age of seven. He met up with his brother in Philadelphia and started selling hand made pretzels on the streets. He moved to Los Angeles in the teens and in the early 1920's started his own company named the L.A. Potatoe Chip and Pretzel Company which he eventually changed the name to Bell Brand Potatoe Chips. He named it Bell after the bells of the Spanish Missions of California and because he thought the name Bell made people happy. He created the slogan, "If it's Bell it's Swell" and also created the name Frenchie for the shoe string potatoe chip. Bell Brand Potatoe Chips was one of the sponsors of the Jack Benney Radio Show in the 1930's among many others. One of his best friends and founder of Ralph's Grocery stores, Mr. Laury, also owner of the famous Laury's Prime Rib restaurants of Los Angeles and the Tam 'O Shanter Restuarant in Glendale, was one of his major buyers. Max Ginsberg decided to retire in the 1950's and amazing as it may seem actually gave the company for free to his general manager, a Mr. Nigg. I am Max Ginsberg's grand- son.
Craig Scharlin
Craig, I loved reading what you wrote, and I'm sure you have hours of more interesting facts.
Steve Portias
(909)-886-3822
Craig, thanks for your post! Do you know more of what happened to Bell after Max retired? Do you have any old Bell Memorabila, packages or photos?
I hope nobody forgets the name "Dick Dudley" He taught me a lot about the business and life.
Steve Portias
My dad worked for Bell Brand in the late 50s in San Diego, then went to work for Golden Tulip Potato Chips on Logan Ave. In the early 60s, Golden Tulip was bought out by Granny Goose and Dad worked for them until 1975 when they pulled out of the SoCal market. I worked for Bell Brand from '78 until they went under in mid '95. Great job with great benefits. I'd still be there if it weren't for the market forces that drove all of Frito's competition out of business. The common practice of buying shelf space and ads was investigated by a sub committee of congress in the late 90s but nothing ever came from it and Frito was essentially allowed to buy their market share. Don't you just hate seeing 98% of the chip aisle devoted to one brand? Thanks
Yes, it's hard to swallow seeing one brand take over the entire market place, and still keeps other better brands like Poore Brothers, Tims, and others limited due to the vast amount of money Frito-Lay (Pepsi-Cola) dump in to keep this share. Slotting and outragous amonts of money to keep space (now over $1200 a year per store-per linear foot. Like I told all the corporate offices of the chain stores when all the compitition is gone then Frito-Lay does not have to pay you nothing when their the only game left in town. The cost of an ad for any major chain is now $60,000 to $120,000 for a one week ad, plus a deep off invoice discount on the ad product. Frito-Lay can spread this high California of doing business cost over all America and other countries to cover this expense, where a local company does not have this luxury. I remember in the 60's and early 70's Laura Scudders Wampum Corn Chips out sold Frito's Corn Chips and in the 70's and most of the 80's Scudders would have 30% to 40% of the table space in the snack section...then came along the wheel barrows of cash from Frito-Lay. Then again Frito-Lay has always been Non-Union not like Scudders and Bell and could afford to grow and not be forced out of business by the Teamsters.
Their will be a Laura Scudders web-site like this one coming real soon, being done by Laura Scudders grandson, John Scudder....I'm looking forward to it.
Steve Portias
Wow. What a shock to the memory. We were a Bell Brand "family". My dad, Bob Seaton, was a Bell career man. He started out driving a route truck out of the North Hollywood branch. He worked his way up to be head of the Restaurant Division working out of the Santa Fe Springs main office. I drove Summer relief (2 Summers) for guys who had their routes out of the main office.
Larry Seaton
laurenceseaton@comcast.net
Does anyone know for certain if veteran actress Verna Felton, known for her 1950s TV series DECEMBER BRIDE and her multitude of work for Disney animated features, ever made a TV commercial for Bell Potato Chips?
Thanks,
Fredrick Tucker
frex59@bellsouth.net
Does anyone know what entity is paying pensions earned by Bell Brand employees? I am trying to help a caller who believes he is entitled to a pension from his work there. We have not yet found the correct company to contact about this.
Hester Bryant
Western States Pension Assistance Project
Hi , Does anybody know if Nancy Kulp did a bell brand chip commercial or have a clip of it cause it says it a book called crunch ? write eferrucci@aol.com
My family lore has it that my great grandfather, Thomas Potts, made the first (or early) metal vats used for making the Bell Brand chips. My grandmother, Florence Potts, worked for Mr. Ginsburg for many years.
hello, my name is manuel santoyo and i worked at Bell Brand in Santa Fe Spring, was there until the plant closed in 1994-95..i worked there for 28 yrs...i was the santitaion night supervisor..i have many fond memories of bell brand, i really enjoyed working for the company, made a lot of good friends, in fact next weekend we are having a mini reunion, if anyone is interested it will be at Los Nietos Park Sept 9th 11am! It would be great to see some old friends...for those of youy inquiring about the pension, u need to contact bakery and confectionary union and industryinternational pension fund!10401 connecticut ave, suite 320, kensignton, maryland 20895-3960
Hope everyone is well!
u may contact me at chivassantoyo41@aol.com
My father was a Bell Brand route salesman Boyd Hamp who ran his route out of the Compton branch. His route was in San Pedro in the mid sixties. Mac King was the branch manager . Some of the names I remember were Eddie Star, Jimmy Lynch, Gary Tripp, Bob Cummings ( Bob Passed away two weeks ago September - 2009 in El Centro, California from Cancer). He was a really good guy and a good friend of the family! I asked my father about the pension and he said many left Bell Brand because there was no pension. Good company though. The pictures were great. Thanks for posting. Richard Hamp Sr. (Son) San Diego - California
PS Im looking up Bell Brand in Poway. Only 20 Min. down the road from me.
Yeah, I grew up in Escondido not far from Poway. It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Anchorage, Alaska where I live now. We BBQ'd yesterday and it hit me as I was breaking into a bag of Lays BBQ chips how much I miss the great chips from my youth. Chips now days don't even come close to the enjoyment of Bell brand! It's such a shame how commercialized products backed big big $$ can force out the little guys and the memories from our childhood. If I could get Bell brsnd now? I would never buy another bag of Lays! If it's Bell~ it's swell!
My father, Dennis Maloney, was a route salesman, sales supervisor and institutional sales manager with Laura Scudders. He started in Sacramento, then transfered to El Monte, Paramount and other areas before moving to Aneheim to work with institutional sales. I worked vacation relief for two summers out of Paramount and Aneheim and also ran a route out of San Dimas for a while after leaving the military. I remember a lot of the names listed earlier in this thread ..some really good guys. Congratulations to Jerry Whitmore from Scudders and more recently Dryers for the award and recognition he received for service to the grocery industry.
It's a shame that only the Scudder label exists now ..but the writing was on the wall. It's pretty tough for a regional company to compete with a national (actually international) company. When Pepsi and Frito merged in '65 it was the beginning of the end for the regional chip companies.
Some Scudder names I recall as either friends of my father or myself: Don Wilkinson, Earl Van Noy, Ed Owens, Harry Stump, Jerry Whitmore, Ray Course, Dick Smith, Bill Whittingham, Norm Cheevers, Jay Hanna, Alex Mahalavich, John Rapolla, John Adams, Basil (warehouseman.) It's been about 30 years since I left Scudders, some of the names escape me ..but I can still picture the faces.
..Mike
malomalo@comcast.net
Max Ginsberg was my great grandfather. I never really met him as I was born in 1966.
David Ginsberg
My father worked for Bell Brand in Santa Fe Srpings for years. I actually stumbled upon a few Bell Brand Potato Chip inflatable pillows the other day....lots of childhood memories going to the plant with dad. I even recall the scent of all the oils used for producing all the snacks like it was yesterday. Thanks for posting your pics of the store displays over the years!
My dad was a decorator in the 60's and he was working on the home of one of the Bell Brand execs in the San Marino area. Every time he went there he came home with a giant box full of bags of Bell Brand chips. What a treat!
I too remember the Nancy Kulp commercial for Bell. This was before Beverly Hillbillies. She played a stern quality control inspector commenting how Bell never let "little crummy chips" go into their bags. Then she sang a little song! "Bell makes great big yummy chips. Not those little crummy chips. Get the great big yummy chips of Beeeelll."
MY DAD WAS THE BEST!!!!Bell Brand Salesman Ever for Bell Brand......
San Diego,Encato
Encanto
off of Imperial Ave.
Louis Saraniti
i miss you MR.Papas
At the age of 17, I was working with my uncle who worked as a route salemans for Cubbison's. I was stocking a Cubbison product on a shelf in a Von's Market when approach by a Bell Brand Supervisor. We talked. He gave me his business card and said that when I got out of school to come see him and he would give me a job. Six years later in 1953 after spending time in the Air Force I was discharged and looking for a job. I still had that Supervisor's card. it was tattered. He'd since been promoted in the Bell Brand Company. I made an appointment to see him. When I walked into his office, I presented him with his old business card and reminded him of what he said. He hired me on the spot! I loved working for Bell Brand!
MY FATHER WAS A COOK FOR BELL BRAND BACK IN THE 50'S UNTILL HE HAD A VERY BAD CAR ACCIDENT ON HIS WAY HOME. I REMEMBER AS A LITTLE KID ALL THE CHIPS AND THINGS HE BROUGHT HOME AND I REMEMBER HE TOOK ME TO WORK WITH HIM A FEW TIMES. I MISS HIM AND BELL BRAND
MY FATHER WAS CLOVIS BABINO HE WAS THE HEAD COOK FOR A WHILE
What a treat to accidentally discover this web page. Cyril C. Nigg, who purchased Bell Brand from Max Ginsberg in 1947, was my uncle (mother's brother). My uncle Cyril sold the business to Sunshine Cracker in 1968, about 13 years after building the "Million Dollar Plant" in Santa Fe Springs. My father, Gene Armstrong, managed the distribution center in Loma Linda until we moved to Alhambra in 1950. Dad retired from Bell Brand in 1983 as the Plant Security Chief, following 36 years with the company. I left California for Alaska in 1975, my Dad passed away in 1994 and my uncle in 2000 (at age 95). I grew up around potato chips, peanut butter, Frenchies and corn chips, and have fond memories of everyone associated with Bell Brand.
- Tim Armstrong
This is a little off the history about the various brands but I cannot remember or find any reference to a potato chip I loved in the mid 1960's in California. I think I bought a bag at Ralph's Market in Huntington Park once & my Mom frowned on buying bags of potato chips so I bought them with my 50c allowance. No memory of the brand name as I only managed to get them once or twice. They were almost velvety with a cheese flavored coating, very rich. I have tried many a cheese flavored chip since, have never found any with such a thick, nice coating of cheese, great taste. ANY ideas as to the brand??? I don't think were Bell Brand, my best guess was Laura Scudder but really just guessing. Thank you
Great stuff -- thank you. I grew up next to what would be Pioneer High School (then an avocado grove) and was the paper boy down in the original Barrio. Attending Los Nietos School, I remember the old wooden frame schoolhouse still on the site, which had been moved down from Los Nietos Road. I can still see in my mind, the Bell Brand Factory.
Best Always, Douglas Westfall, American Historian
I worked for Howard also in 83-84, doing merchandizing, what a great guy, was trying to look him up
All your stories sound fascinating has anyone ever thought of an idea of turing them into a Documentary name it "Potato Chip Wars" I myself being a kid in the 80's remember a lot of these ole potato chip brand especially during my summer years at the beach or family barbecue cook-outs. Although I don't potato chips anymore
my sister kids came over a few days ago while eating their sandwiches they had a bag of Lay Honey Barbecue they offer me a chip and I have to admit the taste reminded me of the Bell B-B-Q potato chip that brought back memories. When I make hamburgers I do make my own potato chip made out of thinly sliced potato and a crack of sea salt.
I do miss the old cool supermarket store displays that i remember as a kid very colorful and eye appealing
My father Richard "Dick" House worked for Bell Brand in the 60s and early 70s. I've still got his coin awarding him the potato chip industry's sales man of the year 1968. I worked in the ware house cleaning up and loading trucks when I was in high school. Fond memories. Greg
I had the pleasure to work A long side both Al segger and Bruce waterworth at Snaking they were two classy guys
DAVID
I still have a Bell Brand "Extra Inch Ruler" that is 13" long. It either came in the variety pak or you sent away for it. This would've been in the early 70s.
does your ruler look like this one on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182716191243
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311926881870
http://www.ebay.com/itm/352136040174
Bell brand did not make granny goose chips the were competition to bell brand
My dad worked for Bell Brand Foods but as a superviser of their whole restaraunt foods division in Ventura Ca. The chip division in Ventura was managed by a Mr.Slater. i also worked for the company i started at 12 years old washing trucks, loading trucks and eventually became a routesalesman for the restaraunt div.
Bell brand foods filed bankruptcy in 1995, i worked the wholesale restaraunt div. And ended up transfering from Ventura Ca. To Oceano Ca. Which was was the most northern branch of bell brand foods. First they disolved the restaraunt div.i went to work for the chip division and bell brand foods then changed to Sunshine Buiscuits, the makers of cheez-it and continued with a Blue Bell line of chips on the central coast until they finally closed a few years later
Thats a great history of the company that fed my family for many,many years. Bell Brand Foods was my fathers employer from the late 60's to the late 80's
What branch did you work at Greg? I worked at Ventura and Oceano. All the comments on here are of the southern Ca. Chip division which of course was the base and backbone of Bell Brand. Not many realise there was a restaraunt division and branches north.Bell Brand was our life, my Dads career and my start in the workforce. Most of my summers were spent on restaraunt div. Route trucks helping out as my dad was the supervisor over the 2 trucks they had in Ventura and 1 in oceano. Bud Welch and Harvey Socia ran the Ventura routes and i spent many a summer with them. Then i started washing and loading trucks. They called the rest. Div. The "par-fry" division as the products of french fries were partially fried the sold to restaraunts to be finished,the product list included several cuts of french fries, several styles of hash browns, onion rings,shredded lettuce, toosed geen salad, coleslaw, potatoe salad, macaronie salad, bean salad,chopped onions,baking potatoes and loading these 30-50 lb casss were a lot different than loading chip trucks...lol. i ended driving for Bell Brand "par-fry" div. becoming a routesales man for Bell Brand on the Central Coast from Santa Ynez,Buelton and Lompoc in the South to Morro Bay, Cambria and Paso Robles in the North. We even started doing trips to bakersfield to supply a distibutor there.Admittingly chips were Bell Brands,"bread & butter" the par-fry div.was great i have been in the kitchens of some of the best restaraunts in Cali.which has influenced me greatly. Cheers to the good ol' days and to all the lives influenced by this great company Bell Brand Foods.
The Par-Fry division of Bell Brand Potato Chips was the brainchild of Lon Doty, son-in-law of Cyril C. Nigg. Cyril Nigg was my maternal uncle, Lon was my 1st cousin. My father was Gene Armstrong, who started in 1947, and retired as security chief shortly after the transition to Sunshine Cracker (American Brands).
I worked at Bell Brand in Santa Fe Springs as their 2nd shift computer operator. I was fresh out of the military hospital and Jim Clotter, now a friend of mine, was the Data Processing Manager who gave me the job. The only other name I remember is George, the office manager. I also remember that the President at that location drove a Jaguar. The job allowed me to save enough money to attend a programming trade school which launched me into a very rewarding 30 year I.T. career. Thank you Bell Brand Foods and Jim Cotter.
Edward O'Day
edoday@aol.com
Tex, I worked at the warehouse in the San Fernando Valley. Greg
To Craig Scharlin enjoyed your story. I met Mr Nigg in the early 1960's. I believe his first name started with an S. Spiral or Spiro? Was Lon Doty or Dody his son-in-law? My Mother's husband started the par fries, hash browns, onions rings, there in Santa Fe Springs. I worked in the office in 1962 & signed all the payroll checks with Mr Nigg signature on a plate & ran on an addressograph machine.Ran all the truck routes (invoices) everyday. I also first worked in the plant & par fries (restaurant side). Always thought Mr. Nigg inherited Bell Brand.
Larry, read your post if 10 years ago regarding Bell Brand. Who did your Dad take over the restaurant Div in Santa Fe Springs from. My mother's husband, Art Kilbury started that Div making hash browns from a handmade grater. That would have been around 1960? Do you remember? Thank you.
Yes, I was spelling your uncle's name wrong even though I use to sign all the checks with it engraved on an addressograph machine. This was 1962. My mother's husband started the restaurant division in Santa Fe Springs. We use to hand grate the hash browns when they first started selling in restaurants.
Tex, the "parfries" started in Santa Fe Springs? The parfries were krinkle cut & regular. When I left they had hash browns,parfries, onion rings that I remember. Did they have another manufacturing plant? Other than Santa Fe Springs? I always thought my mom's husband started the restaurant distribution in SFS. This was around 1960's. Can you let me know?
Yes, but my Mom's husband started by introducing the products to Lon Doty. He came up with the hash browns & par fries. He invented the hand grater (at first) & the solution they were soaked in to keep them from turning brown. Mr Nigg appointed Lon Doty his boss but Lon had no idea of these oroccesses & never developed any of them. He however was my step Dad's boss (who actually developed the par fries & hash browns & he was over this division & had authority to spend money to develop & build a larger area for manufacturing etc. Unless there's something I don't know & it's possible, it was my step Dad's brainchild. We use to hand crank each potato into a slicer to shred the hash browns, then into solution, & pack loosely into a thick brown bag. I think the bag was 10 lbs. Tied the top with a twisted metal tie. The restaurant's could just reach in the bag & throw on the grill. Did Lon pass? I knew him & Mr Nigg. Art Kilbury was the original person who started the par fry business at Bell Brand in Santa Fe Springs, CA. He had moved to CA in 1950's from MN where he had worked for Granny Goose. He passed away in 1996 in MN where he had owned his own potato factory.
Wow, they kept up with the times. I work there in 1962 & the office mgr wasn't George. I signed Mr. Niggs signature to the payroll checks on an addressograph machine. Did everything on this old clunky thing. Ran invoices by route for the drivers. The machine made metal plates & another part printed the plates on paper. Mr. Nigg's plate was vaulted & only one person could get to it. Had to be bonded to work there. I think my office manager was a lady named Ina.
Lived in Lancaster CA 1 year 1964-1965 and yes I recall Nancy Kulp of Beverly Hillbillies fame doing Bell Potato chip TV ads always looking to remove those “tiny little potato chips”.
Also remember purchasing them and I recall some of the chips were in the shape of a bell?
Cyril C. Nigg was my Mother's brother, Peter Nigg and Lon Doty were my 1st cousins. My Dad, Gene Armstrong retired as Plant Security Chief after 36 years.
My mother work for bail bond for 27 years and there is a Granny Goose Bell brand connection for sure
My apologies it should have said Bell brand not Bail Bonds
I worked at Bell Brand in Santa Fe Springs starting in 1968 as their 2nd shift computer operator and the office managers name was George Wilson. I was previously seriously wounded in Vietnam and George not only hired me but wrote a letter to Congressman Chet Holifield who was able to expedite my medical discharge from the Marine Corps so I could continue to work for Bell Brand. Many fond memories of Bell Brand.
There was a huge poster in the cafeteria (break room) proudly honoring the names of all Bell Brand employee family members in service to their country. (A rare tribute to Vietnam vets in 1968-69.)
I went to Cathedral Chapel Catholic School with many of Peter Nigg's children. I was in the class of 1980. I did not know any of the history until a few years ago. Frank del Castillo, 1980 CCS, Daniel Murphy Catholic HS, 1984
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