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History: Marion-Kay Spices was started in 1922 by 16-year-old Missouri high school dropout Bill Summers, who founded the company using money he made selling silver cleaners to a church group. Summers moved his business from Springfield to St. Louis in 1928, where he survived the Great Depression years by selling vanilla extract. Sales soared in the late 1940s as families took a greater interest in baking.
Move to Indiana: In 1949, Summers visited Brownstown and located a 50,000-square-foot vacant building that would serve as company headquarters. In the 1950s, Summers began traveling around the world to find the best origin of spices, visiting China, Thailand, India, Greece and Mexico. After several decades of sustained success, he passed away in 1984, and his eldest daughter, Madelyn Reid, purchased the company from his wife, Minette Summers. The business remains in the family. Kordell Reid, a third-generation co-owner, has been company president since 2007.
Headquarters: Brownstown
Popular products: More than 200 spices and seasonings are sold to food suppliers, grocery stores and restaurants around the world.
Fun fact: In 1965, the company’s founder developed a custom blend of special chicken seasoning for Col. Harland Sanders, founder of the Original Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Website: marionkay.com
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