WESTERN GROCER COMPANY

Paper weight.

WESTERN GROCER COMPANY. This company, the successor to the JOHN T. HANCOCK & SONS company, was located in the BISHOP'S BLOCK. (1) Founded in 1908 with headquarters in Marshalltown, Iowa, Western went on to establish five canning factories in Iowa and was ranked as the nation's largest supplier of canned corn.

In 1910 the Faultless brand ranked as the company's most important followed by the Climax brand. (2) The company was the exclusive representative for Chocolate Cream coffee and the largest wholesaler of fish in the state. (3)

The 1918 Dubuque City Directory listed the address as 20 S. Main.

The 1922 through 1948 Dubuque Classified Business Directory listed 90-98 Main.

The 1951 and 1955 Dubuque City Directory listed 90 Main.

Photo courtesy: Jim Lang

Ink blotter. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

On May 1, 1959, the Western Grocery Company in Dubuque closed. Western Grocer had been owned for nearly fifteen years by Consolidated Foods Corporation prior to the closing of the Dubuque facility.

---

Source:

1. "Dubuque's Wholesale Grocers Among the Oldest Concerns in Iowa," Telegraph Herald, March 10, 1910, p. 1

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

Label. Photo courtesy: www.labelman