Burry's facts for kids
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| Founded | 1888 in Elizabeth, New Jersey |
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| Headquarters | 1750 East Main Street, Suite 260, Saint Charles, IL 60174 U.S. |
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Key people
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George W. Burry |
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Burry's is a company that makes many different foods. It was started by George W. Burry in 1888 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Back then, it was called Burry's Biscuit Corporation.
In 1962, Burry's became part of the Quaker Oats Company. For many years, from 1936 to 1989, Burry's was one of the companies that made the famous Girl Scout Cookies.
Contents
The Story of Burry's
Starting as Burry's Biscuit Corporation
The history of Burry's goes back to 1888. That's when Christina Burry first started making cookies in Toronto. Later, in 1933, George W. Burry officially created the Burry Biscuit Corporation. This new company was based in Chicago.
By 1938, the company was known as Burry's Biscuit Corporation. It moved its main operations to Elizabeth, New Jersey. Around this time, Burry's began making Girl Scout Cookies. They called their version "Plantation cookies."
These cookies were first sold in sealed cardboard tubes. Later, they were packed into cans to keep them fresh. Burry's started making Girl Scout cookies in 1936.
In 1944, Burry's made several types of Girl Scout Cookies. These included "Thin Mints" and a sweet shortbread cookie called "Scot-Teas." They also made "Savannahs," which were oatmeal sandwich cookies with a peanut butter filling.
Burry's also tried making other products. In 1946, the company started making pretzels. They even created a special machine to make pretzels faster.
Growing Bigger
In 1950, Burry's Biscuit Corporation bought another company called Independent Biscuits Inc. This company was located in Davenport, Iowa. Burry's kept Independent Biscuits running as its own division.
A few years later, in 1954, Burry's bought two more food companies. These were LeRoy Foods and Empire Biscuit. These purchases helped Burry's to double its sales. Around 1960, Burry's also bought Cal-Ray Bakeries, a baking company in the Western United States.
In January 1962, Burry's became part of the Quaker Oats Company. At that time, Burry's had 1,600 employees. They made over 40 different food products.
In 1962, Burry's was the biggest maker of Girl Scout cookies in the United States. One of their marketing managers, J.R. McAllister Borie, helped make the 'Thin Mint Cookie' very popular.
Later, in 1980, the food part of Burry's was sold to a company called Générale Biscuit. Its name was changed to Burry-Lu. This new name included "Lu," which was Générale Biscuit's international brand.
In 1985, Burry-Lu joined with another company, Salerno-Megowen Biscuit Company. Together, they formed General Biscuit Brands. This new company made a lot of food. It also made 30% of all Girl Scout cookies.
In 1989, a company called ABC Cookie Bakers bought Burry's Girl Scout cookie business. In 1991, the rest of Burry's was bought by Sunshine Biscuits.
Popular Burry's Products
Burry's made many well-known products. One of them was the "Gaucho" peanut butter sandwich cookie. This cookie was very similar to the "Savannah" Girl Scout cookie. Gauchos had a small hole on top. This hole let out extra peanut butter during baking, so the filling stayed inside.
Burry's also had a special retail store. Here, you could buy broken or slightly imperfect cookies at a big discount. For example, a large bag of thin mints might cost only $1.00.
Another popular product was the "Scooter Pie." This treat had two large round graham cracker cookies. Between them was a thick layer of marshmallow. The whole thing was covered in chocolate. It was similar to other treats like the Moon Pie.
Burry's was known as a leader in the cookie and cracker business. They made many different items. These included special shells for tarts and entrees, gourmet crackers, and cookies. They also made "Famous Euphrates Wafers" and "Burry's Vended Cookies and Snacks." The company said the secret to their success was "Slow baking."
See also
- List of bakery companies in the US
- List of baked goods
- List of food companies
