From the internet, Yelloh a.k.a. Schwan’s is ceasing home delivery after next month. (Probably because no one knew what the new name Yelloh was..)
YellohTM announces November end of operations
Facing economic and market headwinds, Yelloh prepares to close operations and permanently park its iconic yellow delivery vehicles
MARSHALL, Minn. – Yelloh has announced it will cease all operations in November 2024, closing out a storied 72-year history as a Minnesota pioneer in the food home-delivery market. Founded in Marshall, Minn., where it still maintains a headquarters, the company grew to a nationwide frozen food delivery leader with the country’s largest fleet of freezer trucks.
Since its founding in 1952, Yelloh made high-quality frozen meals, foods, treats, and ice cream accessible to American homes by delivering products to neighborhood doorsteps with its fleet of iconic yellow trucks. The company set itself apart with the friendly, trusting relationships it built between customers and team members, some of which lasted for decades.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we made the difficult decision to cease operations of Yelloh,” said CEO Bernardo Santana. “We are thankful to our many loyal customers and hard-working employees for everything they have done to support us. I am deeply grateful for our employees’ tireless and bold efforts, and our customers’ dedication. It has been our utmost pleasure and honor to serve our customers their favorite meals and frozen treats.”
“As it is for the people of Yelloh, closing this company is a heartbreaking decision for me personally,” said Michael Ziebell, Board Member, who was a 22-year veteran of the company holding leadership roles in the 1990s and early 2000s before returning recently as a Board member. “Our concern is now for our employees and caring for them as we all come to terms with the fact that this business – that served millions of families and provided a livelihood for thousands over the decades – has regrettably run its life cycle.”
The company cited multiple insurmountable business challenges for the decision, including economic and market forces, as well as changing consumer lifestyles.
“The current Yelloh team has worked hard against external headwinds such as the nationwide staffing challenges and crushing food supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic,” said Ziebell. “These challenges, combined with changing consumer lifestyles and competitive pressures that have been building for over 20 years, made success very difficult. Digital shopping has replaced the personal, at-the- door customer interaction that was the hallmark of the company.”
Yelloh will wind down operations over the next two months, taking care of employees with notice and pay in accordance with the WARN Act. The last day products may be purchased via Yelloh trucks will be Friday, November 8.
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I used to have them come to the house when I had a pile of kids at home, as my mom did when we were growing up. They’d phased out the iconic giant 5 gallon buckets of ice cream a number of years ago, but they could be handy in a pinch for convenience meals and ice cream.
For many midwesterners, especially in South Dakota, no more Schwan’s man after November marks the end of the era, as they’ve been done in by COVID, Door Dash, and Uber Eats.
When the Schwan’s brand, minus the home delivery service (which the family retained) was sold, there was a clause that the home delivery service would have to change their name in a matter of years. That was the reason for the rebrand.
While it was noble the family tried to save the iconic portion of the business, the home delivery sector had struggled for decades. The 2008 recession with high fuel prices and less disposable income for families took a massive chuck of business away that never returned.
I am going to miss Schwans(Yelloh), it does explain a lot because we have tried to order some of our favorite items and a lot have been discontinued
The Schwan man was always welcome at my house back when I had kids and lived in the country. Always a celebration when the Schwan man turned into the driveway. It’s the end of an era. Remember the Jewell Coffee man?
I would love to hear some insider perspectives on this business. I feel like they didn’t change (besides the name change), and businesses that do this tend to disappear. With the concept of nobody wanting to shop in-store, and people ordering everything to be delivered, how did they fail? Were prices too high, did they market, did they not offer “healthy” options?