Our Story
The History of Spaans Cookie Company
Spaans’ history in the bakery business dates to
1896 when our great-grandfather,
Peter
Spaans, became an apprentice baker
in Holland.
He came to America
with his wife in 1912 and settled in
Kansas. He tried wheat farming but soon returned
to his trade as a baker after he learned American measurements and
pastry preferences. He opened his first bakery in
Muir, Michigan. By 1922 he was running a bakery
route in the country, selling bread for seven cents a loaf. Three of his
five children became bakers.
After learning the bakery trade from his father, first born William, our grandfather, married Anna, our grandmother, and opened a bakery in 1935,
the Spaans Dutch Bakery in
Muskegon,
Michigan. They featured donuts and
pastries and even made potato chips for a time. They were a team, Bill baking goods and Anna
waiting on customers at the counter.
The Tough Get Going...
In the early 1940’s,
William
and his brother Peter, became
partners in Spaans Brothers Baking Company. They built a thriving
business serving defense shop cafeterias and local grocery stores with
donuts for 24 cents a dozen. Since sugar and shortening were rationed to
the general public, the bakery business boomed, and one Mother’s Day
they decorated over 140 cakes. By 1946, rationing was lifted, and their
business dropped when defense cafeterias closed and homemakers started
baking again. “What saved us,” our grandfather remembers, “was that we
always owned our own property. If you can rent, you can buy! When
business dropped, we sacrificed a lot of our equipment and sold part of
the property.”
Hardwork, Sunshine & Opportunity
William and his family moved to
sunny California where they opened and ran a bakery in Modesto from 1948-1958.
They wanted to live in a smaller town so they moved thirty miles south
of Sacramento to Galt in
1958. (population 1,200)
In Galt, our grandfather wanted a large production
bakery business with quality products and good values. He advertised
“Drive A Little, Save A Lot” and packaged products sold 5 for $1.00. New
equipment helped produce a larger volume of cookies and they established
distribution to grocery stores and bakeries throughout
Northern California.
All six of Bill
and Anna’s children were raised working in the bakery.
After school and Saturday jobs included washing pans, sweeping floors,
packaging cookies and rolls and waiting on customers. They didn’t always
want to work, but at an early age were instilled with a responsibility
to the family business and a strong work ethic. Their parents also
emphasized education and to be satisfied with what they had and share it
with others.
THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT
Jim
Spaans, our father, returned to the
bakery business in 1969 after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree
in Forestry from Humboldt State University
in California.
Jim and his wife, Sharon, along with their children are now the sole
owners of Spaans Cookie Co., Inc. All three of
Jims’ children, Darren, Melissa and Rick
have worked in the family business. Currently,
Jim,
Melissa, Rick
and Jim’s son-in-law, Loren
Thompson, run the day-to-day operations.
Spaans Cookie Company Today
♦ Presently, Spaans
Cookie Co. produces over 50 varieties of cookies and can produce a
million cookies a day.
♦ Over 100 years after
Peter
Spaans learned the art of baking
cookies in Holland,
his great-grandchildren are still baking them, some with his original
recipes.
♦ Great-grandpa said, “Use the best
ingredients and give people their money’s worth.” Good advice over 100
years ago, and we still go by it today
Our Mission
Provide a high quality and recognizable product for a fair cost to
our valued customers. Continue to innovate and grow the business, while
maintaining the long heritage of the Spaans family name. Accomplish
these goals while remaining a pillar of the community and treating
employees with respect.
