Last week truly marked the end of an era for Marshall residents, the end of a 72-year business tradition.

A group of Yelloh drivers paraded their trucks through Marshall on the last day of home delivery service. The event marked the end of a business that started when Marvin Schwan began to deliver ice cream in 1952 with just one delivery truck.

Schwan’s Dairy was already famous at the local level for its ice cream. Paul and Alma Schwa, Marvin’s parents, had a menu that included a huge ice cream treat known as the Pig’s Dinner, with plenty of ice cream and toppings in a trough-like container.

The delivery service marked the start of a massive business expansion that eventually reached worldwide proportions.

Schwan’s expanded into markets such as pizza, sandwiches, and frozen food. The Schwan’s Home Service was well suited to those expansions since drivers could bring a wide range of products to doors of customers.

The home service division remained successful long after Marvin passed away in 1993. At the 1997 Lyon County Fair, country music superstar Martina McBride told her concert audience that people in her Kansas hometown always liked their “Schwan’s man”. She pointed out that Marshall was world famous as the home of Schwan’s.

Drivers everywhere provided personal service, the kind that builds lasting business activity. They marketed premium foods, high quality items available with each order.

The home service division was split off from the rest of the Schwan divisions when the company was sold in 2018. Home service was rebranded as Yelloh in 2022.

I for one am sorry to see the tradition come to an end. There are many elderly and disabled people who don’t get out much. A highlight of their daily lives occurred when a driver brought them their food.

Yelloh also served younger families who have busy lifestyles. They were helped by sometimes being able to turn to a Schwan’s “meal solution”.

My parents were Schwan’s customers later in their lives. My father faced Parkinson’s Disease and my mother was a caregiver for him. Schwan’s made a difference in their lives, a difference that will be missed by current customers.

The situation shows how much the world has changed since Marvin led the Schwan’s expansions in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Fleet vehicles cost more to buy and maintain. Fuel costs are much higher. Drivers and distribution personnel need higher pay rates. The food itself costs more to make and package.

The only way to make up for all those cost increases is to raise prices, which would discourage customers from ordering. They might stop altogether or might order less. I can see why Yelloh executives had no choice other than to cease operations.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Marshall still has the headquarters building on West College Drive (the site of the former Schwan’s Dairy). It also has an assortment of manufacturing plants and a research center in the industrial park. They’re valuable to the new Korean owners.

It’s also very possible that the end of Yelloh will open doors for other food delivery services. My expectation is that they’ll be regionally based and distribute out of one location.

It’s gotten much harder to cash flow Marvin’s concept of two stage distribution with both semi trucks and route vehicles. When it happens, it’s generally a business to business concept. The products go to retail sites and restaurants. We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for home delivery.

Those who worked with Schwan’s and Yelloh delivery have a right to look back with pride on many successful years. They’ve been a great part of Marshall and will be well remembered.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent