The iconic Dove Bar ice cream was created in 1956 by Greek immigrant Leo Stefanos in Chicago, Illinois. What began as a sweet treat on the South Side of Chicago would eventually become a nationwide sensation.
The idea for the Dove Bar came when Stefanos witnessed his son, Mike, chasing an ice cream truck down a busy street. Frustrated by the chaos of street vendors, Stefanos vowed to create a high-quality ice cream bar that could be sold in his own store, providing a safer and more reliable alternative.
“My father was frustrated,” Mike Stefanos later recalled in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “Here he was, making fresh candy and ice cream every day, and we’d chase ice cream trucks.”
After months of experimenting with ice cream and chocolate coatings, Stefanos perfected the recipe, resulting in the first Dove Bar. Originally sold for just 15 cents in Chicago, the chocolate-covered ice cream bars quickly gained a loyal following.
In 1977, after Leo Stefanos passed away, Mike took over the family business, and by the late 1970s, over a million Dove Bars were being sold annually through street vendors across the United States.
The brand’s real breakthrough came in 1984, when Mike Stefanos showcased the Dove Bar at the Fancy Foods Show in Washington, D.C. The response was overwhelming, and within three months, the product was being shipped to 3,500 supermarkets nationwide.
In March 1985, Richard Zacharras, a 73-year-old local financier, made the pivotal decision to invest in the brand after trying a Dove Bar at his country club. With his backing, a company was formed to mass-produce the bars, marking the start of the brand’s national expansion. At the time, the business had a start-up cost of approximately $2 million.
Today, Dove Bar production has reached impressive levels, with the Burr Ridge facility producing 92,000 hand-dipped bars daily. The company, employing 117 people on three shifts, continues to meet the high demand for Dove Bars in supermarkets, specialty stores, and street vendors across the U.S.
In 1986, Dove Bar was acquired by Mars Incorporated, which helped propel the brand into a nationwide phenomenon. Since then, the company has expanded its offerings to include a variety of ice cream flavors and chocolate bars.
What started as a humble creation by one Greek immigrant has grown into a beloved American brand, shaping the ice cream industry for generations to come.
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