Bunte Brothers
History
Founded in 1876 by brothers Ferdinand and Gustav Bunte and their partner Charles Spoehr, Bunte Brothers became one of the most prolific candy manufacturers in America. At its peak the company employed 1,200 workers and produced over 1,500 varieties of confections. Their signature product was Diana Stuft Confections — fruit-filled hard candies sold in beautiful decorative tins featuring a girl and Borzoi dog. In 1917 the company purchased 14 acres on Chicago's West Side and built a sprawling factory to quadruple production. The Diana tins remain prized collectibles today. The company was sold to Chase Candy Company of Missouri in 1954, and the Chicago plant shut down in 1961.
Products
- Diana Stuft Confections
- Fine Confections assorted tins
- Stuft hard candies
Candy Pages
- Diana Stuft Confections
Thin-shelled hard candies with soft fruit marmalade, almond, filbert, or peanut butter fillings — sold in ornate lithographed tins featuring a girl and Borzoi dog.
Notable Firsts
- Among the first candy companies to manufacture over 1,000 distinct product varieties
- Diana Stuft Confections — claimed as first hard candy with a soft fruit filling
What Happened
Sold to Chase Candy Co. 1954; Chicago plant closed 1961