The history of Stewart’s Shops dates back to the year 1921 when Percy and Charles V. Dake began making the delicious ice cream brand, Dake. The business began at a family-owned farm in New York. In the year 1935, the Saragota Dairy was established by the two brothers in a Saratoga Springs’ old barn. In the same year, New York passed a mandate that necessitated pasteurization of all milk supplied to consumers. The company gradually expanded and by 1940 began making powdered whey, casein and cheese. This move came after the purchase of a novel property in Greenfield. Some of the key customers for the milk obtained from the new plant originated from the far southern part of Maryland and across the Northeast.
In 1945, after serving two years in the infantry during WWII, Charles Dake joins in the family business. The Dakes purchased an ice cream production facility from Donald Stewart in Ballston Spa. At he front of the Stewart plant, the Dakes started to sell fresh ice cream and it became the first Stewarts Ice Cream store. The ice cream facility was viewed as the pioneer Stewart’s Shop. A few years later two other shops were established in South Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs.
The company has always prioritized its customers. For this reason, the folding paper ice cream carton was introduced in the year 1948. Following this move, customers could now cheaply carry fresh ice cream to their homes. Another innovation that was made with the customers’ needs in mind was a suggestion for customers to make personal sundaes with toppings of choice. Currently, the president of company is Gary, who took over after William, the younger Dake retired from board chairmanship in the year 2003.
Leave A Comment