Max Ries
From selling imported cheese in the Midwest out of the back of his car, to enrobing ants and grasshoppers in chocolate for Americans to try, Max Ries created an exotic market for specialty foods that captured the attention of consumers.
Foray into Food. Ries was creative and experimental in the ways he thought about food. Flavor and aroma aside, he also focused on presentation and application. After immigrating to Chicago from Germany in 1939, he began selling imported European cheeses out of the back of his station wagon. Seizing a fledgling interest in new, high-quality foods, his small business quickly grew as he expanded his global inventory. He soon developed food gift boxes, imported delicacies from Europe and the Far East, and embraced the exotic. In 1942, he launched Reese Finer Foods.
Breaking Boundaries. In 1960, Ries bought a farm in Wisconsin—an area that reminded him of his birthplace in Germany and a place where he could open a roadside retail food business. Here he would grow then-unknown produce, such as baby corn, miniature watermelons, and martini peppers, which spurred the interest of the American palate. He later sold these products under the many brands he created: Reese Finer Foods, Dipitty-Dil, The Jug BBQ sauce, Sue Anne Foods, and Dina Foods.
Ries created packaging that was attractive, practical, and often glamorous. He added pour spouts to the Reese line of syrups and packed luxury olives in giant snifter glasses. He had the foresight to understand that without innovative marketing, specialized products could be a hard sell.
Accomplishments. At an International Trade Fair testimonial dinner in 1960, Ries was honored for his outstanding efforts in building the import trade in Chicago. A 2011 New Yorker article recalls a time when the company hired Bela Lugosi to promote a tough sell: the Reese Spooky Gift Set, featuring chocolate-covered ants, roasted butterflies, and barbecued bees. The insect-laden kit promptly sold out—a testament to Ries’ avant-garde culinary creativity and his flair for glamour.
Ries died December 30, 1984. At the Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony, Ries’ son Michael accepted the award on his behalf, saying his father would want to share the award with his wife, Ilse, “his partner in life and in business.”
Michael continued: “He can be best described by four T’s: truthful, trustworthy—the relationships he built with his customers were based on quality products and mutual trust sealed with a handshake—transformative, and thankful—he shared of himself by giving back to his community in Chicago and in war-torn Europe. He rebuilt synagogues, helped fund a hospital, founded a group home in Chicago for victims of World War II, gave people jobs, and allowed them to live with hope and dignity.”
