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Thank you for your interest in the Sugar River Trading Company/McNess Home Products story. Since the brand has been around over 100 years, there could be several different approaches to share with your readers/viewers/listeners.

The online store can be found here, www.McNessStore.com.

We have a digital library of images as well as a photo studio to shoot specific photos. We own what we believe is the world’s largest collection of McNess products dating back to 1908, many on display in our reception area. (Stephenson County Historical Society in Freeport, IL also has a nice display.)

Our photos page has a few preselected images that you can download.

Ownership can be interviewed or respond to questionnaires. Call Randy at 608-424-0264 to make arrangements.

Visit www.FWMcNess.com to visit the historical site, here you can read about:

• How the company was founded in 1908 and introduced the Safety Seal
• The McNess Man, traveling salesmen in horse and buggy and early cars
• McNess products are part of the Smithsonian
• The celebrities in the early 1900s that were associated with the McNess products
• Numerous historical photos are on the site

Other interesting items:

• Sugar River Trading Company is having a ten year anniversary in Belleville, WI in April of 2026. Randy and Cindy Gunter acquired the McNess Home Products in 2015 and moved it to its present location in 2016.
• The Gunters owned an advertising agency for years previously, working with companies that included Kimberly-Clark, Rayovac, Firestone, John Deere, OshKosh B’Gosh, as well as Furst-McNess Company, and other international brands. Samples
• Sugar River Trading Company is named after the Sugar River that runs through Belleville, Wisconsin. The crane on the logo is in recognition of the sandhill cranes that always return to the area each spring.

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PRESS RELEASE 4/24/2026

New owners rebuilding a 100-year-old brand

A 100-year-old brand was destined to disappear, until its marketing agency became the new owners.

Many companies today are racing to modernize. They work to adopt new technology, rework their brands, and chase faster growth. The makers of the McNess Home Products are drawing from something older. Some of their products have remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years, their packaging still reflects designs from the early and mid-1900s, and the brand’s roots trace back to door-to-door sales by salesmen traversing the country in horse and buggy and early automobiles. After changing hands in 2015, new ownership made the decision to update the brand’s operations while remaining true to an older aesthetic and approach with its products.

For over 100 years the McNess home products division operated as part of the Furst-McNess Company.  Over time, the company saw significant growth on the agricultural side of its business. As the agricultural division expanded, the company’s focus naturally followed. When the home products line was acquired in 2015 by Sugar River Trading Company, Randy and Cindy Gunter saw an opportunity to introduce the revered brand to a new generation of consumers.

For immediate release:

How a 100-Year-Old Brand Was Reborn
In 2015, the leadership team at Furst-McNess Company made a rational business decision: eliminate its consumer home products division.

The numbers made it easy. Once the foundation of the company, the division had dwindled to less than one percent of total revenue. The business had long since evolved into an agricultural company, focusing on feed and nutritional products for farm animals. The legacy consumer line, which included vanilla and baking extracts, salves and ointments, cleaners and other home based products, no longer fit the model.

But for Randy and Cindy Gunter, the decision felt like the end of something that still had value. The Gunters ran the marketing agency that worked on growing the McNess’ agricultural business. Randy was sitting in a meeting with Furst-McNess executives when it was announced to shutter the home products lines.

“They didn’t really want to see the consumer products go away,” Randy Gunter recalls. “But it didn’t make business sense for them anymore.”

Within weeks, the Gunters, who had worked closely with the Furst-McNess Company for years, made an offer to acquire the home products brand. By October of 2015 they had taken over the McNess home line under their new business entity: Sugar River Trading Company. By April of the next year they had moved the operations to Belleville, Wisconsin.

A Brand Built on Trust
The McNess name dates back to 1908, when Fred McNess, a chemist, and Frank Furst, an attorney, left their employer to start their own company in Freeport, Illinois.

At the time, door-to-door sales were common, and product quality for most companies was inconsistent at best. One prevalent practice involved “trial mark” bottles where customers could return partially used products for refunds. In reality, bottles were often refilled and resold, raising serious sanitation concerns.

McNess and Furst abhorred this practice and saw an opportunity to differentiate. They introduced sealed packaging and, from the very beginning, positioned their products as “sanitary”, a meaningful distinction in an era before modern consumer protections.

That focus on trust became the foundation of the brand.

Making Changes on the Fly
When the Gunters took over the consumer products division, they didn’t inherit a clear financial picture.

By that point, the home products division had become a very small part of a much larger agricultural business, and it was never managed as a standalone unit. Financials were blended across the two lines, making it difficult to isolate the true performance of the consumer products side.

“We knew the quantities of products sold, but we didn’t walk in with a clear understanding of all the fiscal dynamics involved,” says Cindy Gunter, President of Sugar River Trading Company.

That became immediately clear. “The first week we were shipping a pallet to a customer based entirely on how things were set up prior to our taking ownership. I ran the numbers and realized we were losing money on the order going out the door,” Gunter says. “We wouldn’t be in business long that way.”

The realization forced a rapid reassessment of pricing and operations.

Despite the fast revamping of the business practices, Sugar River Trading Company turned a profit in its first year. Within five years, they had doubled the annual sales.

Choosing a Path Rooted in Tradition
From the beginning, the Gunters wanted to emphasize the legacy of the brand.

The products would remain true to their original formulations wherever possible. Ingredients wouldn’t change simply to reduce costs. Packaging would stay consistent with its early 20th-century roots. The Gunters’ son Trevor, who is a key partner in the operation, had to custom create typefaces to match the original hand lettering on packaging from the early 1900s.

“If it has the McNess name on it, it’s a legacy product,” Gunter says. “We’re not cutting corners to make it cheaper.”

That philosophy is reflected in a tongue-in-cheek idea the company has used in its marketing: “Not New, Not Improved.” The established reputation and tradition of the product line is an important part of its appeal to its customers.

While maintaining an old-fashioned philosophy, the company has made targeted updates where it made sense. Certain ingredients were adjusted as improved alternatives became available, and some production processes were refined to enhance quality and consistency. Decisions on changes are based simply on what is best for the customer. Still, if it doesn’t make sense to change, then no change is the solution.

Customers Who Haven’t Changed Either
While most consumer orders now come through the company’s website or by phone, some customers still place orders the old-fashioned way.

“We’ll get handwritten orders in the mail,” says Cindy Gunter. “Sometimes there’s even a signed blank check with a note asking us to fill in the total.” Phone orders, too, tend to reflect a different approach compared to most businesses today. “When you call here, a real person answers the phone,” she says. “It’s not uncommon for a little chit-chat before we even get to the order. Over time, you get to know people.”

The company serves customers in all 50 states through a mix of direct-to-consumer sales and wholesale distribution.

Distribution is primarily set at a local level. The company has avoided selling through major online marketplaces and big-box retailers. McNess home products are carried by independent retailers, specialty grocers, and Amish and general stores, channels where customers tend to value the familiarity and consistency as much as the quality and value. In addition, the company has its own e-commerce website and catalog sales.

“We are trying to identify more businesses to carry our products. The exclusivity and uniqueness of the McNess brand, along with the fact that we don’t sell on Amazon, creates advantages for our resellers,” claims Ms. Gunter.

Bringing Products Back to Life
Some of the products have remained in continuous production since the brand’s earliest days. These include the current top-selling vanilla extract, along with the tins of Krestol, both dating back to the company’s origins in 1908.

Other products, however, had been discontinued over time as the original company shifted its focus away from consumer goods.

Part of the Gunters’ strategy has been to continue to bring items back in response to customer demand. The Mentholated Ointment/Camphor Rub was among the first to return, followed by the McNess Degreaser and, more recently, the old-fashioned pudding and pie dessert mixes. The approach is deliberate. Not every product comes back, but those that do are chosen carefully, based on both feasibility and sustained interest.

“When we took over the brand, we were given binders containing the original formulas dating back decades,” Gunter says. “We’ve preserved and digitized all of that, so we have a substantial archive to work from as we look at bringing products back.” Additional items, including select seasonings, are currently under consideration for reintroduction.

Preserving a Legacy, Growing a Brand
Sugar River Trading Company’s mission is simple: preserve the legacy of the McNess brand and carry on its products in a traditional, thoughtful way.

Since taking over the brand, sales and customers have grown steadily. “My background is in marketing,” claims Randy Gunter. “But to be honest, I believe most of our growth is simply word-of-mouth.”

“We take care of our customers and treat them like friends. Every order is handled carefully, and every product is inspected before it goes out the door,” Cindy Gunter says. “These truly are legacy products. We’re hearing all of the time thar our customers remember their parents and grandparents getting the products delivered from the ‘McNess Man’.”

The result is a modern company that still operates in a way that feels old-fashioned. Customers recognize it. Resellers value it. And after more than a century after its start, the McNess brand has been reborn and now grows with a new generation of customers.

For more information, visit McNessStore.com. Or for historical information, visit FWMcNess.com.

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randy@sugarrivertrading.com

608-424-0264