The Swiss Colony, Wisconsin (Images of America Series) »

Retired Swiss Colony executive and journalist Jim Glessner selected both nostalgic photographs and current views of the company known as "America's year-round Santa." From handmade desserts to mouthwatering innovations; from Rail Express to modern delivery systems; from early handcrafted gifts to today's multitude of offerings, the Swiss Colony relies on its Midwest, small-townethic, combined with progressive technology, to meet the 21st century's competitive marketplace.

Each year, millions of Swiss Colony mail-order catalogs featuring more than 30,000 items flow into American homes. Little did Raymond Kubly realize in 1926, when he had the goofy idea of selling cheese by mail, that his then-fledgling company would become a mail-order giant. In those first years, cheese wheels were cut and wrapped in consumer-sized pieces in the Kubly family basement and garage. Soon the company was selling not only cheese but sausages, meats, and pastry desserts, all from the pleasant, little southern Wisconsin city of Monroe. Today the ever-expanding Swiss Colony, having ventured into home furnishings, jewelry, apparel, and more, is one of the largest direct marketing companies in the United States.