Los Angeles
County
Biographies
HANS H. SCHUMACHER
On
February 20, 1961, Hans H. Schumacher celebrated 30 years in business, 28 of
which the B-Z-B Honey Company has been in Alhambra.
A
native of Bremen, Germany, Mr. Schumacher was born on March 20, 1904, the son
of Johannes F. D. and Emma Christine Schumacher. His father was the owner of Schumacher &
Witte, Wholesale Machinery and Tools.
He
graduated from high school in Bremen in 1920 and from college in 1923, majoring
in foreign languages and foreign trade.
He then served a three-year apprenticeship with an import and export
firm in Bremen, which imported crude drugs, leaf shellac and honey, and here he
had his first taste of California Orange Blossom Honey.
Following
the urge of some of his ancestors, who had settled in New York and Pennsylvania
in the 18th and 19th centuries, young Schumacher in his
early twenties, left his native country, went to London, England, for a short
stay and came to New York in the fall of 1929.
His first position in the New World was in the Foreign Department of the
Chase National Bank of New York, and while there he spent his evenings studying
foreign trade and financial science at Columbia University.
In
1930 Mr. Schumacher came to California and established the B-Z-B Honey Company
in a modest building on Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles. The business prospered almost from the start
and within six months the establishment was outgrown and Mr. Schumacher moved
the business to larger quarters on Valley Boulevard in El Monte. His enterprise continued to prosper and on
January 1, 1933, a new plant was installed in the manufacturing district of
Alhambra. While the local demand for the
company’s honey continued to grow, gradually a national business was being
built up.
In
1936 Mr. Schumacher made a round trip to Europe and opened up markets for his
export business in Germany, France, England, Holland, Belgium and the
Scandinavian countries. 1936 was a very
eventual year for Mr. Schumacher, for he received his final citizenship papers
from the United States.
The
present commodious headquarters of the B-Z-B Honey Company, since 1934, are
located at 351 East Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, and at 1261 Sierra Vista, on
which site a spacious and modern warehouse and office building was built by Mr.
Schumacher in 1949. Mr. Schumacher was
one of the first to handle his large warehouse stocks with forklifts and
pallets for easier economical handling, which method has been followed by many
in his field. The B-Z-B brand bottled
honey department was franchised to another firm in 1952, and since then Mr.
Schumacher has specialized in the sale of honey in bulk cans and drums to all
major markets in the United States and foreign countries. Sales are to wholesale grocers and wholesale
bakers, as well as to candy manufacturers.
As an indication of the size of the B-Z-B business, the annual volume of
honey alone amounts to several thousand tons.
Honey is purchased and reshipped from all the Western States, including the
Rocky Mountain States and Minnesota and the Dakotas.
In
1952 a canned goods export department under the name of The John Schumacher
Company was founded and a large assortment of canned fruit is exported to all
Western European countries and the Near East, including Hawaiian canned pineapple,
pineapple juice, California fruit cocktail, peaches, pears and tomato
products. This business is handled
through direct brokers and sales agents in foreign countries.
Mr.
Schumacher has served on several Federal and State government food advisory
boards and is the author of several articles on agricultural development. He holds a membership in the Jonathan Club of
Los Angeles; is a life member of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach,
California; is active on the Parents Committee of the University of Southern
California, and is a life member of the Alhambra Community Hospital. He is a past president of the Alhambra Lions
club, former vice-president of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, a past director
of the Alhambra Community Chest and Y.M.C.A., and a past finance chairman of
the San Marino District, Boy Scouts of America.
He is also a member of the world trade committee of the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce. His affiliation is
the Lutheran Church.
In
1934 Mr. Schumacher married Miss Margaret Luther, formerly of Indianapolis,
Indiana. They have four children: George, Susan, John and Karen. George, aged 24, is a graduate of Occidental
College and is married to the former Miss Joan Whittaker of San Marino. Susan, aged 20, is a senior at the University
of Southern California; John, aged 18, is a freshman at the University of Southern
California, and Karen, aged 9, attends elementary school in San Marino.
The
family home is in San Marino, California.
Their summer home is located on Balboa Island in California.
Mr.
Schumacher divides his time between his family and his business, serving on
various committees and enjoying the seashore.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 484-487, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES