The Georgia Fruitcake Company
Encyclopedia
History
The Georgia Fruitcake Company was founded by Ira S. Womble, Sr. of Claxton. Womble began his career in the bakery business as an apprentice to Savino Gillio-Tos, the founder and owner of The Claxton Bakery, where he worked alongside Albert ParkerAlbert Parker
Albert Parker was the owner of The Claxton Bakery and creator of the Old Fashion Claxton Fruitcake. Parker got his start working with Savino Tos, the founder and previous owner of The Claxton Bakery, in 1927 when he was eleven years old. In 1945, Tos sold the bakery to Albert Parker and retired...
, the future owner of the bakery and the person who would take The Claxton Bakery worldwide. After completing his apprenticeship, Womble moved to Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
to run a federal bakery. It was there that he met automobile magnate Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
. Ford eventually set Womble up with a bakery in Richmond Hill, Georgia to work on creating soy-based products. In 1948 Womble moved back to Claxton and opened The Georgia Fruitcake Company.
Additional reading
- The Georgia Fruitcake Company article at American Profile
- The Georgia Fruitcake Company case study at PST Technology Development and Training