The future of Valomilk candy cups — the gooey, chocolate-and-marshmallow treat beloved by generations of Midwesterners — is in limbo after 96 years.
Russell Sifers, the 77-year-old Kansas native and fourth-generation candy maker, says he’s looking for someone to carry on the legacy of his family’s iconic candy — but finding the right steward hasn’t been easy.
The milk chocolate cup with marshmallow filling has been a fan favorite treat for Midwesterners since 1931, once described as ‘the 5-cent candy bar with the 50-cent taste.’ It was first created after a marshmallow mishap in the factory.
With its nostalgic red-and-white packaging and handmade quality, Valomilk has resisted the trend of flashy rebrands and limited-edition gimmicks.
Instead, it’s remained a rare find — often sold at select retailers or Cracker Barrel, until the chain recently dropped it due to quality-control issues with melted stock.
Russell told The Kansas City Star there had been a ‘changing of the guard in the candy business,’ one that Valomilk doesn’t have.
Valomilk has also kept its original style while watching brands create and relaunch items such as PB&J sandwich M&M’s and Salted Caramel Butterfingers.acy.
‘I’d like to find a proper steward. Somebody who can take care of our simple little candy bar — bring it back, improve it, whatever,’ he said.
The future of Valomilk candy cups is in limbo after more than 120 years
Russell Sifers, 77, is looking for someone to take over improve the Valomilk brand
Russell has always been fond of retelling the story of his family’s start in the candy business.
It began in 1903, when his great-grandfather Samuel Mitchell Sifers began selling candy in Iola, Kansas.
He moved into a now torn down Kansas City building in 1916 and discovered the potential of marshmallow candy after a batch gone wrong in the 1931.
With ‘V’ for vanilla, ‘alo’ for marshmallow, and ‘milk’ for the milk-chocolate cups, Valomilk was on the way to achieve candy greatness.
Things took a surprising turn when Russell’s father and grandfather sold Sifers Valomilk Candy Company to Hoffman in 1970.
Russell took over the Valomilk legacy, and after nearly giving up on keeping the brand alive, he was inspired to reignite the dream after finding unused equipment 15 years after the Hoffman sale.
‘I found stuff like my grandfather’s copper kettles and a gas-fired cooker,’ he told the Wall Street Journal.
‘After I did an inventory, I said to myself, ‘You know, I could start making Valomilks the way my grandfather did.’
Russell’s great-grandfather Samuel Mitchell Sifers was the mastermind behind Valomilk
The marshmallow candy creation began in 1931 following a batch creation gone wrong
Russell managed to recreate the old recipe in 1987 and resumed production in Merriam later that year.
Factory workers take marshmallow and combine it with meringue before pouring it into a mix of corn syrup, sugar, water and salt.
The marshmallow is left overnight in an insulated box and poured into trays that pass by heads, providing chocolate and air to form the cup.
‘I told my dad I was thinking about resurrecting the company. He died before it happened. He never got to see it,’ he said.
‘But he always said to me — he commanded me — if you bring Valomilks back, make them the best you know how, and don’t worry about the cost. And that’s what we’ve done.’
Despite Russell’s retirement, members of the Sifers family continue to work on the candy creation.
Russell’s son-in-law Dave Swiercinsky oversees the manufacturers on the factory floor, his wife being one of them.
‘We make it fresh. But what happens after it leaves us? That’s the problem,’ Swiercinsky told The Kansas City Star.
Valomilk candy cups are hardly seen in grocery or convenience stores
Relying on regional distributors, Valomilk’s recent tumble came after the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain dropped them last year over complaints of melted or damaged stock.
‘We were in something like 180 Cracker Barrels. Then we weren’t,’ Russell stated.
The retiree continued by pointing out the candy industry went from a ‘handshake business’ to one that’s ‘all computers.’
‘You have to have sales volume to justify that shelf space — and we don’t have that. And a lot of the old distributors have been consolidated into mega-distributors, and they don’t even know who I am anymore,’ he claimed.
Even though Russell is looking for a buyer, the family has received multiple offers to buy Valomilk, including Pearson Candy Company, the creator of Salted Nut Rolls.
Other bidders that were interested in purchasing the brand include the sons of candy legend Lou Ward and Tootsie Roll, a company Russell has admired for many years.
‘To find a fairy godmother like that would be great. Because people love Valomilks,’ Russell stated.
‘But we just don’t have the capacity or the know-how anymore to get them to our fans like we used to.’
