to buy more
expensive machinery, and also put in a cracking plant and buy the nuts
by the ton or carload, if necessary, directly from the growers on the
Pacific Coast or through their organization, the Northwest Nut Growers.
I located a satisfactory machine for the purpose, which required about 7
horse power to run. Since this was during the war and no motors of the
right speed and power were available at the time, I set up my own
generating plant, using a 25 kilowatt generator driven by a Diesel
engine which generated direct current so that I could use direct current
motors which I already had among my machinery supplies. Then a
separating machine, which required a 10 horse power motor just to
operate the fan, which is part of that equipment, was purchased. Also, a
nut cracking machine was secured from a West Coast manufacturer. Along
with tanks and containers and other necessary equipment, all set up in a
little factory building I had available for that purpose, I commenced
the manufacture of filbert butter on a commercial scale.

The product was declared by every one to be excellent. We were quite
sure of this since we had taken pains to buy up any product that
purported to be a nut butter, and had tested those products in many ways
to assure ourselves that we had a product superior to anything that we
could find on the market at that time. The Owens Illinois Glass Company
designed our label and gave us the benefit of their experience with
containers. Then we placed our initial order for glass containers and
re-shipping cases. Every detail in handling this material was properly
taken care of, to insure that if the orders came rolling in we would be
able to supply the demand and have our shipments reach the consumer in
first class shape.

Then we initiated an advertising campaign, coupled with sampling, and
received many fine letters which encouraged us to hire a salesman who
sold the product to the stores in the Twin City area so as to have
proper distribution. Advertising was done also in two national
magazines, so we sat back, hopefully anticipating the big orders that we
were soon to receive. The reorders from the local stores came in slowly,
too slowly for our set-up. We received suggestions from the store
keepers and from other persons that perhaps the product was too high
priced, so we made experiments in other towns where we set the price so
low that there was no profit. In fact, there would be a loss of mon