Businessman (ice cream and chocolate). William Neilson was born near Almonte, Ontario, but left his family's farm to earn a living. Stops in Rochester, Almonte and Toronto proved generally unsuccessful, forcing Neilson to join a brother in North Dakota until he could regain his financial footing. His break came through the production of ice cream in Toronto; first as a sideline to his grocery and then as his primary business in 1893. The firm branched into the production of confectionery in 1908. Chocolate bars followed soon afterward to further diversify the product line. William Neilson suffered a stroke while visiting Almonte in December 1914. A month later he stumbled in the company's Gladstone Ave. factory and, while recovering from that injury, suffered a second stroke, from which he finally succumbed. While William Neilson passed away in Toronto, the firm being his name went from supplying trans-Atlantic luxury liners to being the largest manufacturer of ice cream in the British Empire. The company continues as a dairy operation, having sold the ice cream business in 1990 and the confectionery line in 1996.
Businessman (ice cream and chocolate). William Neilson was born near Almonte, Ontario, but left his family's farm to earn a living. Stops in Rochester, Almonte and Toronto proved generally unsuccessful, forcing Neilson to join a brother in North Dakota until he could regain his financial footing. His break came through the production of ice cream in Toronto; first as a sideline to his grocery and then as his primary business in 1893. The firm branched into the production of confectionery in 1908. Chocolate bars followed soon afterward to further diversify the product line. William Neilson suffered a stroke while visiting Almonte in December 1914. A month later he stumbled in the company's Gladstone Ave. factory and, while recovering from that injury, suffered a second stroke, from which he finally succumbed. While William Neilson passed away in Toronto, the firm being his name went from supplying trans-Atlantic luxury liners to being the largest manufacturer of ice cream in the British Empire. The company continues as a dairy operation, having sold the ice cream business in 1990 and the confectionery line in 1996.
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