How sweet it is: Gardners Candies continues to grow
By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger
When a business lasts 127 years, it’s got to be doing something right and that’s certainly the case when it comes to Gardners Candies.
The story begins in 1897, when 16-year-old James “Pike” Gardner opened a small candy store in downtown Tyrone. The budding entrepreneur started by selling popcorn, candy and peanuts and using a horse-drawn wagon to transport his products to fairs and carnivals. Today that small local business has burgeoned to become the sixth-largest producer of chocolate in the United States.
Early on, Pike learned the value of partnerships and joined up with a cigar box maker to create square boxes with satin bows and frills. Not content to stop there, the innovative team devised another idea which we all recognize as an integral part of Valentine’s Day: the heart-shaped box.
When Pike passed in 1951, his daughter Nancy Black and her husband took over the business and the couple, once again, recognizing the value of partnerships, teamed up with Penn State to create a mouthwatering treat that has been flying off the shelves ever since. The Original Peanut Butter Meltaway Bars were pressed into service by Penn State students to raise funds for fraternities and sororities. This led to the Gardners Candies Fundraising program, which exists to this day, along with a Business & Custom Gifting program.
Along came Sarris
In 1997, Frank Sarris, the self-made candy man from Canonsburg, purchased Gardners Candies with his son Bill facilitating the sale. Bill understood the candy business, having learned at the feet of his father, who had already built an empire with Sarris’ candy in his home town. When Frank passed in 2010, Bill took over operations at both companies.
The current COO of Gardners Candy, Jim Westover, has been in the food business most of his life and moved from bustling Pittsburgh to Altoona.
“People here are down-to-earth hard workers,” he said, adding that, when Bill came aboard, he set his sights on expansion and was also instrumental in getting their products into larger stores like Sheetz and Giant Eagle. “We now have about 150 workers and seven retail locations in Huntingdon, State College, Altoona, DuBois, Indiana, Kittanning and Johnstown.”
In a classic case of, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” none of the candy men ever saw fit to trifle with the 1.5-ounce Peanut Butter Meltaway bar, which has been a bestseller since its inception. That doesn’t mean, however, that those in charge are content to remain in the past.
“Bill is in tune with what’s going on out there and we learn of trends through trade shows,” said Westover, mentioning the viral Dubai knafeh candy bar that’s getting quite a bit of attention these days.
“Our Tyrone shop is an incubator, of sorts, and we’re working on our own version of it,” he said, adding that more recent creations include a s’mores bar and a hot habanero bar, with a peanut butter meltaway graham bar in the works.
“More brands are finding value in this up-and-coming area and we’re happy to be part of that growth.”
Challenges along the way
As with any growing business, there are always challenges and Gardners Candies is no exception — but these challenges are more or less growing pains tied to the brand’s expanding success.
“We’ve gone from two production lines to eight,” said Westover. “Expansion plans include getting our products into West Virginia general stores, New England’s Seasons Corner Market and we also have deals in the works to include airports. With that aggressive expansion, we’ve had the same struggles as other businesses in finding enough employees to keep up with production… Many [current employees] have been here 20-plus years, so we’re thankful for that.”
Westover concluded that he enjoys working and living in the Tyrone region, and is looking forward to what the future brings to the area. “More brands are finding value in this up-and-coming area and we’re happy to be part of that growth,” he said.
Stephanie Kalina-Metzger is a freelance writer based in Camp Hill, Pa, whose work can be seen in publications across the country.
