Abdallah Candies facts for kids
| Founded | 1909 in Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Founder | Albert Abdallah |
| Headquarters | |
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Key people
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Steve Hegedus, CEO |
| Products | Fine chocolates and candies |
Abdallah Candies is a company that makes delicious chocolates and candies. It's a family business, run by the same family for five generations! They are located in Apple Valley, Minnesota, in the United States. The company started way back in 1909 in Minneapolis. It was founded by Albert Abdallah, an immigrant from Lebanon, and his wife, Helen Trovall, who was of Swedish descent. At first, it was called the Calhoun Candy Depot, but in 1916, it became the Abdallah Candy Company.
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History of Abdallah Candies
In the early days, Albert Abdallah made candy in a big copper pot over a fire. He used special recipes he bought from a local salesman. Some of these recipes, like those for caramels, toffee, truffles, and different chocolates, are still used by the company today!
Challenges and Growth
In the 1930s, the Abdallah's store was very popular. It sold candy and ice cream, and even had a large restaurant with 200 seats. However, in 1935, the company faced tough times because of the Great Depression. They had to close their doors for a while. But Albert didn't give up! After two years, he managed to pay back everyone he owed money to. He then opened a smaller store nearby, focusing mainly on candy and ice cream.
In 1951, Abdallah's opened a new factory in Minneapolis. This helped them make more candy and start selling it to other stores. In 1961, Albert retired. He passed the business on to his son-in-law, Glenn Oletzke, who was married to Albert's daughter, Marie. A few years later, in 1964, a fire outside the factory caused them to rebuild.
New Locations and Family Leadership
In 1966, Abdallah Candies opened a new building in Burnsville. This new place also had a gift store. Marie and her daughter, Vicke (Oletzke) Hegedus, managed the gift store. Glenn retired in 1974. The business was then taken over by his son, James, and Vicke's husband, Stephen Hegedus. The company started selling its candies to more and more places, first in their region, then all across the country.
In 1987, James retired, and Stephen's son, Steven Hegedus, joined the company. Steven became the president in 2002. As the company grew and sold candy nationwide, they needed even more space. In 1998, they moved their main office to Burnsville. Then, in 2016, they expanded again and moved their production to Apple Valley. As of 2021, Abdallah Candies makes all its products in Apple Valley.
The company celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010! After this big milestone, Stephen and Vicke retired.
Delicious Products
Abdallah Candies makes a lot of candy every day. They produce over 20,000 pounds of candy daily! During September and October, they make nearly 1 million caramel apples. These are sold in local stores and online. To make so many caramel apples, the company even developed a special machine. This machine can coat 4,000 apples with caramel in just one hour, which is much faster than dipping them by hand!
Abdallah Candies sells its products to about 7,000 customers. Most of these are wholesale customers, meaning they buy large amounts to sell in their own stores. About one-third of the candy they make is sold under other companies' names, which is called a private label. The Christmas season is their busiest time, accounting for about 35 percent of their yearly sales.
Company Ownership Through Generations
Abdallah Candies has been a family business for a long time. Here’s how the ownership has passed down:
- 1st generation: Albert Abdallah and Helen (Trovall) Abdallah started the company.
- 2nd generation: Albert's daughter, Marie (who passed away in 2009), and her husband, Glenn Oletzke. Glenn took over the company in 1961.
- 3rd generation: Glenn's daughter, Vicke Hegedus, and her husband, Stephen. Stephen joined the company in 1963 and became president and CEO in 1974. Vicke managed the factory store until 2010.
- 4th generation: Steven Hegedus, Stephen's son, joined the company full-time in 1987. He became president in 2002.
Company Facilities
The Calhoun Candy Company first started at Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood. After facing financial difficulties during the Great Depression, Abdallah opened a new store in Uptown in 1937, just a few blocks from the original.
In 1951, the company moved to a former grocery store on East 38th Street in Minneapolis. Sadly, a fire destroyed that building in 1964. In 1966, the company opened a new facility in Burnsville that was 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) in size. It was later made even bigger, to 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2).
In 1997, the company moved to its second location in Burnsville. The original 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) building there was expanded to 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) in 2004. Finally, in 2016, the company built a brand new manufacturing plant that is 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) in Apple Valley, Minnesota. They also have a retail store there where you can buy their delicious candies!
