Albanese Candy facts for kids
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| Industry | Confectionery manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Scott Albanese |
Albanese Candy is a famous candy maker located in Hobart, Indiana. It was started in 1983 by Scott Albanese. The company is well-known for making delicious gummies and tasty chocolate-covered treats. Today, Albanese Candy employs about 700 people. Its sweet products are enjoyed in 41 countries around the world.
Contents
The Sweet Story of Albanese Candy
How It All Began
Albanese Candy first opened as a small candy store in Merrillville, Indiana. Over time, the company began making and selling its own roasted and coated nuts. This helped them grow and share their treats with more people in the local area. By 1995, the company had grown to have about 10 to 12 employees.
Gummy Innovations
In the mid-1990s, Scott Albanese had a big idea. He wanted to create gummy bears with much stronger and clearer fruit flavors. After a lot of hard work, the company started making its own gummy candies in 1998. Albanese uses a special method to make its gummies. They coat the candy trays with corn starch, which helps shape the candies. Only a few candy makers in the United States use this unique process!
Albanese is especially famous for its wide variety of gummy candies. The store in Hobart sells many fun shapes and flavors. You can find gummy worms, butterflies, and even green army soldiers! In 2006, they introduced super long, 27 in (690 mm) multicolor gummy snakes. Imagine this: more than 300,000 lb (140,000 kg) of Albanese gummy bears are sold every single day! That's a lot of sweet treats!
Candy for a Cause and More
In 2003, Albanese Candy sent its soldier-shaped gummies to people serving in the military. These special candies were a sweet reminder of home. Later, the company created a new line of gummies shaped like military jet aircraft. These included models like the B-2 Spirit, F-15 Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-22 Raptor, F-117 Nighthawk, and SR-71 Blackbird.
In late 2004, Albanese Candy opened a huge factory and an outlet store in Hobart, Indiana. The factory was about 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) in size. For a while, the Hobart factory offered self-guided tours. Visitors could see a giant chocolate fountain in the entrance hall. This fountain was 32 ft-tall (9.8 m) and was the largest in the country!
In 2014, the company invested $16 million to make its retail store even bigger. The store expanded to 190,000 sq ft (18,000 m2). That same year, something really cool happened in Tokyo, Japan. A mural made entirely of Albanese gummy bears was shown at the Espace Louis Vuitton from January to April.
In 2017, Albanese Candy announced a big $33 million expansion for its Hobart location. This plan included hiring 150 more employees. The local government supported this growth. In 2019, the Hobart factory experienced a machinery fire. However, the company continued its operations.
See Also
- Albanese Candy Bowl
