Behind the scenes and beneath the wrappers at Pearson’s Candy factory

Gallery • 9 Photos

Machinery in Pearson's Candy factory handles taffy. This taffy will later be used to become Bit-O-Honey, a very popular product produced by Pearson’s. “We have a new owner who has made investments in the new plant so we’ve added jobs in St. Paul. Around fifty to sixty new jobs have been added here in St. Paul which allows us to make more product and make more people happy,” Keller said.

When I excitedly ran through the front doors of Pearson’s Candy Factory, I never would have guessed what went on behind the front desk. I was asked to fill out a form with warnings here and there including: “no jewelry,”and “wear protective gear.” It amazed me that not many students realize how close St. Paul Academy and Summit School is to the huge plot of land. Just three minutes away, nationally known candy is created in such an amazing way. After filling out the form, I noticed three, large, newly-polished glass jars of candy sitting on a table with Pearson’s logo on it. It was the perfect set up.

I have to admit, I went straight to the jars and grabbed a handful of treats as I waited for Michael Keller, the president and CEO of Pearson’s to arrive. Soon after, Keller came to greet me and directed me to a small locker room where I was instructed to put on a lab coat and red hair net. I was told that this hairnet color meant I had no clue where to go. Our tour started on the second floor of the factory, the kitchen.
After spending about a minute watching all of the liquid gold pour out of the funnel, we made our way down to the production floor, where all of the candy is made and packaged. My first thought when I walked in was: Wow, this is really loud. I decided to ignore the noise and focus on all the smells around me and machines working so quickly. We then made our way to the mint patty process. First, the mint filling is placed in starch molds overnight to get their shape, and the following morning they are taken out of the molds and placed on a conveyor belt. The patties are moved forward into a square pot of chocolate while still moving, and covered in the dark chocolate goodness. After their dipping, they move through a cooling station and are chilled until the chocolate hardens. Soon they are put into the rapid packaging machines and sent off to all fifty states.

?

A photo posted by Pearson’s Candy Company (@pearsonscandy) on Mar 3, 2014 at 2:56pm PST

“You will either smell caramel, peanut, mint, or a nasty combination of all of those,” Keller told me as we opened the door.

As soon as the big metal door was opened, a waft of caramel hit my nostrils. In front of me stood huge cauldrons filled with gooey, hot caramel. This caramel is later used for the filling inside of nut rolls and other treats. Just a few feet away, out of the corner of my eye, I saw globs of Bit-O-Honey taffy rotating on a wheel. We moved towards the enormous machine. We watched it rotate and glimmer as it caught the light, then the taffy was poured through a funnel leading to another floor of work.

We then walked through two other candy processes; the salted nut roll, and the Bit-O-Honey sections. Unfortunately, I cannot say much about the salted nut roll production process; I was instructed to put away my camera. Keller told me that I was part of the 0.001 percent of people who could see this process. What I can tell you is that 20 pound bags of nuts are dumped into sorting machines where the twigs and shells get taken out and only golden peanuts emerge. After walking through 30 minutes of jaw dropping mechanics, the tour was finished and we walked back to Keller’s office.

“There is really no downside to being in the business of making candy. Candy seems to make almost everybody smile; and it is good to be associated with a business that makes people feel that way,” Keller said.