 Albanese Candy logo | |
| Product type | gummies, chocolate |
|---|---|
| Country | Indiana, United States of America |
| Introduced | 1983 |
| Website | albanesecandy |
Albanese Candy is a candy manufacturer in Merrillville, Indiana. Founded in 1983 by Scott Albanese, it specializes in the production of gummies and chocolate-covered goods. As of 2022, the company employs roughly 700 workers and ships to 41 countries. [1] [2] It is said to be the home of "the world's best gummies." [2] [3]
Scott Albanese, the founder, was born in Dolton, Illinois. He credits his success to a strong work ethic attributable to "his construction/bricklayer/restaurant/blue-collar upbringing". [2] [4] [5] He was inspired to open the business after buying raw materials of chocolates, candy, and nuts, and identifying a business opportunity. He says that opening a business in the 1980s seemed like poor timing, but that he saw an entrepreneurial opening and took it. He says that a commitment to consistent high quality and product integrity was integral to his success. [2] In 2018, the Indiana Small Business Development Center gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award. [6]
In 1995, the Merrillville facility had 10–12 employees. [7]
In 1998, Albanese developed a new technology to allow more intense flavor release from gelatins. [8] The system coats the candy trays with corn starch, a process used by only three candy-makers in the United States. [9] More than 300,000 lb (140,000 kg) of gummy bears are sold every day. [10] Albanese is particularly known for its gummy candy; the Hobart store sells gummy worms, butterflies, and green army soldiers amongst many other shapes and flavors. [11] In 2006, the company introduced 27 in (690 mm) multicolor gummy snakes. [12]
The Albanese company's soldier-shaped gummies were shipped to Iraq and distributed to deployed soldiers in 2003. [2] [13] This effort left the United States Air Force members feeling overlooked, and the company developed a product line featuring military jet aircraft molds: a B-2 Spirit, F-15 Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-22 Raptor, F-117 Nighthawk, and SR-71 Blackbird. [14]
In late 2004, a factory measuring 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) [15] and an outlet store were opened in Hobart, Indiana. [16] The Hobart factory formerly offered self-guided tours; [17] in the entrance hall, there was a 32 ft-tall (9.8 m) chocolate fountain, the largest in the country, which was custom crafted by a Hobart heating and cooling contractor that was removed during the 2020 renovation. [2] [18]
In 2014, gummies graced a large scale stained glass window mural in Tokyo, Japan's Espace Luis Vuitton museum. [2] In 2014 the company also spent $16 million to expand its retail store to 190,000 sq ft (18,000 m2). [7]
In 2017 the company announced that they would be adding 150 employees at the Hobart location. Additionally, they decided to invest $33 million into that location. The city of Hobart gave the company a ten-year tax abatement. The company said they would have 550 employees at the Hobart location. [7]
In 2019 the company's Hobart location had a machinery fire. [19] In 2020 one of the workers at the Hobart factory had to be airlifted to a hospital after being injured in the factory. [20]
The company is continuously experimenting with products for key theme parks, Fannie May, and Marshall Fields, Scott said. [14]
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. The county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area, and contains a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. It is bordered on the north by Lake Michigan and contains a portion of the Indiana Dunes. It includes Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community in East Chicago.
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Gummies, gummi candies, gummy candies, or jelly sweets are a broad category of gelatin-based chewable sweets. Gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids, and Jelly Babies are widely popular and are a well-known part of the sweets industry. Gummies are available in a wide variety of shapes, most commonly seen as colorful depictions of living things such as bears, babies, or worms. Various brands such as Bassett's, Haribo, Betty Crocker, Hersheys, Disney and Kellogg's manufacture various forms of gummy snacks, often targeted at young children. The name "gummi" originated in Germany, with the term "jelly sweets" more common in the British English language.
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; "Sweet Sensations, continued". The Munster Times. November 9, 2008. p. E4 – via Newspapers.com. ; "Soldiers, continued". The Munster Times. January 3, 2003. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com. ; "Candy, continued". The Munster Times . November 27, 2004. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com. ; Thomas, Phyllis (June 19, 2012). Indiana Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places (E-book). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. p. 98. ISBN 978-0762786053.; Enjoy Indiana Travel Guide. Indiana Department of Commerce, Tourism Development Division. 2010. p. 33.