 Albanese Candy logo | |
| Product type | gummies, chocolate |
|---|---|
| Country | Indiana, United States of America |
| Introduced | 1983 |
| Website | albanesecandy |
Albanese Candy is a candy manufacturer in Hobart, 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. [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]
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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.