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Holden, 4 th generation, sampling the quality of Elmer’s Chocolate — Elmer’s passed the test.

A few weeks ago, I received my “Golden Ticket.” I was given special permission to tour the Elmer’s Chocolate Factory in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. My special guest you ask? My 3½ year old son, Holden. He (and I) were definitely in for a treat! But, before we saw how all of the chocolate-y

on seasonal candy. Thus, the reason you can only find the famous Heavenly Hash, Gold Bricks, and Pecan Eggs at Easter time. (If you want them year-round, then you can just stick them in your freezer, like many people already do!) Elmer’s Candy specializes in chocolates specifically for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter.

are loyal to local brands. He said that they get many requests from locals who have moved away only to find that the Heavenly Hash, Gold Brick, and Pecan Eggs can’t be found where they live during Easter. Just as Rouse’s ships out King Cakes to friends and family across the United States, Elmer’s has many customers request that the famous

greatness was made (in the nearly 350,000 square foot facility) I sat down with Robert Nelson, 3 rd generation President and CEO of Elmer’s Chocolate. In 2005 Elmer’s celebrated

Easter candy be shipped to their friends and family throughout the United States. Luckily, Holden and I visited right in the middle of Easter candy production. We were able

“The last thing I wanted was an oompa loompa carting my little boy away!”

It is actually the second largest heart box chocolate manufacturer in the country. I was a little surprised when I was told that the Easter candy was not their biggest seller; but, it was the Valentine’s chocolates. Mr. Nelson began to explain to me that the Easter candy sales are mainly in this

its 150 th year in business, making it the oldest family-owned chocolate company in the United States. It all started back in 1855 when a German immigrant and confectioner named Christopher Henry Miller opened Miller Candy Company on Jackson Avenue in New Orleans. In 1900 Miller’s daughter, Olivia, married Augustus Elmer who began working in the company. The company’s name was changed to Miller-Elmer. Following the death of Christopher Miller in 1902, Elmer’s sons joined the company, and the company was renamed Elmer Candy Company. In 1963 Roy Nelson entered the business, and eventually purchased the company from the Elmer family. With no place to expand, the company moved to a state of the art plant in Ponchatoula, Louisiana in 1970. In 1982 due to markets becoming more national and global, and because of retailer consolidation, Elmer’s began to focus only

to see the entire processes for the making of the Heavenly Hash, Gold Brick, and Pecan Eggs. It was hard to keep our hands to ourselves, and not try a fresh sample off of the conveyor belt, but we were well behaved. The last thing I wanted was an oompa loompa carting my little boy away!

region, and the Valentine’s candy is sold throughout the United States. Apparently, here in the South, we focus more on candy during Easter than the rest of the country. Mr. Nelson believes that this is contributed to two things. One, Louisiana and the Gulf Region holds on to tradition. Everyone has memories of what was in their Easter baskets as a child, so they want to re-create the same scenario for their children. Two, many people in this area

Robert Nelson, 3 rd generation President and CEO of Elmer’s Chocolate

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