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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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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!
Robert Nelson, 3
rd
generation President and CEO of Elmer’s Chocolate
Holden, 4
th
generation, sampling the quality of Elmer’s Chocolate — Elmer’s passed the test.
“The last thing I wanted was an oompa
loompa carting my little boy away!”