[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MINNESOTA CELEBRATES PEARSON CANDY'S SWEET TREATS FOR 85 YEARS

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                          HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 10, 1999

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following article 
from the Monday, January 18, 1999, edition of the St. Paul Star Tribune 
which recognizes the continued success of the Pearson Candy Co. I want 
to extend my congratulations to the owners and employees for continuing 
to produce quality candies for more than 85 years.
  This recognition is well-deserved; not only for their production of 
delicious treats such as Nut Goodies and Salted Nut Rolls, but also for 
their commitment to the community of St. Paul, Minnesota. In such a 
competitive industry with the mega companies such as Hershey's, Nestle, 
and Mars, and a host of foreign imports, it is a superb accomplishment 
for the Pearson Candy Company of St. Paul, Minnesota to continue in the 
tradition of a great quality product.
  Congratulations and best wishes to the Pearson Candy Co. and their 
good work force, that have provided the candy treats of my youth 
yesterday, for our grandchildren today, and hopefully will be doing so 
long into the new century tomorrow.

            [From the St. Paul Star Tribune, Jan. 18, 1999]

         Around St. Paul: Pearson Candy Co. Celebrates 90 Years

                            (By Joe Kimball)

       Automation handles much of the candymaking these days at 
     the Pearson Candy Co., but workers at the W. 7th Street plant 
     watch every stage to pluck out broken or misshapen Nut 
     Goodies, mints and Salted Nut Roll.
       ``If we learned anything from George Pearson, it's that our 
     recipes are great, but the tradition of quality is what sets 
     us apart,'' said company co-owner Larry Hassler.
       The late George Pearson, who died in 1995, ran the company 
     for 20 years, and is remembered as a great boss and great 
     candymaker. The company founded by his father, P. Edward 
     Pearson, turns 90 this year.
       Pearson Candy competes in a field largely dominated by 
     three giants--Hershey, Mars and Nestle--Hassler said.
       After some rocky years in the 1980s, Pearson Candy now 
     thrives under new management. The company recently added the 
     Bun bar, which comes in maple, caramel and vanilla.
       The company has been selling mints and Salted Nut Rolls 
     through Wal-Mart and Target stores, and Hassler says he hopes 
     to build on that national recognition of the Pearson brands.
       But not all of the company's candy bar brands have survived 
     over the years: Remember the Denver Sandwich?
       It was something like a Twix bar, but a little ahead of its 
     time.
       Hassler takes the credit (or blame) for killing the famous 
     Seven Up bar about 20 years ago. He said it took 10 workers 
     to make the bar, which had seven creme and flavored fillings, 
     and the company lost a dime on each bar it sold.
       But the Seven Up bar had a special role in building the W. 
     7th Street plant.
       ``Pearson owned the name, `Seven Up,' but so did the 7-Up 
     soda company, so they'd come once a year to George Pearson 
     and ask to buy the name so they could legally protect it, and 
     then they'd lease the name back to us.
       ``Well, every year George would say no. I think he got a 
     thrill out of telling this big company to just go away. But 
     finally, in the 1950s, they came again and offered him a 
     blank check. This time, he wrote in an amount, some very, 
     very high figure, and they said: `We've got a deal.'
       ``Those proceeds built this plant.''


                            company history

       P. Edward Pearson and four brothers started the company in 
     Minneapolis. With the Nut Goodie, invented in 1913, and the 
     Salted Nut Roll, 1921, it grew to be one of the nation's top 
     20 candy manufacturers.
       When P. Edward died in 1933, his son George quit college 
     and became a partner with his uncles. In 1951, George bought 
     the Trudeau Candy Co. in St. Paul, which made mints and the 
     Seven Up bar.
       George became president of the company in 1959 but sold it 
     in 1969 to International Telephone and Telegraph's 
     Continental Baking Co. Ten years later, a Chicago 
     entrepreneur bought the company, and in 1981 Hassler was 
     brought in as a financial officer. Hassler and Judy Johnston 
     bought the company in 1985.


                         keeping the nut goodie

       In the production area, which makes up most of the plant's 
     130,000 square feet, plant manager Roger Bruce supervises two 
     shifts of workers who mix and blend sugar, corn syrup, 
     chocolate and peanuts. About 175 people work for the company.
       The peanuts come from North Carolina in 2,000-pound bags. 
     The plant uses four to eight bags a day.
       Hassler said his longtime employees saved him from making a 
     big mistake in the 1980s--dropping the Nut Goodie.
       ``We were losing a nickel a bar and every time I saw an 
     order for 100 cases, it killed me,'' he said. They had 
     changed the bar's recipe and wrapper and weren't selling 
     enough to make a profit.
       ``People in the plant said we've got to make the Nut Goodie 
     the way they used to make it and go back to the old ugly, 
     red-and-green wrapper. We did it and they were 100 percent 
     right.'' Now, the company sells enough Nut Goodies to make a 
     tidy profit.
       Hassler said he has had sweet overtures from neighboring 
     states asking him to move. But he's not chewing on those 
     offers.
       ``St. Paul has been good for us. If you take St. Paul out 
     of the equation, I'm afraid we'd lose it all,'' he said.
       He's not entertaining buyout offers, either. ``If I sold 
     out and made a fortune, I know I'd spend the rest of my life 
     looking for another company just like Pearson Candy,'' he 
     said.



     

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