Hammond’s Candies: History Handmade in Denver

By 2007, Hammond’s Candies had become a little bit like everyone’s favorite dowager aunt. It had retained the wisdom of age with its treasury of iconic recipes and vintage machinery. Its investment in new products and marketing strategies had increased its sales, but like the money the aunt kept in her voluminous handbag, it wasn’t producing profits. Like her annual visit for the holidays, its confections had become an important part of festivals but not something most people thought about buying the rest of the year. Sadly, Hammond’s had become a bit fuddy-duddy.

How to adapt the dowager to twenty-first-century living, while at the same time maintaining the legacy of Carl Hammond’s small business persona, became a thorny question. The company needed a leader with the same entrepreneurial spirit that had marked the founder’s ability to accept new challenges and the flexibility to marry old concepts to modern-day thinking. Enter Andrew Schuman.

For some time, Andy had been exploring the possibilities of a new career as new technologies began to change the way people took pictures and to affect his family’s photo business. The rolls of film people had carried in camera bags were quickly being replaced by digital devices, and the local photo shops were giving way to services provided by large chain stores or Internet companies. A generation was growing up who had never even heard of Kodak.

Fortuitously, Andy, an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal, saw the notice that Hammond’s Candies was up for sale. The opportunity presented just the challenge he was seeking—a small business that he could buy, make the needed changes and produce the profit that would ensure its future. Hammond’s fit that profile and offered one extra attraction: “I liked the confection business,” says Schuman.

Andy—who at the time was living in Maryland with his wife, Lori, and three children, Eliza, Joey and Abby—hopped a plane to Denver International Airport and spent two weeks at the facility on Colorado Boulevard. What he found seemed right up his alley. Hammond’s had lost the family camaraderie that had characterized its early years under Carl and Tom, and the cultural climate had changed. Andy set out to change all that, to retain the small business feel while introducing a big business plan. He gave himself a year to accomplish his aims—it took him two and a half. It was a great plus for him that Ralph Nafziger agreed to stay under the new ownership.

A conversation with Andy illuminates his perception of his products as additions to America’s attraction to cult-like experiences. He cites the examples of people who will go out of their way to buy just a certain kind of coffee, or perhaps have to be home on Tuesday nights to follow the exploits of a particular TV character, or buy only a certain brand of athletic equipment. That experience evokes certain memories and, in a special way, enhances their lifestyle. He wants people to enjoy Hammond’s Candies not just because it makes them remember their first Christmas stocking but because it’s a yearlong treat that makes their lives feel better and more enjoyable. More S’mores, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich and Candy Cane Crunch are just a few of the candy bar flavors that aren’t just good to taste—they make the whole day better!

Andy has an open management style; he knows his people and listens to them. People are no longer hesitant to offer their opinions at meetings or stop by his open door, whether it’s to discuss a new product idea or something as simple as the wording on a new packaging tag. His employees, all of whom he calls by name, realize that he will give their proposals quick but thorough consideration. Always casually dressed—as are all the people in the little cubicles that crowd the office—he is as available to those who work for him, as were the two Carls when they worked side by side making candy canes. In an open-necked shirt or sweatshirt and khakis, he could be considered a modern-day, benevolent dictator because, in the end, he has the final say. However, his staff also knows that he is quick to recognize their potential for growth and promotion; he had been running Hammond’s for only a short time when one of the women in packaging became a company rep.

The Candy Cane Festival Polar Express ride delights thousands of visitors each year. Photo by the author.

Kammy Stucker’s story is another that illustrates that Andy not only oversees what goes on in his company but also sees an employee’s potential and offers that person opportunity. Originally an assistant store manager, Kammy had gone to school for pastry and studied fine arts, and she considers the products at Hammond’s an art form. She became Hammond’s first female candy maker, starting with wedding mints and graduating from soft candies to hard. At first, Kammy says she felt like the Rosa Parks of the kitchen—the men’s reactions were a combination of helpful and condescending—but the other women were proud.

Kammy’s résumé also includes her stints in public relations, managing the website and retail and mail ordering. She organized and ran the Candy Cane Festival, Hammond’s most popular annual event, which brings ten thousand people to the site every year. Today, Kammy is the company’s production manager. Her time as a candy maker gave her the experience to understand that, as she put it, “making candy is a physical operation. Everything is sweating, even your eyelids; your socks are soaking wet; every day you bring the flavors home, and even your toddler notices that you made cinnamon that day.” Recognizing Kammy’s kind of promise is one of Andy Schuman’s hallmarks.

To increase his company’s visibility and recognition factor, Andy directed his energies to rebranding so that there would be a consistent look to all the products. That also included an overhaul of all its marketing materials and catalogues to give them a sharp new appearance that would increase their appeal and sales. A comparison of the sales catalogue used in 2007 with the 2014–15 wholesale brochure underscores the changes that have occurred. When Andy bought Hammond’s, materials could have been mistaken for almost any other confectionery business except for the company name. Today, the pages are filled with brightly colored images of every candy available and are presented offering every available type of packaging and product variety. Myriad new products enhance the offerings to wholesalers.

The cover of the current catalogue features a delectable stack of peanut brittle with the promise that “It’s official. We’ve Gone Nuts.” Although Hammond’s has produced a variety of brittles almost since its inception, its acquisition of the Old Dominion Peanut Company in 2012 has expanded its operations and more than doubled the size of the company, as the combined companies employ close to three hundred people. Their sales outlets run the gamut from the dollar stores to the highest end retailers in the country, and Hammond’s candy displays can be found in forty out of the top fifty grocery chains in the country.

In 2010, Hammond’s purchase of McCraw’s Taffy opened another popular market and added an asset with a history similar to its own. McCraw’s Flat Taffy started in a small Texas kitchen with fifty cents’ worth of sugar when Dee and Sarah McCraw created their famous and timeless taffy. The taffy recipe has remained unchanged since 1908 and is just as popular today as it was one hundred years ago. The candy comes in a box with approximately twenty-two to twenty-six pieces in assorted flavors. Like Hammond’s Honey Ko Kos and Mitchell Sweets, the enjoyment of McCraw’s Taffy evokes fond memories of childhood and crosses generational gaps. These are candies that great-grandparents remember and can share with their descendants.

Hammond’s Candies has expanded its line of award-winning gourmet chocolate bars with new flavors that range from rich and classic to fun and quirky. Double Chocolate Truffle, Red Velvet Cake, The Cookie Jar, Caramel Mocha and the uniquely sweet and salty Pigs N’ Taters have joined such flavors as Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Milk Chocolate Bar, which was named Most Innovative New Product of the Year in 2012 by the National Confectioners’ Association. Hammond’s repeated this honor in 2013 with the Red Velvet Cake. Hammond’s has even turned whoopee pies and cookie dough into candy bars.

The Bee Pollen Chocolate Bar combines the healthy benefits of bee pollen with the rich, satisfying taste of Hammond’s organic dark chocolate to create a bittersweet, handmade snack so good that it will make you wonder what took so long for somebody to think of it. Following the tradition set in Hammond’s early history when the company worked with schools and nonprofit agencies in their fundraising efforts, 5 percent of profits from new Bee Pollen Chocolate Bars will be donated to bee sustainability efforts. As would be expected, the company is inundated with requests for donations, and candy flies out the door in response.

Hot beverage aficionados also enjoy sweetening their hot cocoa or coffee drinks with the hot cinnamon flavored sugar sticks. These cocoa stirrers are porous, so one can sip while they dissolve and sweeten and flavor the beverage! Other sippers that are available come in lemon, orange, vanilla and peppermint. In 2011, Hammond’s entered the gourmet food arena with the launch of its succulent dessert dips and snack pretzels.

Candies are now certified kosher, and the factory receives an annual visit from a rabbi who represents Scroll K/Vaad Hakashrus of Denver. The Scroll K is a nonprofit agency recognized by rabbinical associations, and the Scroll K emblem on a product assures the customer that it is produced with the highest standards of kashrus. All employees must also adhere to strict guidelines for cleanliness and their attire.

Adding to all these developments under Andy Schuman’s management, the thread of a family connection has once more been interwoven into the history of this venerable, but thoroughly modern, company. Emery Dorsey, master candy maker and grandson-in-law of Carl T. Hammond, the founder, has returned after a hiatus of several years to assist with product development. There is no doubt that with its dynamic twenty-first-century leadership, Hammond’s Candies will continue to delight and enhance the palates of candy lovers for generations to come.

All personnel engaged in any food handling, preparation or processing operations shall ensure that products and materials are handled and stored in such a way as to prevent damage or product contamination. The methods for maintaining cleanliness include, but are not limited to:

NO—jewelry including: earrings, watches, necklaces, lanyards, body piercings, or rings with stones, etc. Exception: plain band rings, and medical alert necklaces (tucked under clothes).

NO—artificial finger nails or nail polish. Fingernails must be trimmed, filed and maintained so the edges and surfaces are cleanable and not rough.

NO—food or drink except in authorized break areas or other approved areas. No open food in lockers.

NO—carrying pens, pencils, tools, etc. in shirt or coat pockets above the waistline. No pens or pencils behind the ears.

Personal items—coats or sweaters, medicines must be stored in locker or locker area.

Shirts/Blouses—short sleeve or longer (no sleeveless, “spaghetti straps” or tank tops).

Aprons—must be worn while handling candy in kitchen and/or packaging areas.

• Cannot be worn outside, in restrooms or in break room (within the red lines).

• Must be deposited in marked “dirty apron” locker in break area.

• Must be replaced if dropped on the floor.

Kitchen Personnel—Skull caps or sweat bands must be worn when there is excessive perspiration. Long sleeves or arm covers must be used when carrying batches.

Health Requirements—Any person who appears to have an illness, open lesion, sore, infected wound or any other possible contamination will be immediately assessed and sent home, if necessary, and will not be allowed back into the production areas until a written note from a medical professional releases them. Report such situations to your supervisor immediately.

All these changes have led Hammond’s to its current peak performance. In 2014, sales are expected to reach fifteen million.

Visitors to the Denver area, as well as those with children from age two on up, will attest that candy factory tours are fun and educational for candy lovers of all ages. Hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe have seen how Hammond’s famous, handcrafted candy canes, ribbon candy and lollipops are pulled, twisted and shaped by hand—just like they were in 1920. The Mile High City is home to Hammond’s one and only factory location, where guests can see how the candy is handmade and hand packaged from beginning to end. It’s a super sweet treat you won’t find elsewhere.

The factory tours offer a bit of Colorado-proud history, some tidbits about nostalgic candy, a little science and a lot of fun. With large video screens installed throughout the factory and the tour, everyone gets an up-close-and-personal experience with the delicious candies and the people who make them. This is one opportunity that is sweeter than pie. Making plans to take a tour is easy because no plan is really necessary. No reservations are required for small groups for the tours, which run every half hour (typically on the half hour), Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The factory is closed on Sundays.

The Hammond’s van greets visitors to the candy factory tours. McBoat Photography, Centennial, Colorado.

Guests usually receive their first welcome at the front desk from Ginny, who invites them to sign the visitors’ book and introduces a short video before the tours, which last approximately thirty minutes, perfect for youngsters. Each tour can accommodate up to fifty people. For little ones with shorter attention spans, the murals on the walls that depict images of the first factory and their employees (look—the men are wearing ties in the kitchen!) are entertaining and offer a view of the past. Everyone is offered one of the hats the workers are wearing, and of course, the tour ends in the gift shop, where every imaginable Hammond’s candy is available and shoppers can return home wearing caps, T-shirts, hoodies and even onesies for infants, all adorned with the Hammond logo. Mugs are also available for purchase and are a perfect accompaniment for those trying the sippers and straws. If their children are shopping elsewhere in the store, wary parents can buy bags of coal—just in case. Visitors who arrive early can observe up close a 1960s-era vertical batch roller that was once used to produce Jolly Ranchers hard candies, or they can admire the caramel cooker that the founder, Carl Hammond Sr., used in his first factory in North Denver as far back as the 1930s. Strollers, wheelchairs and walkers are welcome.

“We’d like to make Hammond’s a Denver destination,” remarked one of the owners before Andy Schuman bought the company. “We’d love for this to become a fun factory experience where people will bring their family or guests from out of town. There are people who know where we are already,” said Linda Fasano. “We have third-generation customers, and we have customers who come into the store with canes and walkers who wouldn’t have Christmas without our ribbon candy.”

The vertical batch roller from the 1960s on display in the tour office. Photo by the author.

The entrance to the Hammond’s Candy Factory on Washington Street in Denver. Photo by the author.

A visit to Washington Street almost any day at any time of the year shows that people—whether led by guidebooks, word of mouth or a desire to share the memory of a Mitchell Sweet with the next generation—are indeed coming.

Once one has had a “taste” of Hammond’s Candy Factory by way of a tour, the next source of delight is a birthday party. It’s every child’s dream—having their next birthday party in a candy factory! For an amazing, educational and unique experience for a child’s birthday party, Hammond’s Candies is the sweetest place in town. There are packages that will accommodate every party need. A party at Hammond’s will leave children and their friends with memories to treasure for years to come.

This package provides an exclusive party in Hammond’s 15,000 square-foot candy factory! Guests will be surrounded by thousands of pounds of packaged candy and will be in the middle of Hammond’s candy operations as they celebrate that special day!

• A fully decorated birthday party area in the Hammond’s candy factory for two hours

• Exclusive candy making experience for each guest

• A private, interactive group tour of the candy factory guided by your Hammond’s Party Host or Hostess

• A Pizza lunch including three large pizzas (cheese or pepperoni); three 2-liter bottles of soda (Coke, root beer, Sprite and lemonade); vanilla and chocolate ice cream cups for every guest. Additional pizzas, sodas and dessert available with additional add-ons.

• Gift bags for each guest filled with themed activity books and Hammond’s candy.

• A large lollipop for the guest of honor.

• Hammond’s T-shirt for the Guest of Honor.

• 10% off entire Hammond’s Factory Store purchases.

• Free Candy of the Day

• $595.00 (Up to 24 guests, including Guest of Honor)

This birthday party package provides use of the Hammond’s Birthday Party Room and an up-close look at the Hammond’s candy factory for a celebration bursting with sweet flavor!

• A private, fully decorated birthday party room for two hours

• Exclusive candy-making experience for each guest

• A private, interactive group tour of the candy factory guided by your Hammond’s Party Host or Hostess

• A Pizza lunch including: Two large pizzas (cheese or pepperoni); Two 2-liter bottles of soda (Coke, root beer, Sprite and lemonade); vanilla and chocolate ice cream cups for every guest. Additional pizzas, sodas, and dessert available with additional add-ons.

• Gift bags for each guest filled with themed activity books and Hammond’s candy

• A large lollipop for the Guest of Honor

• 10% off entire Hammond’s Factory Store purchases

• Free Candy of the Day

• $395.00 (Up to 16 guests, including Guest of Honor)