 |
| News and Events |
 |
| |
February 8, 2006
Download the latest Wolfgang Candy newsletter
Download the latest Wolfgang Candy newsletter as a PDF document.
Learn FUNDRAISING TIPS and how to create a Valentine
gift that will make someone special feel Truly Yours�!
Click here to download (463 KB PDF)
|
| |
January 24, 2006
Factory Tour Attendance Soars at Wolfgang Candy Company
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced that its factory tours attendance has skyrocketed over the last three years, with the number of visitors it receives annually increasing more than 51% from 2003 to 2005.
The Wolfgang factory tour allows visitors to get a behind-the-scenes look at the classic, European candy-making process of one of the oldest family-owned and managed confectionery manufacturers in the United States. Tour attendance, which stood at 8,260 in 2003, jumped to 12,530 in 2005.
�Since we launched York County�s �Factory Tour Capital of the World� tourism brand in 2000, Wolfgang Candy has been an exceptional partner in our efforts to draw visitors to our community,� said Anne Druck, president of the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). �From serving on the CVB board and advertising in our visitors� guides, to pursuing partnerships outside of York County such as the Guest Relations Association (GRA), Wolfgang Candy has done a stellar job at identifying and seizing opportunities to promote the brand. Most of our factory tours have experienced an increase in attendance numbers, but none as significant as the increase at Wolfgang Candy.�
Wolfgang Candy Company also participates in York County�s annual Made In America Tours event, which was recently designated by the American Bus Association (ABA) as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2006. Plans for the 8th annual event, slated for June 14-17, are already underway.
�Wolfgang Candy has really benefited from the outstanding marketing efforts of the York County CVB,� said Kathy Krout, retail manager at Wolfgang Candy. �Over the last few years, we�ve added an extra daily tour to our year-round schedule, held successful seasonal events at Halloween and Christmas and been ranked number four on Food Network�s �Top 5 Tasty Tours� list. We are extremely pleased to see this significant increase in visitors to our factory, and proud to be contributing to the economic impact of tourism in York County.�
Wolfgang Candy offers factory tours Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. In the summer months, tours are available from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. on the hour. The tour is free, and lasts for one hour. For more information on factory tours, please call Wolfgang Candy Company at 1-800-248-4273 or visit the company�s Website at www.wolfgangcandy.com.
|
| |
Santa Claus Hosting
Free Tours of Wolfgang Candy Factory
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced
that Santa Claus is taking a break from his hectic pre-holiday
schedule to accompany visitors on special Christmas tours
of the Wolfgang chocolate factory on Saturday, December
10.
The community is invited to Wolfgang’s Das Sweeten
Haus Center on E. 4th Avenue from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday
to tour the factory with Santa. Visitors are welcome to
bring their cameras, and children are reminded to bring
a sweet tooth, as Santa will be giving out some of his favorite
Wolfgang chocolates.
For more information or to reserve a spot on this special
Chocolate Factory Tour with Santa, please call Wolfgang
Candy at 800.248.4273. |
| |
Wolfgang Candy Company Opens Doors for Halloween
“Spooktacular Tours”
October
25, 2005
YORK,
Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced that it
is opening its factory doors on Monday, October 31, for
the company’s second-annual special Halloween event,
inviting the public to take a “Spooktacular Tour”
of the Wolfgang candy factory from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Following
the success of its 2004 Halloween event, Wolfgang is adding
extra fun to this year’s festivities, with children
also invited to Trick or Treat at the candy factory.
Visitors brave enough to embark on a “Spooktacular
Tour” of Wolfgang’s “Haunted Candy Factory”
will have a unique opportunity to watch ghosts, ghouls and
other gruesome Halloween creatures making candy. Children
and adults are encouraged to arrive at the factory in costume,
as a contest for both employees and visitors is planned,
with prizes to be awarded in various categories including
“Scariest,” “Funniest” and “Most
Creative.”
“Last year’s Halloween Open House was such a
success that we’ve decided to make this an annual
community event,” said Robert Wolfgang II, Senior
Partner at Wolfgang Candy Company. “Our candy makers
are looking forward to seeing lots of little ghosts and
goblins in the factory on Monday!”
For more information about this special Wolfgang Halloween
event, please call Wolfgang Candy Company at 1-800-248-4273.
|
| |
Click
here for Wolfgang's Sweet Success Story in Candy Industry
Magazine, June 2005 |
| |
Click
here for Wolfgang's latest newsletter |
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company Introduces All-Natural Fresh Fruit Confectionery
Product Line at 2005 ALL CANDY EXPO®
YORK, Pa. - (May 10, 2005) Wolfgang Candy Company
Inc. today announced it is introducing a groundbreaking
all-natural product line at the National Confectioners Association’s
ALL CANDY EXPO® taking place June 14-16, 2005, at McCormick
Place Lakeside Center in Chicago. First-time ALL CANDY EXPO
exhibitor Wolfgang Candy is set to make a splash at the
convention with the launch of a fresh fruit confectionery
line, featuring real blueberries and red raspberries coated
in sweet dark Wolfgang chocolate.
Wolfgang Candy is manufacturing its new line using a method
and process developed by former candy company executive
and owner Don Morando. Morando’s patent-pending process
covers the art of making confections using fresh fruit as
an ingredient and, more specifically, a method of improving
the shelf life of confections that use fresh fruit as an
ingredient.
“The timing of this product introduction couldn’t
be any better in today’s environmentally and health-conscious
society,” said Morando, currently serving as sales
director for Wolfgang Candy’s fresh fruit project.
“Fresh blueberry and raspberry chocolate confections,
which deliver antioxidants and other natural compounds that
are good for your health, are ideal for today’s consumer
who wants it all - great taste and nutrition.”
Recent studies show that both blueberries and dark chocolate
rank high in antioxidant activity, anti-aging and disease
prevention, while red raspberries contain substantial quantities
of ellagic acid, which has become known as a potent anti-carcinogenic/anti-mutagenic
compound. Wolfgang Candy plans to extend its healthy confectionery
product line in the future to include other unique and exotic
natural fruits dipped in the company’s high-quality,
European-style chocolate.
“This new product line is a great idea for today’s
society, in which the majority of Americans are not getting
the recommended daily allowance of fruit,” said Mike
Schmid, managing partner at Wolfgang Candy Company. “Americans
generally love chocolate, so sweet dark chocolate-covered
blueberries and raspberries represent a truly unique and
delicious way to deliver the health benefits of fresh fruit.”
Wolfgang Candy Company is showcasing its new fresh fruit
line, along with its traditional high-quality chocolate
and non-chocolate confections in Booth #259 at the ALL CANDY
EXPO.
|
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company Becomes North York’s
First “Wireless Hotspot”
Wolfgang’s Das Sweetenhaus Candy Shoppe now offers
coffee, chocolate and
wireless broadband Internet access
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced
that it has become North York’s first “wireless
hotspot,” with the company’s recent server system
upgrade providing visitors to Wolfgang’s Das Sweetenhaus
Candy Shoppe with high-speed, wireless Internet access.
As a wireless hotspot, Wolfgang can now offer local business
people - and any other laptop-toting members of the community
- a relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy a comfortable
chair and a hot cup of gourmet coffee, while catching up
on emails or surfing the Web.
Wolfgang Candy was ramped up for wireless by the leading
regional provider of comprehensive business solutions, Mechanicsburg-based
NetComm Solutions, which works with a variety of commercial,
education, and government clients throughout the state of
Pennsylvania.
“Creating a wireless network in a chocolate factory
was a first for us,” said Paul Roos, vice president
of marketing at Netcomm Solutions Inc. “We were really
impressed by the forward-thinking management team at Wolfgang
Candy that recognized the huge draw a wireless hotspot represents
in any community. Coffee, computers and great chocolate
- what a unique way for local business people to relax and
get some work done away from the office!”
Wireless hotspots are springing up in coffee shops and other
venues across the country as businesses recognize the benefits
of meeting the ever-increasing demand by mobile professionals
and countless other laptop users for wireless Internet access.
“Wireless hotspots are fast becoming essential in
today’s highly connected and highly mobile world,”
said Mike Schmid, managing partner at Wolfgang Candy Company.
“Certainly there are folks throughout the greater
York area who can appreciate this type of innovation, and
we are proud to be the first in North York to acknowledge
the trend and offer this service to our customers and our
community.”
|
| |
Wolfgang
featured on national WEB radio show -
WS
RADIO.COM BUY AMERICAN SHOW. Click to listen.
http://www.wsradio.com/buy-american-radio/january2005.htm |
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company Hosting Special Guest from the North Pole
Community invited to welcome Santa to York
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced
they are expecting a
very special visitor at their factory on Saturday, November
27, when Santa
Claus takes a break from his hectic pre-holiday schedule
to pay a call on
the Wolfgang family.
"I always make time during my busy season to visit
the Wolfgang Candy
Company," said Mr. Claus. "The Wolfgang family
and their employees have
been such a big help to Mrs. Claus, the elves and me - making
goodies for
kids and grown-ups since way back in 1921. I have my hands
full making
toys, so I appreciate the assistance I get every year from
my friends in
York."
Wolfgang Candy invites the community to visit with Santa
Claus at Das
Sweeten Haus on E. 4th Avenue from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on
Saturday. Children
are reminded to bring a sweet tooth as candy will be given
out, and free
photos with Santa will be provided with any purchase of
$10 or more. All
visitors are encouraged to bring their Christmas wish lists,
as Santa will
be taking requests in person to save York residents the
costly postage to
the North Pole.
"We are very pleased that, despite this being his busiest
time of the year,
Santa has made Wolfgang Candy a stop on his pre-Christmas
tour," said Kathy
Krout, retail marketing manager at Wolfgang Candy. "I
hear Mr. Claus is
quite a chocolate connoisseur, but I think he might also
be looking to pick
up a few tips on seasonal production!" |
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Produces new Chocolate Bar for MISL Champs, Baltimore
Blast
YORK, Pa. -Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced it
has been chosen to manufacture a new chocolate bar for the
Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) back-to-back champions,
the Baltimore Blast. A Wolfgang favorite, crisped rice in
milk chocolate, the new Blast Bar has a wrapper that features
pictures of two Baltimore Blast stars, Denison Cabral and
Giuliano Celenza, and is redeemable at Baltimore’s
1st Mariner Arena box office for $2.00 off any regular season
Blast ticket.
“Working with Wolfgang Candy to produce the Blast
Bar represents a great opportunity for the Baltimore Blast
to reach out to our local community,” said Joe Vassallo,
director of corporate sponsorship for the Baltimore Blast.
“The Blast Bar will enable the team to partner with
local businesses and significantly expand the grassroots
effort to strengthen the Blast fan base.”
The Blast Bar will be sold at Mars Super Markets, with 18
locations throughout Maryland, and at select Royal Farms
convenience stores. The bar will also be sold at concession
stands in the 1st Mariner Arena during Blast home games,
and in keeping with the Baltimore Blast tradition of affordable
family entertainment, will be thrown into the stands during
matches by players after each goal.
“As a local, family-owned company, Wolfgang is happy
to work with a sports team that is a significant contributor
to its local community,” said Mike Schmid, managing
partner at Wolfgang Candy Company. “Besides being
an outstanding sports team - as demonstrated by their 2003
and 2004 championship performance - the Blast is a team
that really gives a lot back to its community in a number
of ways, including holding soccer camps during the summer
months for youth soccer players.”
Wolfgang’s partnership with the Baltimore Blast represents
the third time this year that the York, Pennsylvania-based
candy company has been chosen to manufacture a chocolate
bar for a professional sports figure or team.
|
| |
|
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company to Host 2004 National Conference for
Guest
Relations Association
Conference
brings the leading companies in American industry to York
County
YORK,
Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced
that it is hosting the annual national conference of the
Guest Relations Association (GRA), an organization of guest
relations professionals from a diverse group of companies,
which offer public and/or private tour programs. This year's
conference titled �New Beginnings� will take place October
3 - 5, 2004, at the Yorktowne Hotel in York, Pennsylvania.
Founded
in 1957, the GRA is one of the oldest and most valuable
non-profit resource organizations in the United States,
with a current membership of approximately 75 companies.
Member companies represent a broad spectrum of industries
and include Anheuser-Busch, Toyota, Ben and Jerry's, Miller
Brewing Company and Jelly Bell Candy Company.
The
three-day event will feature a number of breakout sessions,
focus groups and informative workshops such as �Eleven Characteristics
of a World Class Tour Program� and �Building and Enhancing
�WOW' Customer/Visitor Experiences.� Also on the conference
agenda
are
tours of some of York County's factories, including GRA
members Wolfgang Candy Company and Harley-Davidson Motor
Company.
�As
a member of the GRA and proud citizens of York County, we
are honored to host the association's 2004 national conference,�
said Rob Wolfgang, managing partner ? operations at Wolfgang
Candy. �The GRA is extremely active in furthering the interests
of the guest relations industry, and we are pleased to welcome
our peers from across the country to �The Factory Tour Capital
of the World.'�
Keynote
speakers at this year's GRA conference are Lori Glover,
CMM, senior advisor and consultant in collaborative environments
for Stellar Vision, Inc., and James H. Gilmore, co-founder
of Aurora, Ohio-based Strategic Horizons LLP, a thinking
studio dedicated to helping businesses conceive and design
ways to add value to their economic offerings.
|
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company to Produce “MOOSE” Bar for
Major League Pitcher Mike Mussina |
| |
TO
ORDER "MOOSE" BARS CLICK HERE
Chocolate bar will provide support
for the Mike Mussina Foundation
Retailers
click here for pdf sell sheet.
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced
that major league starting pitcher Mike “The Moose”
Mussina has chosen the family-owned chocolate company to
produce a candy bar in support of his charitable organization,
the Mike Mussina Foundation, which helps fund college scholarships
and provides support to various other charities. A milk
chocolate and peanut butter bar wrapped in a colorful flow-wrap
film, Wolfgang’s MOOSE bar will feature a picture
of “the Moose” about to whip one of his trademark
knuckle curve balls over home plate.
“Because of my strong ties to Pennsylvania, Wolfgang
Candy seemed like an ideal partner for this project,”
said Mussina. “I grew up in Pennsylvania and still
come home as often as possible during the season. Working
with a local company to help change the lives of kids across
the state seemed like a perfect opportunity to give something
back.”
Mussina, a Pennsylvania native originally from Montoursville,
founded his charitable organization (www.mikemussinafoundation.org),
in 1999 in order to advocate healthy lifestyle choices and
champion causes that provide children with a better chance
at navigating life’s many obstacles.
“We are very proud to be associated with Mike Mussina
and to have the opportunity to support his exceptional foundation,”
said Mike Schmid, managing partner at Wolfgang Candy Company.
“Having completed his college degree at Stanford in
less than four years and now playing for the most historied
franchise in baseball, Mike is an outstanding role model
for the kids his foundation was created to help.”
Wolfgang earns this major league nod on the heels of the
national publicity the company received when it began production
of the Melo Bar for NBA star Carmelo Anthony earlier this
year. The MOOSE bar will be available beginning in July
2004, with every bar sold contributing funds to the Mike
Mussina Foundation.
|
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company to Host PMCA Chocolate School |
| |
May
13, 2004
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang
Candy Company Inc. today announced that PMCA, an international
non-profit trade association of confectionery manufacturers
and companies in related industries, has chosen Wolfgang’s
factory as a host venue for the association’s “Chocolate
School” being held June 15 -18, 2004. Industry professionals
from around the world will converge in York County to experience
the chocolate-making process firsthand in one of the oldest
family-owned and managed confectionery manufacturers in
the United States.
“The response to this event has been overwhelming,
with registrants from Canada to the Philippines eager to
attend,” said Yvette Thomas, administrative director,
PMCA. “The course is already full, and we have a waiting
list at this point of people who are requesting that we
run the class again as soon as possible.”
The PMCA course is designed to offer practical, economical
training for a broad range of industry professionals from
manufacturing line operators and technical staff to product
developers and CEOs of start-up confectionery companies.
“Wolfgang has hosted the annual chocolate school course
for nearly 10 years,” said Rob Wolfgang, managing
partner/operations at Wolfgang Candy. “Not only has
our participation in the event provided us with an invaluable
worldwide industry contact network, but it has also served
to strengthen Wolfgang’s leadership role in confectionery
manufacturing and technology.”
Teaching the hands-on course titled “Chocolate and
Compound Manufacture and Use” are two prominent experts
within the confectionery industry, Marlene Stauffer and
Maurice Jeffery. Known for her expertise in uses for chocolate
coatings, Stauffer is director of Quality Assurance and
new product development at Blommer Chocolate Company, chairman
of the Philadelphia section of the American Association
of Candy Technologists (AACT), and member of the PMCA Research
and Membership committees. Jeffery, former vice president
of R&D/QA for Cadbury USA and recipient of the 1989
Stroud Jordan Award, is a renowned consultant for chocolate
manufacturing and processing, and has served as chairman
of the American Cocoa Research Institute, the Chocolate
Manufacturers Scientific Committee and the PMCA Research
Committee.
“I am always happy to teach this PMCA course, which
is very highly regarded throughout the industry,”
said Jeffery. “What makes this event unique is that
it is the only course in the world - beside those at the
ZDS college in Germany - that includes practical work in
a full-scale manufacturing setting.”
The four-day course will include an extensive theory review
of chocolate and compound technology and a visit to a major
chocolate supplier, before culminating in the practical
work at Wolfgang Candy’s manufacturing plant. Open
to members of PMCA, Retail Confectioners International (RCI),
American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT), and
National Confectioners Association (NCA), the class will
draw scores of international visitors to York County.
“As a signature factory tour under York County’s
‘Factory Tour Capital of the World’ tourism
brand, Wolfgang Candy regularly draws many visitors to our
area,” said Anne Druck, director of the York County
Convention and Visitors Bureau. “By hosting this major
international event, Wolfgang is further increasing their
contribution to the economic impact of tourism in York County.”
|
| |
Wolfgang
Candy Company Awarded Pennsylvania Preferred™ Status |
| |
YORK, Pa.
- Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced it has been
awarded Pennsylvania Preferred™ status by the Pennsylvania
Bureau of Market Development, a division of the state's Department
of Agriculture. As part of a new program created to benefit
consumers, retailers, processors, wholesalers and growers
across the state, the award recognizes companies whose business
practices support Pennsylvania farmers and the local economy
and whose products adhere to the highest safety and quality
standards.
"The Department
of Agriculture encourages consumers to buy local products
bearing the PA Preferred brand," said Agriculture Secretary
Dennis C. Wolff. "Purchasing local products benefits
farmers and consumers alike - farmers benefit from increased
revenues, while consumers find comfort in the knowledge that
they are buying great-tasting, high-quality products."
In order to be awarded
Pennsylvania Preferred status, a manufacturer/processor must
perform at least 75% of its products' processing/manufacturing
operations within Pennsylvania, and 75% of the company's revenues
must be generated by these same Pennsylvania-produced products.
When consumers choose PA Preferred products, they are buying
food grown and/or processed to meet the world's highest quality
and safety standards. In addition, consumers are doing their
part to preserve farmland and wildlife habitat and personally
helping to keep farmers and food processing jobs in Pennsylvania.
"As a third-generation,
family-owned business, we are honored to receive this recognition
from our home state," said Mike Schmid, managing partner
at Wolfgang Candy Company. "Going forward, we intend
to proudly display the Pennsylvania Preferred™ logo
on our packaging and other key materials and literature. Wolfgang
Candy has been a part of the Central Pennsylvania community
for 83 years, added Schmid, and we are dedicated to supporting
our neighbors and the Pennsylvania economy."
|
 |
| Sweet Taste of Success. Chocolate,
Chocolate Everywhere. |
By CHARLIE YOUNG Dispatch/Sunday News
March 09, 2004
Buying
a Wolfgang Candy chocolate bunny will be a lot more convenient
this Easter -- just hop on over to a York County Weis Markets
store.
The 83-year-old
North York-based D.E. Wolfgang Co. has been seeking new distribution
channels to expand on its fund-raising candy revenue base,
said managing partner Mike Schmid, one of the fourth-generation
leaders of the company.
The foray into supermarket retailing of Wolfgang Candy began
in November, said Robert Wolfgang II. The initiative started
in nine York County Weis stores and was recently expanded
to 10 more regional stores in Lancaster and Dauphin counties
and northern Maryland.
Tom Senft, store manager of the Weis Market at 1800 Roosevelt
Ave., West Manchester Township, said the Wolfgang Candy displays
replaced those of Russell Stover and Whitman candies and did
exceptionally well over the Valentine's Day holiday.
"It's a local product made right
here in York County. It's a good product, and our customers
tell me they are glad they don't have to drive to the Wolfgang
factory to get it," Senft said.
"It's nice to know we have something local none of our
competition has. It's great to support our community."
Wolfgang said his company has
been here a long time and has a deep base of customers to
show for it.
"We've worked
from the ground level up, and that makes a difference,"
he said. "Most of our sales through the years have been
from one person telling another about the quality of our products."
Dedicated display:
Wolfgang Candy has a dedicated display on the end
of aisle 1 in the Roosevelt Avenue Weis Market, ensuring lots
of customers walk by it. The candy also is next to the greeting
cards, making a complement to a card purchase, Senft said.
The Wolfgang display racks
each feature 20 products, some regular and some rotating seasonally.
Now they have chocolate bunnies in milk chocolate or white
chocolate and Beach Bunny Buckets of peanut butter "kisses."
Wolfgang said sales have been
doing well, and the company is encouraged that Weis decided
to add the additional 10 stores.
Rutter's too: Wolfgang also is selling its
two most popular single-serving bars -- peanut butter and
chocolate with almonds -- in Rutter's Farm Stores. The competition
is intense in convenience stores, where there are at least
110 candy bar slots, but sales at Rutter's have also gone
well, Wolfgang said.
The
company has contacted other retailers and distributors in
search of expanding its distribution. About 90 percent of
its sales are in fund raising, but the new distribution channels
and private label manufacturing show great growth potential,
Wolfgang said.
Of all the
new initiatives, though, the Weis account holds the most promise,
Wolfgang said.
"Once we
see Weis is successful other department stores would be a
natural," he said. "I suppose retailers look at
each other's offerings pretty closely."
| Wolfgang Candy Chose to Manufacture
NBA Star Carmelo Anthony's New Chocolate Bar |
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced that
PLB Sports Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company that develops
new food products in conjunction with high-profile professional
athletes, has chosen the family-owned confectionery manufacturer
to produce a new candy bar featuring Denver Nuggets superstar
rookie, Carmelo Anthony. Wolfgang will manufacture the chocolate
and caramel Melo Bar and package it in a unique wrapper featuring
the face of Carmelo Anthony, who was number three pick in
last June's NBA draft and is now the Nuggets prized rookie
forward.
"This is a great
opportunity for Wolfgang Candy to move into an exciting, new
area of the confectionery industry," said Rob Wolfgang,
managing partner at Wolfgang Candy Company. "Leveraging
our experience as a market leader in the confectionery side
of the fund-raising arena, Wolfgang is fully prepared to make
a successful move into this new industry sector."
The new bar will be sold exclusively at
Colorado supermarket giant King Soopers, a division of The
Kroger Company, with all profits donated to the charity of
Anthony's choice.
More
About Melo Bar...
| Food Network Puts Wolfgang Candy
on its "Top 5 Tasty Tours" List |
 YORK,
Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced that it
was ranked number four on Food Network's "Top 5 Tasty
Tours" list, as part of the popular cable network's recognition
of the "Factory Tour Capital of the World," York,
Pennsylvania. The list of favorites was announced on a half-hour
special aired in December on the Food Network, during which
viewers were treated to a private tour of the best food factories
across the country.
"I
think our close partnership with the York County Convention
and Visitors' Bureau has really paid off," said Mike
Schmid, managing partner at Wolfgang Candy Company. "But
certainly it is also a testament to the quality of our products
and brand to have received this powerful endorsement from
the nation's leading media expert on food."
Wolfgang
Candy Company, where candies have been handcrafted for more
than 80 years, still follows the classic European tradition
of making chocolates in small batches using vintage equipment.
Visitors to the factory can watch hand-dipped chocolate clusters
being made, browse through the numerous confections in the
Candy Shop and relax on an antique stool at the factory's
turn-of-the-century soda fountain.
With
Food Network distributed to more than 80 million U.S. households,
as well as internationally in places such as Canada, Australia,
Korea and France, the recent nod from the popular cable network
provided a significant boost in visibility for the family-owned,
local company.
| Seasoned Third Generation Takes
Helm at Wolfgang Candy |
| Team plans to pursue
new distribution channels while preserving family heritage |
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Enterprises
Incorporated, a newly formed corporation led by four third-generation
members of the Wolfgang family, announced it has entered into
an agreement with D.E. Wolfgang Candy Company Incorporated,
one of the oldest family-owned and managed candy companies
in the United States, to merge the two companies and install
a dynamic, new management team at the helm of the 82-year-old
business. Wolfgang’s highly skilled and experienced
employee base will remain intact, providing the management
team with a sold foundation from which to implement its aggressive
new growth strategies.
"This
is the most exciting and promising thing to happen to Wolfgang's
in the last 25 years," said Bill Schmid, retired member
of the second generation of Wolfgangs. "Not only does
this merger help keep the company in the family, it also brings
with it an experienced and accomplished management team in
the form of four third-generation family members."
Wolfgang Candy's growth has
not met management's expectations in recent years due to increasing
competition within the fundraising arena (currently 90% of
its market) and the challenge of keeping the business in the
family. With each member possessing a formal business education,
extensive professional experience outside Wolfgang Candy,
and a vested interest in the success of the family business,
the new management team is uniquely suited to leverage the
company's existing strengths and pursue new opportunities.
"Our primary objectives are to stimulate growth and strengthen
brand recognition, while at the same time maintaining a fun
and friendly work environment and preserving the family heritage
for future generations," said Steve Schmid, managing
partner of Wolfgang Enterprises and grandson of Wolfgang Candy
co-founder, Ruby Schmid. "I am confident that the combination
of 82 years of confectionary experience and the skill-set
our new management team brings to the company will allow us
to deliver on these objectives."
Wolfgang's new management team also includes Mike Schmid,
grandson of Wolfgang Candy co-founder Ruby Schmid; Robert
Wolfgang III, grandson of co-founder Robert Wolfgang; and
Ben McGlaughlin, grandson of co-founder Glenn Wolfgang.
"For several years, I
have watched from the outside as the company struggled with
issues of succession and stagnant growth," said Mike
Schmid. "I felt that the time was right for me to 'get
my hands dirty' and help move this company and my family heritage
to the next level."
"I see growth in the very near future for Wolfgang's,"
said Ben McGlaughlin. "Our goal is to build upon the
company's well-established customer loyalty and expand the
business into new arenas. We have some of the best and brightest
employees in the entire confectionery industry, so I am confident
that together with our skilled work force, we now have the
intellectual capital at the leadership level to achieve these
lofty goals."
The
merger agreement was enacted on July 30, 2003. About Wolfgang
Candy Founded in 1921, Wolfgang is one of the oldest family-owned
and managed confectionery manufacturers in the United States.
From peanut brittle to hollow chocolates, Wolfgang offers
one of the most extensive arrays of high quality chocolates
and non-chocolate confections available in the marketplace.
Some of the company's most popular products include a wide
assortment of hollow chocolates - bunnies at Easter and Santa
at Christmas, and fine boxed chocolates - chocolate-covered
pretzels and animal crackers, chocolate-covered peanut butter
marshmallow treats (marshmallow and peanut butter covered
in milk or dark chocolate), hand-dipped raisin and peanut
clusters, and other assorted milk and dark chocolates. Wolfgang
markets and distributes its products through retail, wholesale
(private labeling and contract manufacturing), and fund-raising
sectors. The company is a market leader in the fund-raising
industry, a trusted name enabling organizations of any size
to achieve their financial goals. With a sole focus on and
commitment to its customers, Wolfgang demands unparalleled
quality in its products, providing its customers with a truly
enchanting experience in taste. |
|
 |
|
