As one who has to watch his weight over the holidays, I probably wasn't very smart to tackle a story on a candy factory and retail candy story. But with Christmas coming, I couldn't resist telling about where candy canes come from since they are one of the most popular items during the holiday season.
Kencraft Inc., 119 E. 200 North, is more than a place where candy canes are king. Hundreds of types of candy are made at the Kencraft factory, while a retail store called the Peppermint Place sells delicious goodies to the public.Not too many people would associate the bedroom community of Alpine with a factory like Kencraft, but the company has 225 permanent employees, a total that balloons during certain seasons to 275. One of the reasons that Kencraft has remained rather obscure on the Utah business scene is that most of the $5.5 million worth of products sold go out of state.
The husband/wife team of Ken and Marlene Matheson own Kencraft and the Peppermint Place. Their story is similar to those you hear about people who make something in their basement and within a few years they can't expand their facilities fast enough to keep up with demand for their products.
The two Salt Lake natives didn't plan on being in the candy business, but Marlene started making panorama eggs in her basement from a recipe she got out of the Relief Society Magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Panorama eggs, popular at Easter, are hollow confections made out of sugar. After the outside is decorated, small figures of rabbits, chickens or ducks are placed inside.
Panorama eggs are still one of Kencraft's most popular items, but the firm's catalog features so many candy treats it takes several minutes to go through it.
Ken graduated from South High School, spent some time in the U.S. Army, attended the University of Utah for one year and then graduated from Utah State University in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics. He started working for the Bureau of Land Management, and after two years the federal agency sent him to the University of Wisconsin, where he acquired a master's degree in regional resource planning.
He and two co-workers developed a land-use planning system for the BLM. Later he transferred with the agency to Denver. The Mathesons started their candy business while living in Denver. Marlene, also a South High graduate, and a neighbor started making the panorama eggs in the Matheson basement in Denver. The eggs were very popular.
Ken, who said he always wanted to work for himself, returned to Salt Lake City in 1969 and looked into the unfinished-furniture business. That didn't work out, so he returned to the BLM and worked in the state office for four years. Meanwhile, Marlene continued making the panorama eggs for LDS ward fund-raising projects and also started making icing flowers for local candy stores.
The Mathesons moved to Highland in 1972. Later, a buyer for Fernwoods told Marlene about the Retail Confectioners International convention, thinking the Mathesons' handmade items would do well.
The couple recalled scraping every dime they had together to get a booth at the Chicago event. Up to that time the best they had done with their candy products was $4,000 per year, but in three days at the trade show they sold $7,000 worth of candy items.
On the last day of the show, a confectionary broker said he would like to represent them in the Eastern states, so the Mathesons gave him some samples. Three weeks later in came a $13,000 order. To handle the items, the Mathesons built a kitchen in their basement, and Ken resigned from the BLM in 1974 to make Easter eggs.
When business slacked off at the candy factory, Ken returned to the BLM to write environmental impact statements, but he quit for good in 1976.
Freight companies were reluctant to deliver and pick up large numbers of items from the Mathesons' house, so when a friend offered to build them a facility, they accepted and established an ice cream store next to a lumber and hardware company.
When the lumber company went out of business, the Mathesons took over the space, and since that time their candy factory has been expanded several times to handle the business. One order consisted of 6 million candy flowers for See's Candy Co.
As part of the expansion, the Mathesons built a gallery so visitors can see how the candy is made and packaged. There also are windows where visitors can see employees making the candy dec-ora-tions that make up a good portion of the Kencraft business now. The Mathesons are trying to make their operation more visible and invite people to tour their factory.
Ken said customers in Italy buy the most products, but they also sell in France, Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, Germany, South America and all parts of the United States.
For several years, Kencraft purchased its candy sticks from a candy company in Salt Lake City, but the Mathesons weren't satisfied with the quality, so six years ago they purchased the firm. In May they moved the entire operation to Alpine.
Consuming 4 tons of sugar daily, Kencraft makes 12 flavors of candy canes, 24 flavors of candy sticks and 30 flavors of lollipops in addition to the panorama eggs.
A look through a Kencraft catalog is a candy lover's dream. It features candy decorations ranging from fish and chickens to bears and elephants. Another catalog features icing decorations that cover all seasons and range from flowers to stars. When customers don't see what they want in a catalog, the Mathesons custom-make items such as candy canes shaped like heart catheters for a medical organization.
The biggest catalog features lollipops with candy decorations, candy canes with candy figures clinging to the side, candy canes with puppet covers, sugar wedding bells, bubble gum turned into shapes of animals or people, ornamental candy wreaths for Christmas and handmade goodie bags.
At the Peppermint Place, the Mathesons sell gifts and candy items, some of which they don't make themselves. They range from a 4-pound chocolate basketball to eight kinds of licorice.
I left Peppermint Place feeling a little heavier, just from being around that much candy.