Michael Briglia knows why schools, Scout troops and clubs are always asking for tours of his little factory here.
"We bring them into heaven," he said immodestly.Briglia runs what he describes as the oldest candy cane factory in New York state, and every tour ends with the visitors receiving a liberal supply of samples.
It is a small-time operation, producing 3,000 candy canes a day, compared with large factories that produce the same amount every hour. But customers say there is no comparison between the two products.
"Once you have one of Michael's candy canes, you'll never want one from any other place," said Anne Vavrinec, an insurance claims adjuster for Met Life who lives in neighboring Tillson.
"It's not like the horrible stuff you buy in the stores, the box of 12 for 89 cents. This is serious, old-fashioned candy."
Michael's Candy Corner has been a local landmark since it opened in 1917.
Briglia, a former photographer, bought the company from its founder, Michael Altamare, in 1979. Altamare stayed on for two years teaching Briglia the trade.
"Kingston is a small area, and I was looking to own my own business," Briglia said. "If it had been more lucrative to stay in photography, I'd have done it, but the candy store idea, which my dad and I discussed casually over lunch at the mall one day, started to mushroom. Then Altamare's store went on the market, and I just grabbed it."
Briglia runs the business with three other employees. Five times a day, the group cooks 66 pounds of sugar at a time, then cools, shapes, stretches and colors the concoction.
Of 40 tons of candy the factory makes yearly, 29 tons are candy canes, and the rest are different types of chocolate truffles, peanut brittle and nut clusters.
This is Briglia's busy season. He puts in 12-plus-hour days until the last candy cane of the 1993 season rolls off the assembly line.
After he bought the company, Briglia turned the wholesale-only operation into a wholesale/retail outlet and expanded distribution beyond northern New Jersey, New England and Southern California.
Briglia's candy canes are now sold through distributors to Macy's, A&S, Bloomingdale's and the restaurant Mama Leone's.
Local retail prices range from 59 cents for the 8-inch cane to $4.99 for a 22-inch, three-quarter-pound cane.
Briglia, trim at 174 pounds on a 5-foot 11-inch frame, said he loves to eat his own product.
"There is nothing like snapping off a piece of peppermint, especially when you've been working in a hot kitchen and your mouth gets dry."