Hammond’s Candies is a candy manufacturer of hard candies and chocolates in the United States. The company makes lollipops, ribbon candy, and its best known product, oversized candy canes. Hammond’s offerings have also included Honey Ko Kos (chocolates topped with shredded coconut), Mitchell Sweet (a “bite-sized” marshmallow surrounded by caramel), and candy coal.
Carl T. Hammond, Sr. founded Hammond’s Candy Company in Denver, Colorado in 1920, after working for several years as an apprentice in the candymaking industry. During his early days in business, he developed his own original candy, Carl’s Honey KoKos, which consisted of chocolates topped with shredded coconut.
In the 1930s, the company began producing and selling caramel-covered marshmallows called “Mitchell Sweets,” which were named after Hammond, Sr.’s friend from whom he purchased the candy’s recipe. The company continues to sell Mitchell Sweets as of 2020.
The company remained in the Hammond family for many decades, being run by Hammond, Sr. until his death in 1966, then by his son, Carl T. (“Tom”) Hammond, Jr., until his death in 1985, and finally by Hammond, Jr.’s son-in-law, Emery Dorsey IV, until 1999. In 1999, the family sold the company to Ralph Nafziger of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, but Dorsey continued to work at the company in product development.
Hammond’s specializes in handmade confectionery products, using much of the same equipment and recipes as used in the early days of the company and avoiding significant automation of the process. The machines at the company’s Denver plant date from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The company handmakes about 10 million candy canes and 2 million lollipops per year.
According to en.wikipedia.org; Source of photos: internet
