GREENWOOD — The chocolate factory on the edge of this small town has plenty to celebrate this Valentine’s Day.
In addition to Baker’s Candies marking 32 years in business with the holiday, the family-owned company recently was named a recipient of the Peter’s Chocolate Award of Distinction, a national award given to just 12 confectioners in the U.S.
Todd Baker says it’s all because of the chocolate meltaways.
“We make them better here than anywhere else in the world, so it was really for that reason we were given the Peter’s award,” he said.
His father, Kevin, opened the Baker’s Candies store in 1988 after a career in the aerospace industry. He mass produced missiles for the U.S. defense department during the Vietnam War, then was looking for a job during the 1970 recession when the candy industry was booming, said Todd Baker.
“Dad started inventing candy equipment and he just geeked out about the gourmet chocolate industry, because you had this entire industry that was still almost untouched by the Industrial Revolution,” he said.
So Kevin Baker started inventing machines for local chocolate factories until deciding to start one of his own.
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“We were the very first candy company in the history of the world to start with a 100%, fully automated, custom manufacturing process and no recipe,” Todd Baker said.
