Chances are that you’ve enjoyed delicate little ribbons of red-and-white-striped hard candy at Christmas, or bought a bag of round peppermint candies at the store without knowing that many of these ever-popular sweet goodies are a Chicago product.
Peerless Confection Co., 1250 W. Schubert Ave., turns out 12 million pounds of the hard candies a year. It makes more than 200 varieties, including candy canes and ribbons.
“We don’t advertise, but we sell a whole lot of candy,” said Robert Picken, the company’s president.
George Engleking started the company with two partners in 1914. They all had experience in candy, machinery and packaging. The other two partners dropped out of the enterprise within a short period. Engleking died in 1939, and his son-in-law, Picken, subsequently became president.
Although the colorful candies originally were cranked through a mold by hand (that old mold is still in the factory), modern machinery now turns out almost 50,000 pounds daily. Included in the varieties are sugarless candies and hard-shell candies with such fillings as honey or nuts. The candy is carried in bulk (without the Peerless name) by Jewel Food Stores and K mart, among others, and is also bought by Russell Stover for inclusion in its boxed candies.
Group tours through the factory are available with advance reservations. There’s also an outlet store on the second floor of the building. For information call 312-281-6100.