The Startup Candy Factory in Salt Lake City is the oldest candy purveyor in Utah where candy is a big deal. There are many candy outlets in the Salt Lake City area, and Ruth & I are not in the habit of frequenting them normally, but we visited 2 during our holiday week there.
Startup was the creation of William Startup and family. His family began selling candy in Provo, UT, but William had already been making candy in England since 1820. The Startups are still selling candy in American Fork, UT. America’s first candy bars were produced by the Startups. We did not sample Startup candy.
The first of 2 local candies we did sample was Cummings Studio Chocolates. We were pleased to find it in the neighborhood where the house we rented was located. At 679 East 900 South in Salt Lake City, Cummings is only 92 years old. We stopped in to see what they were selling during a neighborhood walk. In a place where alcohol has been frowned upon for religious reasons, candy seems to fill some kind of treat gap. Cummings still sells delicious candy, but Rocket Fizz is the best named candy seller in Salt Lake City.
On our way to the Ogden Christmas Parade we stopped to sample our 2nd candy outlet, Mrs. Cavanaugh’s ice cream and candy. We were attracted to this candy seller because it normally offers factory tours, but this was a holiday week. Mrs. Cavanaugh sells her candy in several outlets in this elongated city, but has only been in the candy business since 1964. As a family, we visited her Chocolate Factory at 835 Northpointe Circle in North Salt Lake City on our way to Ogden and loved both her ice cream and candy. I especially liked her sugar-free choices that were sweetened with something called Maltitol. Her entrance into the candy business is a unique story.
Mrs. Cavanaugh’s chocolates and ice cream got their start in South Dakota with pecan rolls. A one pound box of them was the inspiration for the company. The company started by Marie Cavanaugh in an attempt to help her South Dakota church and promote her aunt’s popular pecan rolls is now run by her family’s 2nd and 3rd generations. Marie lived in South Dakota for many years. The family now has 5 retail stores in the Salt Lake City area in addition to the factory and a store in Spokane, WA. Marie Cavanaugh, who is still very much alive, was born in West Jordan, UT and left home at 18 to settle on a cattle ranch in South Dakota. She and her husband had 5 children. She moved back to Utah in 1972. The family celebrated 50 years in business in 2014. The entire story is available on the Cavanaugh website if you desire to learn more. Their first store was in Bountiful, UT and much success followed its founding including some Best in State accolades. As I said yesterday, Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Mindy Mint ice cream is hard to beat.
Hank
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