Earlier this year, Barry Yantis and his family were working out how to end operations at the G.W. Chase Candy Co. when the year closed out. Then his phone rang. Steven Craig was calling because he wanted to keep the company going. After their first meeting, Yantis told the crowd at the company's 150th-anniversary celebration, Craig said six words that stayed with him: "We must save this legacy company." News-Press NOW reported the exchange from the ceremony at the factory on Oct. 29.
The new owners' plan for the Cherry Mash includes a larger factory at East Hills Shopping Center, with factory tours, a gift shop, event space and historical displays. The company has never offered public tours on a regular basis.
Who Picked Up a 150-Year-Old Candy Company
George Washington Chase founded the company in St. Joseph in 1876. His son Ernest helped turn it into a major candy maker, and the Cherry Mash came along in 1918. Yantis called it the nation's third-oldest candy bar still in production, behind the Hershey Bar and the Goo Goo Cluster. The Yantis family ran the business for three generations, starting in the 1940s.
The ownership change became official Sept. 1. The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce names the new owners as Steven Craig and Josh Hegeman. Hegeman is a Missouri Western State University graduate. He went through the university's entrepreneurship program, which was set up with Craig's support, and that program gave him the chance to buy and run a candy business in Tyler, Texas. After four years there, he came back to St. Joseph to help lead Chase. Craig said Hegeman's experience, and his willingness to handle the business day to day, made the handoff possible.
After the ceremony, the Missouri Senate presented a resolution offered by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer honoring the company's 150 years. Yantis and Hegeman then gave invited guests a tour of the plant. That tour matters for East Hills, because tours are exactly what the current building can't offer on a regular basis.
A Factory the East Side Has Never Toured
The Cherry Mash is made at 1307 S. 59th St., and the company's own locator page says the factory is not open to the public. The page sends shoppers to the online Candy Shoppe or to Hobby Lobby instead. News-Press NOW reported that FDA guidelines don't allow tours at the 59th Street plant, where the company still makes its candy on 100-year-old equipment.
That means one of the oldest working factories in St. Joseph has stayed out of sight for most of the people who grew up eating its candy. The East Hills plan is built to change that. Here is how the two buildings compare, based on what the owners have described:
| 59th Street plant today | Planned East Hills facility | |
|---|---|---|
| Public access | Not open to the public | Built to face the public |
| Tours | No regular public tours under FDA guidelines; invited guests toured on Oct. 29 | Factory tours planned |
| Retail | Online shop and outside retailers | Gift shop planned |
| Other space | Production | Meeting and event space, historical displays |
| Size | Current footprint | About two and a half times larger |
"You can come in, watch us make a project, watch the process, learn about the history," Hegeman told the audience at the Chamber's Small Business Summit, according to News-Press NOW. "Because being 150 years old, there's a lot of history. We really want to share that with the community."
There's a lot of history to put in those displays. During World War II, Charles Chase wrote monthly letters to 61 employees serving in the military, sending them candy and company newsletters. Controller Laura Taylor, recognized at the October ceremony, has been with the company for 58 years. Craig told the News-Press he sees the attraction as a tourism draw: "People are always looking for stuff to do."
The First New Flavor in 50 Years
Raspberry Mash came out in September. It is the company's first new flavor in 50 years, and News-Press NOW reported that it has helped grow gross sales by 90%.
The Raspberry Mini Mash pairs a naturally flavored raspberry center with chopped peanuts and a dark chocolate coating. It launched locally at Hy-Vee. KQ2 reported a free sampling event there on Sept. 12, and News-Press NOW reported that at launch it was on shelves at the North Belt Hy-Vee, 201 N. Belt Highway, for $6.49.
The company is also looking at lemon, orange and strawberry, but it is waiting to see how the raspberry flavor holds up over time before committing. Craig said he wants to double production within two years, mostly by getting existing products into more places rather than launching a long list of new ones. "This isn't a one-year plan. This is a 20- to 25-year plan," he told the News-Press.
Reaching more places means more shelves. Nationally, Chase products are sold only at Hobby Lobby right now. The owners hope to add Bass Pro Shops and Cracker Barrel, plus Casey's General Stores and QuikTrip closer to home.
What Still Stands Between the Plan and East Hills
Craig told the News-Press the company intends to move to East Hills within about 18 to 20 months. That depends on the city approving manufacturing at a property zoned for retail. The company calls the move part of its five-year plan, which News-Press NOW and KY102 both reported after the announcement.
The owners first described the plan in an East Hills building. They spoke at the Chamber's Cup of Joe series, which meets at 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday at the East Hills Library and features local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Buying Cherry Mash This Holiday Season
The candy is easy to find this season even without a factory visit. Here are the routes the company and local reporting point to:
- The online Candy Shoppe. Chase's store lists a 24-count box of Cherry Mash for $51 and a 60-count box for $128, with shipping included in the price. It doesn't ship to P.O. boxes.
- More than Cherry Mash. The same shop sells peanut clusters, peanut brittle, peanut squares, Peco Flake, the Mini Mash keg and bags, Raspberry Mini Mash, and branded mugs and T-shirts.
- Grocery shelves. In this region, Chase products are sold at Hy-Vee, Price Chopper and other Cosentino grocery stores. Call ahead to check a specific store's stock, especially for the raspberry flavor.
- Hobby Lobby. It's the company's only national retailer, and Chase's own where-to-find page recommends it.
Gift boxes ordered this year still come from the 59th Street plant, where Laura Taylor has spent 58 years and where the candy is made on equipment that's a century old. "I hope that this company will last for another 150 years," Yantis said at the ceremony.
If the plan goes forward, East Hills Shopping Center could become home to one of St. Joseph's oldest companies. If you'd like to know how those changes might show up in your own home's value, the team at Coder Haggard Lehr Real Estate Group follows the east side closely. Start with a free look at your numbers. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
