Here’s one of those, WOW! I didn’t know that! things that happens to me every once in awhile. Some friends were talking about candy we all ate as kids and one name that came up was the Big Hunk. It turns out that was made by the Annabelle Candy Company that started in San Francisco in 1950 and moved to Haward, CA in 1964.
If you’re from around San Francisco you may remember the super sweet peanut-y Big Hunk. It turns out the secret ingredient that gave it its taste was honey which is funny because while I loved Big Hunk bars, I hate honey in most forms. The company was founded by Russian immigrant Sam Altshuler in 1950 and was named after his daughter Annabelle. The Annabelle Candy Company also has the distinction of being the only independently owned candy company able to work on a large scale. If that’s not impressive enough they have even gone solar, expecting to save over $125,000/year or over $6.5 million over the next 25 years just on the energy savings.
Big Hunk is not their only candy though, they also make Rocky Road, Abba-Zabba, Look and Uno candy bars [note: Microwaving a Big Hunk for 3-5 seconds or freezing a Uno bar is like receiving communion from the devil. You’ve got to try it]. They aren’t that hard to find in and around San Francisco as they are still made today, but if you’re having trouble finding them or you moved away you can order them online and have them shipped. Oh did I forget to mention that they regularly run contests on their facebook site giving away their candy?
If you want to see how a small candy company makes their bars that turn a big profit watch the video below.