Louisiana’s Elmer Chocolate: 170-Year-Old Louisiana Easter Staple and Job Creator
Louisiana families have been enjoying chocolate treats made in our state for generations.
Easter is not complete for many without the delicious Gold-Brick Egg. You can find Easter treats from thousands of companies now, but for Louisiana residents, chocolate from our state has been making appearances for generations.
Louisiana Easter baskets have been filled with tasty confections like Heavenly Hash, Pecan Eggs, and Gold-Brick Eggs for 17 decades in our state, benefiting our children, consumers, and the local job market.
Elmer Chocolate makes all of these heavenly Easter treats. Elmer Chocolate is the third-oldest chocolate company in the U.S.
Elmer's Candy Has Been In Existence Since 1855
Let the numbers sink in. For 17 decades, Elmer's has been making delicious candy not only for everyone in Louisiana, but for consumers all over the country.
There are still people who don't know that the makers of Heavenly Hash, Pecan Eggs, and Gold-Brick Eggs are just a hop, skip, and a jump (see what I did with that bunny reference there?) down the road in Ponchatoula.
Most people think about strawberries when you mention the city name, Ponchatoula because they are the home to the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival.
Recently, Fox8Live was offered an extremely rare chance to visit the factory to look at the massive changes that have occurred since the introduction of automation in 2016.
This author can attest to the fact that inside visits are extremely rare, as I have attempted to visit the facility several times over the years, but to no avail. There was a time, not too long ago, when they did offer tours, but that time has passed.
READ MORE: WHY DO WE USE CERTAIN COLORS FOR EASTER?
Did Automation Kick People Out Of Their Jobs?
When we tell the story of Elmer's Chocolate, we have to imagine the thousands of people who have worked in that facility since it opened in 1855.
Think of all of the families that were supported by one or both parents who were working at the plant.
When you think of automation, you automatically (see what I did there again?) believe that fewer people would be working at their facility since changing everything around in 2016.
Nope! The CEO of Elmer Chocolate, Rob Nelson, told Fox8Live,
Today, our business is quite a bit larger than it was before we automated, and we've increased the number of jobs. Our payroll is probably three times what it used to be. So it's really a win-win for everybody.
The Elmer's Chocolate footprint, although it once offered many more products, now provides fewer, but it has more business than it has had in the past.
Fun Facts About Elmer Chocolate in Ponchatoula
- The factory produces up to 5 million pieces of candy a day.
- One production line is 130 yards long.
- You can buy Elmer Gold Brick in topping form to put it on ice cream or other treats.
- In addition to the Easter offerings, Elmer Chocolate has boxed chocolates for Valentine's Day and Christmas.
- The company started out as the Miller Company, but was then acquired, and the name was changed.
- The factory was originally in New Orleans.
Here is more about the Elmer Chocolate story from the company:
Elmer Chocolate is the third-oldest chocolate maker in the United States. When you think about chocolate, you would automatically think of Hershey's chocolate bars, but Elmer is older.
Hershey was invented by Milton Hershey in 1894, whereas Elmer had already been in operation for almost 40 years.
The oldest chocolate candy makers in America are the people who run Baker's Chocolate which was founded in 1780.
For anyone who loves to get Pecan Eggs for Easter, this is a video of how the delicious candy is made:
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