Who We Are Brach's Confections, Inc., founded as E. J. Brach and Sons, is one of America's leading manufacturers of confections and fruit snacks, with principal offices in Dallas, Texas and Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1904 Emil, his wife and two sons, Edwin and Frank, opened a small store at the corner of North Avenue and Towne Street in Chicago, IL, called the "Brach's Palace of Sweets." The "factory" was in the rear, and the selling area was in the front of the store. They built the business making and selling great-tasting, high-quality candies at a fair price. Now, almost a century later we still practice these same beliefs. BRACH'S Confections is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barry Callebaut. We have sales offices in Dallas, TX, Chattanooga, TN, Charlotte, NC, Bentonville, AR and Irving, TX. We sell our high-quality confections and fruit snacks through all classes of trade in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, numerous Caribbean countries, as well as many Central and South American countries. Today, 102 years after Emil J. Brach opened his "Palace of Sweets" in Chicago, BRACH'S Confections continues to be one of America's leading candy companies. Brach's is the leading manufacturer of fresh loose candy in the U.S. Brach's is one of the leading manufacturers of staple (everyday) candy and seasonal (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's, and Easter) candy; and the fastest-growing fruit snacks company in the U.S. We continue to be a leader in the very competitive confections and fruit snacks categories because we continue to provide great-tasting, high-quality products that provide fun for the entire family. What We Value OUR CONSUMERS - We value every consumer who spends his or her hard-earned money for our high-quality, fresh candies and fruit snacks. Every time you purchase one of our fine products, you are trusting us to deliver an excellent product at a fair price. For over 102 years we have honored this trust, and we truly appreciate your current business. OUR QUALITY - Even before E. J. Brach and his sons, Edwin and Frank, started the first "Laboratory of Control," they were known for their high quality caramels at their "Palace of Sweets." Our zeal for quality has never wavered. We firmly believe that it takes high-quality ingredients to make high-quality, great-tasting confection and fruit snack products. We not only manufacture quality into our products, but it is also threaded into our packaging, production processes, plants, distribution centers, patented Loose Candy / Fresh Candy Shoppe retail fixtures, and most importantly, our people. Companies like The Coca Cola Company, Smucker's, Mattel, Kellogg's, and other global enterprises, have entrusted their valuable brand names on our products. OUR HERITAGE - Emil J. Brach founded the Company in 1904, expanding it from a small store to one of America's largest candy companies in a short period of time. He and his two sons created a recipe for success: make the highest quality candy, use the most up-to-date manufacturing and distribution processes, and offer consumers a wide variety of products at a fair price. Today we hold firmly to the tenets that our founder established almost a century ago. OUR BRANDS - Our family brand is BRACH'S, the name that we proudly put on all of our products. We also have other brands we have created including Star BritesTM, Special TreasuresTM, Double Dippers, Stars, FrutiO'sTM, and many more. In addition to our own brands, we also have co-brands and licensed brands like Hi-C®, Smucker's®, ArthurTM, Dragonball ZTM, Clifford the BIG RED DOGTM, Bob the BuilderTM, and many more. OUR ASSOCIATES - As a company we can't achieve quality unless everybody in the organization strives for quality in everything they do. Our very diverse group of people is dedicated to making the best candy and fruit snacks for our consumers and providing the best customer service to our consumers and trading partners. Many of our associates have been with the Company for over 20 years, because we offer a clean and healthy work environment, a team atmosphere, a place that encourages entrepreneurship, and a Company that treats all employees fairly. OUR PARTNERS - We depend on our partners to help us produce, package, market, ship, stock, and sell our quality products to our consumers. Without their cooperation, dedication, and "can do" attitude we would not be able to accomplish successfully all of the things we do on a daily basis. OUR COMMUNITY - We firmly believe that we owe it to the community to be a good corporate citizen. We focus primarily on projects that enhance the well being of children, and we encourage our employees' involvement as well. History Beginning in the Windy City In 1859 Emil J. Brach, the son of German immigrants, was born in Iowa. In 1881, at the age of 22, Emil came to Chicago, IL, to work for Bunte Brothers & Spoehr, a Chicago candy maker. Initially he worked in the office and factory; soon, wanting more action, he became a salesman in the city of Chicago. As a salesman, and later as a candy jobber, Emil made a good living. He was able to save $15,000 and invested in a candy-manufacturing venture - an "investment without services." The venture failed miserably, and Mr. Brach lost all of his savings. Being a fighter, he decided to "take the bull by the horns," and go into business for himself as a manufacturer and retailer of candy. In 1904 at the age of 45, he opened a small store (only 18' x 65') at the corner of North Avenue and Towne Street in Chicago. Emil's wife and two sons, Edwin and Frank, helped him run the store, called "Brach's Palace of Sweets." The "factory" was in the rear, with a store front facing the street. Caramels Are First Creation Mr. Brach's first product was caramels. His original idea was to make them in the back of the store and sell them fresh in attractive displays in the front. No one could produce caramels at a lower cost than Brach. Every Saturday, customers came from miles around to buy them at twenty cents a pound. But Emil wasn't satisfied to wait for customers to come to his store. As there were no large grocery or warehouse stores at the time, candy was sold in department stores downtown. At the age of 14, Frank, the company's first salesman, climbed into a horse-drawn carriage and delivered caramels to Siegel, Cooper & Co., department stores, Brach's first retail customer. The Business Begins To Expand The Brachs soon outgrew their first store and moved to Des Plaines Street on the west side of Chicago in May of 1906. Peanut and hard candies were added to the line of caramels, and weekly capacity rose to 12,000 pounds. Emil knew that gaining new distribution was the key to building sales; S.H. Knox & Co., Steele Five and Dime, and several other stores soon were selling Brach's caramels. By 1909 the company's growth required a second move, this time to a new location at the corner of LaSalle and Illinois Avenue. The production line expanded to include coconut nougats and other hard candies. As the decade came to an end, annual candy production rose to 2.5 million pounds. In 1913 the manufacturing plant and offices moved to an even larger facility on East Illinois Street. Here Brach's added chocolate dipping and icing and cream dipping, and installed a marshmallow line and a department for panned candies. Quality was always foremost for the Brachs, and in this facility they installed the first "Laboratory of Control." In 1915 and 1916 they expanded this facility. Finally in 1923 Emil moved all operations to a new facility at the intersection of Kilpatrick, Ferdinand, and the Beltline Rail Road tracks. That site grew to what we now know as the Cicero Avenue location. At the time, Brach employed 200 candy makers and 250 salesmen who called on 100,000 retailers throughout the U.S. They sold not only to department stores, but also to thousands of small corner stores and general merchandisers. Brach's backed its candy with a thirty-day money-back guarantee, and they were the first candy company to have a state-of-the-art laboratory to inspect ingredients. Quality was the principle on which BRACH'S built its reputation. Brach's was also the first company to introduce barrels as a new and unique way to get additional display area in the stores. Next they introduced boxes with glass covers to keep the candy fresh. Impressive display cases involving candy stations, where the products could be mixed and weighed in the store, soon followed. www.barry-callebaut.com View Jobs for Brach's