February 6, 2015

Nebraska’s Bakers Candies make great Valentine’s Day treats…and more

Valentine’s Day is upon us. That means roses and chocolates for the love of your life. Bakers Candies in Greenwood, Nebraska, loves Feb. 14^th. Almost 85 percent of Americans are likely to buy candy or chocolates for family or that special someone this year, according to www.candyusa.com.

Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Easter and Halloween are the obvious top-selling holidays for chocolate. But, can companies survive on just those days for success? Bakers apparently has done a great job in developing a loyal following through the years. They have delivered chocolates and candies to all 50 states and several countries.

The company, started in 1987, produced about 500,000 pounds of chocolate in 2014.

Bakers is famous for its “Meltaways.” Chocolates are called this because they meet the official designation that they “melt” when applied to the tongue. About 30 million “Meltaways” are made annually.

Chocolates and candies are made onsite at the Cass County company. The plant operates out of a 25,000-square foot building. Four automated production lines are capable of producing 2,000 pounds of “Meltaways” a day.

“Meltaways” and more treats are sold in an outlet store in Greenwood, which is located halfway between Omaha and Lincoln off of Interstate 80.

We checked out the store recently. I thought I’d have to drag Lisa out of the store kicking and screaming. But, she behaved. She may have been promised a treat for good behavior. I’m not a chocolate lover, so I was safe. Until…

Among the varieties of “Meltaways,” spice drops, cinnamon treats, sat chocolate-covered marshmallows. I like chocolate-covered marshmallows. Soooooo, we made a deal to behave ourselves during the visit.

The “Nebraska Proud” business makes 11 types of “Meltaways.” Each flavor has a specially colored wrapping, such as blue for solid dark chocolate and red for solid milk chocolate. Other chocolate flavors include mint, cherry, raspberry, orange, coconut, mocha, caramel and peanut butter.

The “Meltaways” are in various containers – cups, bags, boxes and pails.

You can even get “Meltaways” in a Nebraska state-shaped container.

Candies come in non-holiday themes. Several Nebraska Cornhusker-themed chocolate containers are available. We bought a Nebraska box of chocolates in North Platte during an event during a Nebraska tourism conference.

You can even get a football-shaped box of chocolates. I’m sure Forrest Gump would appreciate it, since you can identify the types of chocolates in the container.

Besides the packaged treats, you can get chocolate bars featuring caramels, chocolate-covered pecans, raisins and, oh yeah, marshmallows.

The company also markets another line of products known as Blue Collar Gourmet. The company came up with the name because it uses the same high-grade chocolate that some companies sell as high-end, but Bakers sells to “blue collar” people. They have chocolate-covered chips. Trust me when I say potato chips with chocolate is awesome.

Being a Nebraska-based company, Bakers also sells other in-state products, including Valentino’s pasta sauce and Fat Ferg’s barbecue sauces.

Larry the Cable Guy, a Nebraska native, even has a brand of potato chips sold at Bakers.

Even though it’s great to support all Nebraska-based companies, I’m not sure Lisa or anyone would be thrilled with getting a dozen roses and a bag of Larry the Cable Guy Cheeseburger chips.

Bakers has some great Valentine’s Day treat ideas, some even come in heart-shaped boxes. So, either place an order or – better yet – take a drive to Greenwood and visit the company’s store. I’ve already promised one daughter a trip out to the store together.