Our Candy Making Heritage
by Dr. Martin Greer

Martin stretches peanut brittle
before it cools on the marble slab

Great tasting candy doesn’t just happen, but is the result of many years of experience with dedication to seeking confectionary perfection. The recipes we use were first published in RIGBY’S RELIABLE TEACHER of 1897. Rigby stated that his dad had used the recipes for more than 30 years before that. ”Fine candy, a father to son tradition,” is more than our logo, it is our commitment to candy excellence.

My dad, M .L. Greer, Sr., first began making candy on the family farm in 1924, and would take his confections to town to sell along with their farm produce. The next year he was hired as a candy maker’s helper by a Greek candy maker in Texarkana. This was the beginning of his professional candy career. He worked for a number of candy makers throughout Texas, learning as much as he could from one candy maker and then moving on to learn from others.

Dad was the best stick candy spinner I ever saw in my life, but he was more than just a hard candy man, he was also a soft candy maker. This is a rare combination as most candy makers usually specialize in one or the other. He worked spinning stick candy by hand at Ranch Girl Candy Company in Ft. Worth and only a year later in 1951 made fine chocolates at Striplings Department Store, working for Price Candy Co. of Kansas City.

Uriah is pulling taffy on
our vintage taffy machine

I prefer to say that dad learned candy making the hard way, going from place to place, working for different candy makers, while I learned the easy way from him, but as anyone knows, it is not easy working for your dad. He began teaching me to cook candy in 1955, and by the time I was 20 I was cooking over 500 pounds per day. Dad said, ” Son, you may not make a living at art. You need a trade, and since I’m a candy maker, you are going to be a candy maker.” As a result I made the candy that was sold at Silver Dollar City from 1960 to 1965. It was hard work, but it paid for my college. Dad also gave me a number of sayings to live by, such as; ”Treat your customers right and you will always have return customers,” ”Always use the finest ingredients, and you won’t have to apologize for your product,” and ”Take care of your business and your business will take care of you.”

Our business is family owned and operated. My wife, Jeanette, dips and packs our chocolates in a most appealing way. Mama, her mother, helps with hand dipping as well. Her sister, Inday, makes sure everything is kept clean. Uriah, our son., is our salesman, and is learning to cook all the candies. I still do most of the cooking and operating our candy equipment. We still make it the old fashioned way. Our taffy puller was made in 1920, our taffy wrapper in 1917, our cream beater in 1900, and our hard candy forming machine was made in the 1853 and was built for hand-cranking because there were no electric motors invented yet. We make candy like they made about 100 years ago. Everything is made from scratch and nothing is made from a mix. The difference can be compared as real potatoes to instant potatoes. We take the time to do it right, and people can taste the difference. While our chocolates are of the highest quality, you can purchase them at a modest price.

Chocolate covered
strawberries are
available, but only
in our store

We have many customers who have stayed faithful to us for many years. Some drive many miles out of their way to purchase our candy treats, and have us to ship our candies to their friends and business accounts.

I learned from dad, and now my son is learning from me in much the same way, so the art of our candy making will endure for another 50 years. Uriah, our son, is now learning to cook candy, and has become our super salesman. While a computer wiz, he has taken a real interest in continuing the business.