Now for some sweet news.
Sanders, the iconic Detroit company that has fed many local sweet tooths, and almost went the way of the Studebaker and the AMC automaker, has bounced back and has become a growing national player in desserts and candy, Zlati Meyer of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Meyer writes:
The 139-year-old iconic Michigan candy company seems to be everywhere — Delta Air Lines flights, Costco, on an episode of “Glee,” Mackinac Island, U.S. Navy base stores and on the pillows at the MGM Grand Detroit.
The confectioner, also known for its ice cream and hot fudge topping, has seen double-digit sales growth over the last three years, fueled in part by native Michiganders buying the products they remember from their childhoods, said company President Ron Rapson, who said annual sales are about $25 million.
“We’ve been branching out over the last five years from a more regional basis to more national basis. What prompted it was our desire to get great products into more customers’ hands. Over the last decade, a lot of Michiganders have exited the state. As we’ve gone and done shows nationally, we get recognized by those old Michiganders. It’s an amazing phenomenon,” he said. “We have wonderful products we think can compete.”
According to the Detroit Historical Society:
After having several owners and with business declining in the 70s and 80s, the company closed its central downtown location and its Highland Park Headquarters. In 2002, the rights to the Sanders name and products was purchased by the Morley Candy Company. The new ownership has now opened nine stores in metro Detroit and two on Mackinac Island. Morley honors recipes perfected by the Sanders family and attests that their products still embody the legendary “just good as you remember” taste. Sanders products are still sold at grocery stores across metro Detroit today.
