Ganong Bros.

Ganong Bros., Limited is a Canadian chocolate and confectionery company based in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Founded in 1873 by brothers James and Gilbert Ganong, it is the oldest company in its industry in Canada.[3][4] The family-owned company is in its fifth generation of ownership.[5] Primarily a producer of boxed chocolates and the first to introduce heart-shaped boxes,[6] it now provides many chocolates for Laura Secord stores.

History

Ganong Bros. Limited was founded on June 5, 1873,[7] as G. W. Ganong, Commission Merchant, Etc.[8] James H. Ganong had convinced his brother, a teacher and aspiring physician named Gilbert Ganong, to start a grocery store with him in St. Stephen.[9][10] They advertised their opening in the Saint Croix Courier,[8] though the business began failing. They then started selling candy goods, then began manufacturing it themselves after struggling to get suppliers to do business with them.[11]

In 1884, the brothers' partnership was dissolved; Gilbert maintained this business, while James left to focus on the St. Croix Soap Manufacturing Company, a soap manufacturer based in the same town.[8]

Ganong Bros. Limited has been one of the Canadian chocolate industry's most important companies. Arthur Ganong was the first to make any sort of a wrapped chocolate bar; Ganong began selling the first chocolate bars in 1910. In 1920 they began using the brand name "Pal-o-Mine" for their chocolate bar.

The company also was the first to introduce a heart-shaped box of chocolates in North America. The heart-shaped boxes were originally used for presents over the Christmas season before it also succeeded around Valentine's Day.[12]

In 1911, Ganong Bros. purchased the bankrupt White Candy Company in Saint John, New Brunswick and operated a factory there until 1931. In 1988, due to the rising costs of production, a plant was built in Bangkok, Thailand, due to lower labor costs and the close proximity to raw ingredients, and equipment from the St. Stephen factory was shipped there. The majority of the products from this factory is shipped to Canada.[13] In 1990, a new factory was opened on Chocolate Drive, St. Stephen and continues to produce to this day. The old factory eventually became the Chocolate Museum.

In 1997, the company acquired the manufacturing and marketing license for fruit snacks under the Sunkist brand in Canada from Sunkist as well as Lipton.[14][15]

Charlotte County's politics were always sharply divided, as Connors Brothers Limited and its employees overwhelmingly supported the Liberal Party's protectionism to keep fish from being sold to US merchants at a higher price, while Ganongs and its employees overwhelmingly supported the Conservative Party's free trade as it brought low-cost sugar by rail through Maine cheaper than from further away in Canada.[16]

Chocolate Museum

Ganong's long history is showcased at its Chocolate Museum (Fr:Le Musée du Chocolat) which opened in 1999 in their old factory building in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Exhibits describe the Ganong brothers and the company, and include hands-on and interactive displays about the process of making chocolate and candies historically and currently, and a display of historic chocolate boxes and antique candy-making equipment. Visitors can also taste chocolate samples. The building also houses the Ganong Chocolatier company store.

In conjunction with the community, the museum co-hosts the annual St. Stephen Chocolate Festival, which has been held since 1985.[18] In 2000 the town was registered as "Canada's Chocolate Town".

Products

See also

• Laura Secord Chocolates
• List of food and beverage museums
• Purdy's Chocolates
• J. Howard Crocker, machinist at Ganong Bros.

External links

• It Wouldn't Be Christmas without Chicken Bones (Excerpt: Ganong, by David Folster)
• Official website
• The Chocolate Museum