- Brown & Haley
Brown & Haley is a
confectioner headquartered inTacoma, Washington . Founded in Tacoma in 1914, their signature products are Almond ROCA Buttercrunch Toffee and theMountain Bar .History
OriginHarry L. Brown owned a small confectionery store and enjoyed experimenting with chocolate and sugar candies. J. C. Haley, worked for Shilling and Company, a spice company, and had a flair for sales and advertising. Together J.C. and Harry created confections known world-wide, and the enterprise we have the honor of carrying forward today.
They met in church in Tacoma, Washington in 1908, after J. C. Haley moved from West Virginia seeking his fortune. After beginning to work together in 1912, they incorporated their candy manufacturing business in 1914. By 1916, Brown & Haley was marketing a full line of candy products, including a chocolate and nut confection with a vanilla-cream center called Mt. Tacoma Bar, later known as MOUNTAIN® Bar.
In 1914, World War I erupted, the Panama Canal officially opened, and Ty Cobb won his eighth consecutive American League batting championship. With the emergence of war in Europe, nearby Camp Lewis (now Fort Lewis) swelled with doughboys training to fight "over there." The soldiers had a collective sweet tooth that yearned to be satisfied, and Brown & Haley happily supplied them with everything from taffy chews to butterscotch balls.
The young company's sales soared, but then fell with the Armistice and the return of Camp Lewis to its pre-war population. J.C. and Harry then decided that the key to success was to innovate, and so began several years of experimentation.
A Legend is Born In 1923, the company hit the jackpot with a crunchy, log-shaped candy piece suffused inside with butter and coated with chocolate and diced almonds. This delicious buttercrunch confection was dubbed ALMOND ROCA® by a local librarian. The same librarian also suggested the ancient Sicilian coat of arms that inspired an early Brown & Haley logo.
Word spread quickly about this foil-wrapped luxury confection. In 1927, the company decided to seal it in the now-famous pink tin, extending the product's shelf life threefold. This ability to travel, and the candy's exquisite taste, spurred worldwide sales of ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee.
ALMOND ROCA® confection traveled with U.S. troops to Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific during World War II, then to Korea and Vietnam. It continues to be a favorite of our troops around the world. Over time, overseas troops introduced it to locals in foreign markets, which fueled company exports. "The candy that travels" has been found in 63 countries including Europe, Africa, South America, Australia and Asia.
Tradition and InnovationBrown & Haley's heritage of creating premium, high-quality confections persists today. J.C. and Harry were committed to using the finest fresh ingredients, and experimenting to create wonderful new products. We continue to innovate, developing and producing outstanding food products that delight our consumers. We are still headquartered in the factory where ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee was invented, but we have expanded five times since 1919. And we continue to develop and implement new technological advances, including quality assurance processes, proprietary production capabilities, and state-of-the-art packaging equipment.
By balancing tradition and innovation, we are proud to offer this outstanding range of products.
ROCA® Collection - We still make our world famous ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee one kettle at a time. The ROCA® family of products now includes: ALMOND ROCA®, CASHEW ROCA®, MOCHA ROCA® and CANDY CANE ROCA®, and Sugar Free ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffees. MOUNTAIN® Bar - A perennial Northwest favorite, MOUNTAIN® Bars are available in vanilla, cherry, and peanut butter. We know someone has moved away whenever we get a new web customer buying cases of MOUNTAIN® Bars, to be shipped to the East Coast.
External links
* [http://www.brown-haley.com/ Brown & Haley]
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