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Show 1 THE HISTORY BLAZER A7E11' S OF UTAH'S PAST FROM THE ~ t a Shta te Historical Society 300 Rio Grailde Salt Lake Cit!: LTT 84101 ( 801) 533- 3500 FAX ( 801) 533- 3303 The Sweet Story of the Startup Candy Company UTAHNHASV E LONG HAD A SWEET TOOTH. In 1919 statistics showed that Utah had the highest per capita rate of sugar consumption in the U. S. Numerous candy manufacturers may well have been a significant reason for the high usage. Nine wholesale candy producers in the state used over 3.5 million pounds of sugar in 1917. The Startup Candy Company of Provo was recognized as one of the largest confectionery makers in the West. It had its beginnings in London and Manchester, England, with William Startup who made " cough candy" and other candy products in the basement of his retail store. His son William Daw Startup assisted him until 1869 when he immigrated to America. The 23- year- old brought his candy- making skills and some tools, including scales, with him and bought more equipment in Philadelphia. His next stop was Salt Lake City where he married Hagar Hick in November 1869. Moving to Provo in 1874, they built a home and a small factory in which they started making candy in 1875. William's career was short- lived, however. In January 1878, he was struck by a stone cooling slab that ruptured a blood vessel; he died 10 days later. With four young children, Hagar continued to make candy on a small scale for several years, teaching her sons the business. One son, George, would inject new life into the company in 1895. Employed as a typesetter for the Daily Enquirer, George worked hard and gave his paycheck to his widowed mother to help support the family. Still, he had managed to save $ 80 by the time he was laid off in the aftermath of the Panic of 1893 due to the newspaper's financial woes. With his savings he went full time into the candy- making business. His equipment initially consisted of one stone candy slab, four iron edging bars, a pair of candy shears, a candy drop machine, several candy hooks, and a few pans, according to an early Provo historian. He rented a small frame building on Center Street and opened for business in 1895. A summer storm nearly ruined his first batch of candy when water ran through the leaky roof. Legend has it that George grabbed a handful of gum and chewed vigorously as he scrambled to plug some of the leaks in the iron roof with wads of gum. His brothers, Walter and William, joined a partnership with George and the enterprise took off. In 1896 they produced the Opera Bar, possibly American's first candy bar- layers of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry creams covered with chocolate. Its wrapper proudly announced: " Provo, Utah, The Candy City." Another specialty was the magnolia, a tiny flower- perfumed hard candy with a liquid center. Startup also became famous for ' clear toys" made from clear, red, yellow, or green hard candy molded in the shapes of animals, trains, and Santas to delight children. Other products included chocolates, chewing gum, and a variety of confectionery delicacies. ( more) In 1900 the brothers began construction of a huge factory complex at Sixth South and First West in Provo, near the railroad tracks for easy transport. The facility eventually included a box plant with a printing press to decorate the fancy boxes. Packaging added to the fame of the candies. The wmpany was proud of its fancy boxes, folding cartons, and tin containers. With their printing press, the Startups produced millions of printed box wrappers, colorful labels, advertising pictures and signs, promotional calendars, decorated boxes, and various novelties. Utah artist Samuel Jepperson painted pictures to be used as premiums with the candy orders. George Startup was gifted in the use, repair, and invention of machinery and made many improvements in the manufacturing line. Besides modem equipment, the company was ahead of its time in labor practices. The welfare of employees was an important concern. During a time when many employers exploited their workers, the company tried to create a comfortable and healthful working environment. It provided life insurance for workers and offered employees a profit-sharing bonus based on merit. In contrast to the opposition of many manufacturers, George Startup lobbied the Legislature in 1914 for a minimum- wage bill for female workers. The business prospered and in the 1920s reached its zenith, wholesaling its products throughout the West and into the eastern U. S. and even a few foreign markets. The company employed 175 workers and 15 salesmen. In 1924 sales totaled about half a million dollars. But the Great Depression hit the wmpany with tremendous force. People could not afford the luxury of candy. As the company struggled to survive, Walter bought out the interests of his brothers George and William. Despite his effort to save the business, the bank repossessed the buildings. As soon as he could accumulate the cash, Walter bought back the north building of the factory complex, the box plant, and continued producing candy there. Sugar was virtually impossible to buy during World War 11, and the wmpany faced another challenge. Most products had to be discontinued. However, molasses wuld be obtained in small quantities. Sugar- would crystalize from the molasses, and the Startup family was able to make a few fudge candy bars to sell. Thus the factory kept going on a day- to- day basis. A hth e war, Harry Startup revitalized the business, which continues as the century turns again with the fifth generation of Utah Start~~ pFsi. n e hand- dipped chocolates, clear candy toys, suckers, and a variety of other quality candies are still produced by the century- old Startup Candy Company of Provo, Utah. Sources: Interviews with Harry W. Startup, Jr. and Canna Startup, Provo, and materials provided by them; J. Marinus Jensea, History of Prow ( Provo, 1924); William M. Wilson, Utah County, Utah in Pidure and Rose ( Provo, 1914); William M. Wilson, Prow, Utah, Early Pictorial History, 1910 ed. ( provo]: " The Scribbler" n. d.); Marilyn McMean Miller and John Clifton Moffitt, Provo, A Story of Peopb in Motion ( Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1974); Noble Warnun, Utah Since Statehood, vol 1 ( Chicago: S. J. CIarke Publishing Company, 19 19); Our Pioneer Henetage, vol. 20 ( Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1977). THEH ISTORYB LAZERi s produced by the Utah State Historical Society and funded in part by a grant from the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission. For more information about the Historical Society telephone 533- 3500. Wllod ( LC) |
