Courtesy of Elmer's Chocolate
Easter wouldn’t be complete for generations in Louisiana without Elmer Chocolate’s Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick Eggs, seasonal treats produced at its Ponchatoula factory. Though Tangipahoa Parish is famed for strawberries, Elmer’s has added sweetness to the town’s legacy for decades. CEO Rob Nelson says a major transformation came in 2016.
“Back in 2015-16, instead of investing abroad, we invested $45-million in Tangipahoa Parish, and have continued to manufacture and source everything from the United States.”
Despite high-tech advances, Elmer’s still hand-makes its iconic Easter treats, preserving tradition. Nelson says they start making Easter candy after Christmas.
“Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick, All of our Easter products are made over an 8-week period. It happened a little bit earlier this year. All of that product is distributed between Houston and Mobile, Alabama.”
Nelson says tariffs have had an impact on Elmer’s Chocolate due to having to importing cocoa from South Africa.
“It’s just very unfortunate given the volatile nature of chocolate at this time, and the fact that we as a company have committed to manufacturing in the United States, and I believe that’s the aim of the tariffs is to encourage manufacturing in the United States, but the tariffs on coco are not helping us.
Comments