by Lou Pagano II
Ever since he was a kid, Lou Pagano II always wanted to be in the candy business. After all, it is in his blood. His great grandfather Anello- along with his brothers-in-laws, Sal Ferrara and Sal Buffardi, had founded Ferrara Candy (later Ferrara Pan) back in 1908. Lou had been joining his grandfather Lou and father, Tom, in going to the factory in Forest Park, Illinois, since he could walk. While they were working, Lou would help sell candy in the company candy store or help in the office or sweep the floor that needed sweeping.
At the age of 14, he began working during the summer in the plant. His first job: joining his cousins painting some of the oldest (and hottest) rooms in the factory. Then came cleaning the candy machines. Then disassembling old machines and building new ones. As Ferrara Pan grew, the family built a large warehouse he built and painted the candy racks and guard rails there. Every summer, Christmas, and spring break would be spent at the factory and warehouse, working with long-time co-workers to learn every aspect of the business.
As he grew older, he began working with sales partners across the Midwest to learn the complexities of the retail environments that the family’s candies were sold. Upon graduating college with a degree in marketing, he joined the family in the business spending several years in the front office, learning the various facets of the business. Finally, he settled into a sales and marketing role calling on key strategic customers and managing its marketing strategies.
The family was always proud of their family business and the heritage and culture that was intrinsic in the business. When co-workers came to work at Ferrara Pan, they rarely left. The company had virtually zero turns over, and the average tenure of co-workers was over 18 years. Having a family business that was over 100 years old and into their 4th generation is extremely rare. Less than 3% make it to a 4th generation or beyond. Ultimately the family decided that the time was right to sell Ferrara Pan, and on June 28th, 2012, the family merged it with Farley and Sathers, which was owned by Catterton Partners.
At the new company, now call Ferrara Candy, Lou was placed in charge of all of the “special markets” customers – who were non-traditional retailers. During these sales calls, his customers were constantly asking about the “old brands” that his family used to sell. The “old brands” were Alexander the Grape, Johnny Apple Treats, Cherry Clan, and Mr. Melon.
In December of 2017, Ferrero completed their purchase of Ferrara Candy, and Lou left the company to start his own candy company. When he left the company, he left with some of his family's trademarks, specifically: Alexander the Grape, Johnny Apple Treats, Mr. Melon, and Cherry Clan. In early 2018 he launched the 1908 Candy Company. The name is an homage to the company's heritage, specifically the year the company was founded. Also, that time in Chicago history was when dozens of candy companies were getting their start as small family businesses in Chicago. This led to Chicago being known as the “Candy Capital of the World” for many decades.
1908 Candy is focused on producing great tasting, high-quality candy infused with fun and imagination while also being grounded in heritage to the brands and family legacy. Candy is fun, and the entire experience surrounding it should be as well.
