Pearson's Candy Co. is looking to add 35 to 40 full-time jobs as the candymaker moves production of its newly acquired Bit-O-Honey line to St. Paul.
Pearson's announced a job fair for Thursday to add positions "ranging from cooks and production assemblers to electro-mechanical technicians and maintenance mechanics," the company said Friday.
The job fair will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at its St. Paul plant, 2140 W. 7th Street.
The 104-year-old candy company has been in expansion mode since 2011, when it was purchased by Connecticut private-equity firm Brynwood Partners. The new owners have been reinvigorating and expanding Pearson's reach beyond old favorites like the Salted Nut Roll, Mint Patties and Nut Goodie.
"We are not done growing, not by any means," Pearson's CEO Michael Keller said Friday, adding that Pearson's owners remain "in the market, looking for other growth opportunities."
In May, Pearson's purchased the Bit-O-Honey line from Nestle, with plans to move production of the iconic candy brand from Bloomington, Ill., to St. Paul, starting early in 2014.
"This requires some alteration of our physical plant," Keller said of Pearson's West Seventh facility. "It doesn't currently require expansion. However, warehouse space is getting a little tight because we're growing so rapidly.
"So if an expansion does occur -- when an expansion does occur -- we will have to alter the site," Keller added.
The Bit-O-Honey candy bar was created in 1924 and grew into a nationally known brand. Its popularity has ebbed somewhat in recent decades, but it still has powerful name recognition and a strong nostalgic tug.
The company said Bit-O-Honey's manufacturing move to St. Paul will be partially funded by a forgivable loan from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Pearson's has won preliminary approval under a state program that offers employers incentives for adding and retaining good-paying jobs in Minnesota.
Details about the jobs and applications are available online at pearsonscandy.com/careers. Most workers at the Pearson's plant belong to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union.
Pearson's had about 150 employees when it was acquired by Brynwood Partners, and the addition of the Bit-O-Honey workers will raise that to about 200, Keller said.
Tom Webb can be reached at 651-228-5428. Follow him at twitter.com/TomWebbMN.
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