Laymon Candy continues 100-year tradition of making hand-crafted sweet treats

SAN BERNARDINO (KABC) -- A candy factory in San Bernardino has been in business for almost 100 years. At Laymon Candy, they handcraft small batches of everything you can imagine-- from toffee, to caramel, to nut clusters, they have it all!

And of course, this is a busy time of year at Laymon Candy, with all their mouth-watering confections ready to be made, wrapped, and shipped in time for the holidays.

"So, it's been a business out of a garage originally. This is actually the third location," said Tim Applen, President Laymon Candy Inc.

Applen married into the business learning alongside his father-in-law Lon Laymon and brother-in-law Ken before they retired. Now as president, he oversees the day-to-day candy making operations.

"Early on we worked six days a week minimum, 10-12 hours a day for the first 30 years I was here," said Laymon. "We did all the scrubbing because we didn't want the employees to have to do it."

And while some things have changed since then, the candy is still made by hand in small batches using quality ingredients. Now it's Applen who is preparing to pass the baton to his children, as he gets ready to semi-retire.

"Candy had been part of our family life since I was born," said Heather Hall, Vice President Laymon Candy Inc. "I'm a fourth-generation and that is 96 years in business. So I grew up with the candy world around me."

Hall and her brother plan to grow the business. Much of the candy is sold to retailers under other names in 13 states... but customers can also visit the family candy store.

As Laymon Candy prepares to turn 100 years old, the future looks sweet.