PPB July 2021

Candy acquired Chocolate Inn as its first leg into the promotional products industry, and marked the start of NC Custom. Soon after, Chocolate Inn started entering into partnerships to exclusively offer brands such as M&M, Godiva, Jelly Belly, Lindt and Mrs. Fields to the promotional products industry. Stier’s father, Lesley Stier, purchased Nassau Candy in 1984, and in 2010, following the recession, Stier—who has a background in finance—got involved in the business and immediately saw a potential in the promotional products market. “We were looking to get active in the promotional products space because we saw a really interesting niche market that was buying our products,” says Stier. As the business grew, Nassau Candy acquired several companies— including Big Sky, Hobbs & Dobbs, McClain’s, J. Sosnick, Island Natural, Classic Snacks and Exotic Gourmet—and NC Custom acquired five companies of its own in a further effort to expand. Nassau Candy nowmanufactures upwards of 20 million pounds of candy each year and imports gourmet food items for privately-owned stores. The acquisitions also dramatically grew NC Custom’s customization, printing, embroidery, kitting and packaging capabilities, and added an impressive selection of more than 10,000 SKUs. With such a superior level of production, it is almost difficult to wrap one’s mind around the scope of operations at the suppliers’ facilities. Visitors at Chocolate Inn are welcomed by the aromas of fresh-made treats, first of chocolate, then of winter- fresh mint—and experience a factory constantly buzzing with activity, not only related to fulfilling orders, but also from the staff ’s enthusiasm about their work. The team, which spans about 1,000 employees across its facilities, work intently to ensure the confections— which include chocolates, truffles, candies, mints, gumballs, chocolate-covered nuts and pretzels, jellybeans, saltwater taffy, toffee, mixed nuts, sea salt caramel candies and more—meet the highest standards set by the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute, of which Chocolate Inn is certified, regarding food production, processing and handling. Quality assurance steps include weighing the food, individually packaging and wrapping much of the product, and processing the food through metal detectors. Over at Lanco, which is about a half-hour away from Chocolate Inn, the supplier manufactures hardgoods, including lip balm, candles, microfiber sheets and hand sanitizer—a product that skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic, but remains a staple in kits, programs and giveaways today. Here, as well as at Chocolate Inn, time and expertise are devoted to kitting, which include ready-made and custom- ordered kits, with the option to select from hot-stamped, pad-printed, digitally-imprinted, silk- screened, embossed or lasered packaging. Because of the range of products produced by the companies under NC Custom, kitting is not only available, but it’s offered on a shorter View NC Custom’s production processes for other products at the links below: Microfiber cloths: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dsE6pd7sYbA Chocolate: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WIBsw4j9x3U Hand sanitizer: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5dPRyGSsgP8 Lip balm: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=j0g4AdE6SB8 Candles: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jPiyyd1tjDY 86 | JULY 2021 | CONNECT