Granite State Candy Shoppe production moves, but shop remains in downtown Concord

Feb. 11—CONCORD — Granite State Candy Shoppe moved its production of chocolates and other products into a new spot during one of the busiest times of year.

In between its production of Valentine's Day and Easter products, the 96-year-old company moved to 126 Hall St., units D and E, and is still getting settled. The former Concord Fencing Studio space is 6,000 square feet compared with its previous 2,500-square-foot production area.

But owner Jeff Bart wants to make it clear that goods will still be sold at the company's storefronts at 13 Warren St. in Concord and 832 Elm St. in Manchester. The empty space at the Concord location will help expand its ice cream production and for cafe-style seating, he said.

The old space was expanded and renovated in 2003, but "we outgrew that space a while ago," Bart said.

"We have a growing wholesale/fundraising business as well as our retail locations," he said.

The move was intricately planned.

"We overproduced what we knew we were going to need in advance," Bart said. "We had everything we needed to get ready for Valentine's Day. We have to get ready for Easter now."

The company typically produces 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of chocolates each year, which include molded Santas, bunnies and moose pops, and 5,000 to 6,000 pounds of fudge. The most popular products are almond butter crunch, peanut butter cups and assorted boxes of chocolates.

"We ship all over the country," Bart said.

On a recent afternoon, one worker made solid half-pound chocolate bunnies using molds, another stocked shelves with products like Peeps, the colorful marshmallow confections, and three packaged assorted candies into heart-shaped Valentine's Day boxes.

"We manufacture the vast majority of what we sell," Bart said.

Bart's grandfather, Peter, learned the candy trade after moving to Lawrence from the Greek Island of Lesvos in 1909. He later moved to Concord and opened the shop at its original spot on Warren Street with many of the original recipe and candy making techniques still being used, according to the company's website.

The business was passed down to the generations. Bart returned to the business in 1995.

Granite State Candy Shoppe's impact on downtown goes beyond producing great chocolate, said Jessica Martin, executive director of Intown Concord.

"They are a destination, especially during the holidays and Valentine's Day coming up," she said.

The store donates chocolates for many business and nonprofit gatherings in the city.

"They obviously have great candy there. You can't beat it. I love it," Martin said. "But just being such a community partner and being very invested in the community and the organizations around them I think that's one of their pillars of success."

Downtown Concord still has some longtime shops including Endicott Furniture and Joe King's Shoe Shop remain, while new shops have opened or have new owners, Martin said.

The company is awaiting new belts for its enrober machines, which allows products such as toffee, caramels or buttercreams to be coated in chocolate. The company has two machines — one for milk and the other for dark chocolate.

"We are getting to the point where we need to start making things," Bart said.

The space includes cookstoves for caramel, chocolate and fudge and equipment to roast its own nuts. The back corner of the space is filled with mixers and scales.

"We've wanted and needed more space for the last five to seven years," he said. "We looked around casually and never really found anything that suited us. It was either too big or too small or too far away."

The company worked with Merrimack County Savings Bank for loans to make the expansion happen. "It is a substantial long-term investment," Bart said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought growth, but also challenges with supply chain issues.

"During the peak of COVID it was extremely difficult to get certain kinds of chocolates that we use in our products. Even sugar became difficult to come by," Bart said. "Dairy was scarce for our ice cream. It was tough for a period of time. All of those associated price increases didn't go away — they are here to stay unfortunately."

Bart said the company owns the building at 13 Warren St. so the shop is not at the mercy of a lease.

"That space has served us well for many, many years," he said. "And it will for many to come."