‘That job changed my life‘: Former Pearson’s employee reflects on her days on the candy line

Traci Travis cried when she heard the news that her former employer, Pearson’s Candy Company, is shutting down.

“My whole family when they found out, my phone was inundated with calls,” Travis told MPR News.

Pearson’s Candy Company told Minnesota officials on Friday it will permanently shut down the West Seventh Street plant and lay off about 80 employees at the end of September.

The company said the facility is no longer financially sustainable.

For Travis, her work on the factory line for the Salted Nut Roll was more than just a job.

“That job changed my life,” Travis said. “I was able to get off welfare, feed my family, get on health insurance.”

Travis was in her 30s and was living in a treatment facility in St. Paul. In order to stay, she had to find employment. A friend of hers in a counseling group told her she got an interview at Pearson’s and asked if she wanted to come with. She interviewed and got the job.

At first, Travis felt like Lucy Ricardo, in the infamous “I Love Lucy” candy factory scene.

“I went in there to try to feed the candy machine, and all of a sudden, candy was everywhere,” Travis recalled. “But eventually I got it down.”

Each morning, Travis would get to the factory at 6 a.m. and sit at her assigned station. For Salted Nut Rolls there were several stations including peanuts, caramel and packing. Travis recalls picking out the perfect peanuts for each piece of candy and making sure the candy stayed cold, especially on hot days.

“If it was a hot, humid day, the the caramel would split, and then caramel would go everywhere. So then we’d have to work overtime if those days happened,” Travis said.

Travis also became the go-to candy lady, getting discounted Salted Nut Rolls and other treats for her family. But beyond that, the job gave Travis stability. She left in 2007 to pursue a college degree. This past weekend, she got her first pension check from Pearson’s.

Travis hopes the candy company will be saved. In a statement, Pearson’s parent company, Promise Confections, said they are exploring all options to make its legacy products.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation with Travis and MPR News host Kelly Gordon.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.