Bittersweet: The Story of the Heath Candy Co.
By Richard J. "Dick" Heath with Ray Elliott
Many families dream of starting a business and creating a long-lasting legacy for future generations. After a humble childhood filled with economic hardship, L.S. Heath pursued that dream for his family. One of the sweetest success stories in American business, the Heath Candy Co. grew from a small-town ice cream parlor and confectionery to a successful national company, only to unravel from jealousy, greed and selfishness by the time it was taken over by a conglomerate in 1989.
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"'Bittersweet' describes how L.S. Heath, a schoolteacher, founded the company with his sons in 1914, buying a confectionery on the Robinson town square..."
— Tom Raithel, Evansville Courier
About the Authors
Richard J. "Dick" Heath
Dick Heath, the grandson of the Heath Candy Co. patriarch L.S. Heath, was born in 1931 in Robinson, Ill., where his father and uncle developed the Heath English Toffee Bar. Dick was elected to the company board of directors at the age of 20 after his father's sudden death. Dick finished college at the University of Illinois and served in the U.S. Army before returning to the company where he served in a number of capacities and sold the initial licenses that franchised the Heath Ice Cream Bar. After leaving the company in 1969 during a family struggle for control of the company, Dick promoted Professional Golf Association (PGA) tournaments and was involved in numerous business ventures.
Ray Elliott
Marine veteran Ray Elliott is an editor, publisher and author of numerous works of nonfiction. As a retired, longtime English and journalism educator in public high schools and universities, he has encouraged and inspired many young people to pursue their dreams. In 1999, he left the classroom to write full time. Elliott is on the board of The James Jones Literary Society and the Illinois Center for the Book, and is an officer of the Richard L. Pittman Marine Corps League in Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
Read an Excerpt
Just after the company expansion was completed and the new plant was in full operation, World War II broke out in the Pacific. Washington, D.C., lay nearly eight hundred miles east of Robinson. None of the family had ever been there; however, one day in the late spring of 1942, a man from Washington walked into the Heath company office and asked to see a Mr. Heath.
"Which Mr. Heath are you looking for, sir?" the receptionist asked. "There are several."
"The one who can sell me candy," the man said.
"Well, that would be Bayard or Skiv Heath. You can find them in the little office down the street. I'll call and see which one is available. May I tell them who's calling and who you represent?"
"Tell Mr. Heath I'm with the Department of the Army."
The Army had done some tests on candy to determine what would be best suited for supplying the troops. These tests had found that, besides being good candy because of the pure ingredients, the Heath bar had a relatively long shelf life. Based on the tests and needs, the Army placed its first order of $175,000 worth of Heath bars. That was a lot of nickel candy bars. Coupled with the oil well, the huge order from the Army allowed the Heath company to catapult from a small regional company to a national company virtually overnight.