Community Contribution

Original Source

Now let’s move on to the main topic of this week’s episode, something that is also often a big part of the Christmas season – candy! As a child, (and let’s be honest, even to this day,) I am always very pleased to see some of my favorite candy bars in my stocking on Christmas morning. One of Naugatuck’s greatest contributions to the world almost exactly one hundred years ago, was a pair of candy bars that still remain best sellers as we approach 2021.

In 1921, the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company introduced the Mounds candy bar, a dark chocolate-covered "mound" of coconut, and it was an instant success.

“The founder of the company was an Armenian immigrant by the name of Peter Halajian who landed in the United States in 1890. Thrift in time established him as proprietor of a small chain of candy stores in Naugatuck and Torrington, Connecticut, where he sold confectionery and ice cream of his own making. Because his customers found difficulty in pronouncing his Armenian name, he legally adopted the English equivalent, Peter Paul.”

After arriving in Naugatuck, Halajian began working at the U.S. Rubber Company, like so many immigrants before and after him. While working there, he dreamed of starting his own business, and made efforts in that direction by selling homemade sweets to folks waiting for the train at the Naugatuck Railroad Station. Soon he added fruits and other confections to his menu and with his daughters now helping, they expanded the business with door to door sales throughout the town.

On February 1st, 1895, Peter realized his dream of entrepreneurship and opened a small candy shop on Water Street in Naugatuck. The items on sale included peanut brittle, licorice, lemon drops, chocolates, and most famously, ice cream! Success led to a second store in Torrington and in 1912 a third store opened, also in Naugatuck. As sales increased, so did the frequency of customers having trouble pronouncing his Armenian surname, Halajian. This prompted him to legally change his last name to its English translation; Paul. It was not long before the name Peter Paul became synonymous with delicious candies.

Business continued to grow, and Peter started advertising, creating the clever slogans that his company would become known for. With the expansion came the need for more help, and soon Peter’s brother-in-law Calvin Kazanjian joined the firm.

In 1914, World War I plunged the globe into terrible conflict. One of the most welcome reminders of home for the doughboys in Europe was a chocolate bar. The U.S. Army provided the candy bars as a high-energy food that would be durable and remain edible in the dangerous environment of the front lines. After the war ended and the soldiers returned home, they brought their love of candy bars home as well.

It was Calvin who had the idea to capitalize on this new market opportunity by switching the business from one of retail, to a larger manufacturing concern that would offer candy as a wholesaler. The partners convinced four of their close friends and relatives to invest in the business. A close-knit group of fellow Armenian immigrants; George Shamlian (a former chemist with Naugatuck Chemical,) Jacob Hagopian, Harry Kazanjian and Jacob Chouljian provided the money required. They also brought in candy maker, Harry Tatigian.

In 1919 the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company was born and moved their candy-making operations to New Haven. The new company began production in November of that year, making candies by hand in a 50 x 60 foot loft on Webster Street. Lacking a means to refrigerate their products, production took place during the coolness of night and the results shipped out immediately the next morning for maximum freshness. Initially, their confections were much like other candy makers' but they knew they had to innovate. The original “Konabar,” a chocolate covered coconut candy also containing fruit and nuts became an early success for the company.

Lisa Flaherty, great-granddaughter of Harry Tatigian wrote:

"Harry Tatigian was my great-grandfather by blood, but unfortunately died in the early 1920's. An interesting footnote is that my great-grandmother fell in love again, and married George Shamlian (who's mentioned above as one of the founding fathers of the company). George helped her raise the son she had had with Harry – my grandfather, John Tatigian. So it was George, who became "Dad" to my grandfather and, thus "Grandpa" to my Mom and Uncle. He was VP of the company until becoming its 3rd President. My grandfather John joined the company in 1931 and became the 4th President in 1951 when his father retired."

Clearly, the founders of Peter Paul were a tightknit group, and that family atmosphere remained a hallmark of the business throughout its history. Paul became the company’s first president; George Shamlian became vice president, and Kazanjian became secretary/treasurer. Kazanjian was also in charge of creating and managing a sales department of commissioned agents. Finding retailers willing to sell the products of the new company was priority number one. Cal’s cousin Artin Kazanjian and Jacob Chouljian were both hired as foremen of operations. Chouljian’s cousin Jacob Hagopian became assistant treasurer. Chouljian would later marry one of Cal Kazanjian’s sisters, further cementing the family aspect of the company.

Demand for their products kept rapidly increasing, and it was no longer possible to keep up using the hand-made manufacturing techniques of their small candy kitchen. Expansion was a necessity, but New Haven bankers were not willing to provide loans to a candy-making business, deeming it too risky.

"Assembling the new product was laborious. The candy had to be shaped, rolled, dipped by hand in chocolate, and then wrapped in foil." "Originally, Mounds was hand-dipped, and then hand-packaged in a foil wrapper. Then, when they got automated machines to shape and wrap it, it was wrapped in cellophane. Eventually, it was given the paper it's in now."

Convincing Peter Paul to build their candy factory in Naugatuck was the first major achievement of the newly created Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce, which had been established in the fall of 1921. In what is perhaps the most significant "first" for Naugatuck, Peter Paul began mass producing the Mounds bar at their newly built factory on New Haven Road.

The history behind the invention of Mounds varies based on the sources you read. In some stories, it was invented by Vincent Nitido, a candy maker from West Haven.

"Vincent Nitido Sr., as a brilliant mind in the industry of candy-making who created the famous Mounds bar 100 years ago. Nitido Sr., a West Haven resident at the time, introduced the dark chocolate and coconut-filled candy bar in 1920 as a single piece for 5 cents."

In that version, it was purchased by Peter Paul and manufacturing began in 1929. That date may be subject to interpretation, especially if the candy was already being manufactured by Peter Paul since 1921, perhaps by an earlier agreement.

In another version of its invention, according to Lisa Flaherty, great-granddaughter of Harry Tatigian, the original Peter Paul candy maker, George Shamlian is credited:

"Mounds was introduced in 1920. George Shamlian researched and developed the Mounds' formula. Mounds was created to replace their already-existing Coconut Cream Bar. The coconut cream bar, peanut brittle, lolly pops, among others were the first Peter Paul candies."

Still another version seems to agree with Flaherty's.

"It was Shamlian, a chemist, who came up with the recipe in 1920 for what was to be known as the Mounds Bar - a dark chocolate bar with a creamy coconut filling named after the way it looked."

No doubt there is a combination of both origins that most likely accounts for the Mounds bar becoming an iconic Naugatuck product. In the photos many vintage packages and wrappers can be seen, some featuring the name of our town.

In 1934, Peter Paul expanded yet again, with a $60,000 addition to the plant. Even more money was invested in new machinery to meet demand, but current earnings covered the costs, and the company incurred no debt. In yet another interesting "first," that same year, Peter Paul introduced the first candy bar named by the students of a high school. The Dreams candy bar, got its name from students participating in a contest at Naugatuck High School. It featured chopped almonds and coconut covered by dark chocolate. It was the forerunner of the Almond Joy bar, and for a number of years, it was a national best-seller!

Another amazing story of the company, may not be an actual "first," but it was so sensational that it made national headlines. In February 1935, Peter Paul increased wages paid to their employees by as much as 20%, and the company's stock split two for one. The story spread around the country, carried by the Associated Press. Bucking the national trend, Peter Paul's stockholders received continuous quarterly dividends throughout the Depression.

In 1939, another World War ravaged the globe and Peter Paul became a major supplier to the U.S. Military. So much so that folks at home had to go without. The government was purchasing 80% of their production by 1944, up to 5 million candy bars per month, to include in soldier's rations. Folks at home willingly sacrificed their love of the delicious chocolates so that the boys on the front lines could have a little reminder of home.

"It was stated by the company that practically all Peter Paul production is now going to the armed forces of the nation, as has been the situation since the outbreak of the war. These delicious products are made available to the U.S. fighting men at home and overseas, with very little left over for civilian consumption. Peter Paul officials however feel sure that the American public would want the situation that way and are willing to wait, until the victory over Japan is won and the normal supply of these world popular confections are again available everywhere for everyone."

Still another "first," or "firsts" perhaps, involves the "Flea Fleet" of World War II. Not only was Peter Paul the first candy company to create its own "navy," but they also served as spies for the U.S. Military!

At this point in their history, Peter Paul had become the world’s largest consumer of coconuts, and they needed the vital raw material or the entire company would cease to exist. When its main supply from the Philippines was cut off by Japanese military actions, Peter Paul cobbled together a fleet of small ships and sent them to islands in the Caribbean to buy coconuts. The “Flea Fleet” was too small to be noticed by the Germans and Japanese, but the reverse was certainly not the case. The stealthy crews were able to slip undetected through enemy waters gathering valuable intelligence about Nazi ships.

Still more shocking, Mounds was the first candy bar to be involved in an international incident involving the Nazis. On July 20, 1945, the following headline shocked the readers of the Naugatuck Daily News;

"German General Is Found To Be In Possession Of Peter Paul's Mounds"

In the photos, you can see the headline, at the very top of the paper.

Apparently a press photograph was taken of an American officer checking the German prisoner's baggage when the box of Mounds was discovered. It was surmised that the German had stolen the Mounds bars from an American PX on the European battle front.

In 1948, another "first!" The Almond Joy bar hit store shelves, as the next evolution of the discontinued Dreams bar. It was essentially a Mounds bar covered in milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate, and also featuring a single, whole double-toasted almond on top. Packaged in blue to differentiate it from the Mounds bar, it became an immediate iconic success, and remains so to this day, being almost as world-famous as its older brother. The number 1 and 2 best selling candy bars are often Mounds, followed by Almond Joy.

The 1950s also saw another iconic first from the company. Peter Paul was the forerunner in the use of television advertising, with the Peter Paul Pixies singing that Mounds and Almond Joys were “Indescribably Delicious.” The slogan was the result of a 1955 contest won by Leon Weiss of Gary, Indiana, who received a prize of $10. Using that now familiar jingle, Peter Paul went on to become the first candy manufacturer to use full-color TV commercials.

Here's a couple of vintage ads seen on TV...

1957 Mounds commercial:

In the 1970s, some times you felt like a nut!

The factory is long gone now, and Mounds and Almond Joy are currently owned and manufactured by candy giant, Hershey's. In 2007, Hershey’s shut down the Peter Paul Manufacturing plant in Naugatuck, which had been continuously producing Mounds for 85 years. Although they are no longer made in Naugy, and our town will not appear on their wrappers, over 100 years of amazing history will forever link Connecticut and our hometown of Naugatuck to the most famous candy bars in the world. Let's hope you get a Mounds bar or an Almond Joy in your Christmas stocking this year!