Marich Confectionery
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| Founded | Watsonville, California (1983) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Marinus van Dam |
| Headquarters | Hollister, California |
Key people | Brad van Dam (President & CEO) |
| Products | Sugar Panning, Chocolate, Truffles, Candies, Jelly Beans, Cookies |
| Website | www |
Marich Confectionery (pronounced "Mahr-ich") is a U.S.-based confectioner that was established in 1983 by Marinus van Dam, creator of the Jelly Belly brand of jelly beans. The company's operations are located in Hollister, California.
In 1944, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, fifteen-year-old Marinus van Dam began work as a janitor at a local confectionery factory, scraping the candy remnants off the floor. Eventually, he was rewarded with an opportunity to attend confectionery school to study the art of candy technology.[citation needed][failed verification]
In January 1957, according to the company website, Marinus emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States and found work at a small company in Columbus, Ohio. After three months, Marinus decided to move to California, where he worked for Herman Goelitz Candy Company.[1]
In 1983, according to the company website, Marinus launched his own candy business, Marich Confectionery, with the help of several partners.[1] The company developed and commercialized chocolate-covered dried fruits. The first was the chocolate covered dried cherry with pastel cherry coating, in the 1980s,[2] followed by the chocolate covered dried blueberry in 1992.[3]
Today, Marich operates a 90,000 square-foot facility in Hollister, California, with 125 employees in operations, administration, sales, marketing, and finance in offices adjacent to the confectionery production floor.[citation needed]
