Taffy Town

Check the twisted ends of a salt water taffy wrapper. If the logo printed there says Taffy Town¹, the candy came out of a factory in West Jordan that makes more than 20,000 pounds of it a day. About 89 percent of the business is wholesale, to candy shops in all 50 states and abroad, and less than 1 percent of sales go through the factory's own store. Nearly every piece leaves West Jordan with only that logo to say where it came from.

The founding capital was whatever change James Vernon Glade had in his pocket. He was a Park City miner who couldn't keep up with the bills after his second child was born, the West Jordan Journal¹⁵ reported, so he bought ingredients for a 5-pound bag of peppermint chews and sold them. His great-grandson Derek Glade picked up the story from there: "Within just a couple of months, he had a bicycle delivery and over 50 different accounts, and we just grew from there."

The Glade Candy Co. dates to 1916 in Salt Lake City, and for decades it was a full-line candy maker for the Intermountain West, chocolate included. Its salt water taffy drew national attention in the 1970s, and the family started selling off the other equipment. Grandson David Glade renamed the company Taffy Town in 1994. His son Jason Glade, now president, said in a 2026 interview that the last piece of chocolate equipment went out in 1996, after "sales of our high-end chocolate became hard as cheaper chocolate competed against us." The taffy had a different problem. "Taffy had pretty much been a summer-only candy," he said. "But we decided to go year-round with it."

"Our great grandfather, he'd probably be surprised that the business is still around, but he'd be proud."

Jason Glade, president, to the West Jordan Journal in 2016

The taffy used to come out of a building at 55 West 800 South in Salt Lake City. By 2014 it was at maximum capacity, CompanyWeek¹⁶ reported. In 2016 the company made the third move in its history, into a 43,000 square foot factory and store on Prosperity Road in West Jordan. Jason's son Jordan, then 15, told the West Jordan Journal, "I've been in that other building since I was just a little kid, so I think I will miss it a little." The old building landed on its feet. In 2019 a developer broke ground on a condo project designed around its warehouse and its art deco features.

Traditional taffy makers stretch the hot sugar over a hook until it turns opaque. Taffy Town whips its batches with egg whites into something closer to a meringue, which the company says "folds significantly more air into the batch than standard pulling methods can achieve." Each batch then conditions for 24 hours, and Derek Glade has said the trip from cooking to packaging takes three days. The company's pitch is a softer chew that doesn't leave candy stuck in your teeth. The ingredient list is plain about the rest. It starts with corn syrup, then sugar. It is candy.

The flavor list runs past 90. Some of it is boardwalk standard, like banana and peppermint. Some of it is chicken and waffles, which the company describes as "maple-forward sweetness with savory, fried poultry overtones." This spring's limited pouch was Cheddar Chews, made with real cheddar cheese powder. The product page lists it as sold out.

Jason and Derek, the fourth generation, own about 90 percent of it, a group of employees owns the rest, and the company employs about 75 people. A pandemic sales boom pushed lead times to several times their usual length, so in 2021 the company hung a TV over the production floor and put iPads beside the equipment to track output live. It now offers staff a four-day workweek. Jason described his own adjustment in 2026: "I put more pressure on myself when I first started as president. Then I learned pressure does not improve my work. Now I remind myself, candy should be enjoyable."

October's flavor of the month is Chocolate Glazed Donut, and a sample bag comes free with orders over $50. For Halloween week there is a Halloween Taffy Mix from $29.99 and a 12 ounce Candy Corn pouch for $7.99. The summer pouches are worth a note on next year's calendar. Santaquin Sour Cherry is made with real pitted tart cherries, and Brigham City Peach uses Brigham City peaches with turmeric for color. A Bear Lake Raspberry rounds out the limited pouch line. Each ships in a single window, and the cherry has to be ordered by April 1.

The factory store is at 9813 South Prosperity Road in West Jordan, open weekdays with short Fridays. Taffy Town also sells at taffytown.com, and the Utah's Own directory lists Harmons as a place to find it. Buying at that counter puts you in a sales channel smaller than 1 percent, about as close to the source as candy gets.

The flavor list includes pickle, and September's flavor of the month was Peach Balsamic Vinegar. The company makes about 6.5 million pounds of taffy a year, or roughly 390 million pieces, each in its own wax wrapper. It is still one candy. The great-grandsons of a Park City miner make it in West Jordan, one 24-hour batch at a time.