Erin’s Candy signs big deal with The Shopping Channel

Ken Johnston
Editor

A year ago a Bergland lady began sweetening everyone up when she started her hand-dipped candy business there.
Erin’s Candy, owned and operated by Erin Rencher, started small but did not stay that way for long. Rencher said that orders started coming in the fall and by Christmas sleep was at a premium for her. “I did an $800 U.S. order on December 23rd,” recalled Erin.
She also introduced customers to chocolate popcorn which took on a life of its own. “I started with three flavours but have since added two more.” After Christmas, just in time for the Valentines Day rush she added chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered potato chips.
Orders have been steady ever since she started but that almost pales by comparison to the latest news she has. Last week she received word that everything is a go for The Home Shopping Channel out of Toronto to begin selling her products on television. With all the paperwork signed, sealed and delivered, the first order, which will be quite substantial, will be on its way very shortly.
“I am so excited,” said Erin who never imagined her business would grow so quickly. Last year she said that she had hoped that in a few years that she would be big enough to expand. Now things are going very quickly and she is looking at growing beyond her kitchen operation in the near future.
So how did this kitchen based business get on The Home Shopping Channel? Erin said she heard of someone in the region being asked to provide BBQ sauce to the channel for resale. “I said if they can do it why can’t I.”
She emailed them on a whim and received a call back asking for her to send samples. “I sent them something of everything in a big box!” Two days after TSC received the package they called and said they wanted to do a deal.
At the time Rencher was unaware that she was in a very elite group of suppliers to TSC. “There are companies on the internet that you pay to try and get you on TSC,” she explained. “Only about three percent get on the way I did.”
While she is excited about the growth of her business, she said that she wants to keep it a hand’s on business where all the candy is hand made. “There are machines that I could buy to do it, but I want to maintain the quality.” With that in mind she will likely be hiring staff to help her with this order and the busy Christmas season; which is just around the corner.
The centers of her candies are a secret recipe that had won many a taste-buds over. In fact she has shipped candy as far away as California and British Columbia.
If things keep growing at this pace she said that come spring she may be looking to build a factory or for a place to locate one.