Bedford Candies moving into facility in Osterburg
A Bedford County business continues to grow. Bedford Candies expects to move into its new 10,000-square-foot corporate headquarters here which will also house its manufacturing operations and serve as its distribution center in late March or early April.
The $1 million dollar project is expected to lead to some new jobs for the business, which now employs 25 full- and part-time workers, said Adam Wiley, who owns the business with his mother, Tammy.
Bedford Candies is an incredible homegrown success story, said President Bette Slayton of Bedford County Development Association.
Bedford Candies was founded in 1929 by George Sotirokos and owned and operated in downtown Bedford by three generations of the Sotirokos family. Tammy Wiley worked at the store while working full time at another job. In 2010, she had the opportunity to buy the store, Slayton said.
Bedford Candies offers 80 varieties in milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate. They added a gourmet popcorn line in 2013. There are 18 flavors available each week and 70 flavors total, including the seasonal ones.
Adam Wiley said Osterburg is a good location for the company’s headquarters.
“It will be a central location for us, about 15 minutes from our Bedford store and about 25 minutes from our Altoona location. We have great access. We are just a half mile off I-99,” he said.
The project had been in the works for more than two years.
“We are completely out of space. We are bulging at the seams. We need to expand so we can continue to grow,” Adam Wiley said.
The downtown Bedford store will remain as a retail location. Bedford Candies has had a store in the Pleasant Valley Shopping Center since June 2016.
The company is looking at further expansion — possibly opening retail locations in the State College, Indiana and Cumberland, Md., areas.
“The earliest would be in late 2018,” Adam Wiley said.
Slayton is excited about the growth of the company.
“Tammy Wiley is a true entrepreneur. She’s a smart risk-taker with a clear vision to produce and market high-quality products. Her strong work ethic, tenacity and positive outlook have created a strong foundation for a successful business. We’ve worked with Tammy since she purchased the business and are very impressed with her business acumen.
With this new facility, Tammy and Adam are positioning the company for great things to come. Bedford Candies is a valued addition to Bedford County’s line-up of world-class manufacturers,” Slayton said.
The Wileys are pleased with the growth of their business.
“We are very humbled and very pleased with the way we have been able to grow. We have been embraced by the Altoona market, as well. Our success has been a combination of the quality of our products, and we take great pride in customer service,”Adam Wiley said.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
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