Sweet Morsels, Proud History
Treat yourself to this conversation with Terry Andrianos from Hercules Candies, who unwraps the story of the company she co-owns and operates with her husband.
Who founded Hercules Candies?
It was started by three brothers, Robert, Peter, and James Andrianos, in 1910. My husband, Steve, who is Robert’s grandson, started making candy with his father when he was twelve years old. His father was the last one to run the original store in 1962, and he eventually closed it in 1972. But Steve always dreamed of running Hercules Candies.
In 1977, he saved up $500, bought some ingredients, and reopened the store at just twenty-one years old. He used the same equipment and utensils that had been left idle for five years.
What inspired the shop’s name?
It was originally called the Boston Candy Kitchen. Even though they relocated to the Syracuse, New York area to open the shop, they named it that in honor of where the family first lived when they came from Greece.
Hercules was the name of the founding brothers’ father, and Robert named his firstborn son Hercules. Once Robert and Hercules ran the shop together, when the latter was an adult with his own family, they decided to rename it Hercules Candy. It turned out that they couldn’t generate enough business to support both families, though, so Herc (as he was called) went to work for General Electric.
What did the original menu look like, and how has it changed?
The original offerings included Cashew and Peanut Brittles, Spice Hard Candy, and Spice Ribbon Candy. For chocolate, they made clusters, assorted chocolates, and other molded items.
Since then, we have essentially expanded upon these original offerings with many new flavors, including our popular Super Sour Hard Candy. We have also added a variety of bark options and even Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips (my personal favorite)!
How has your company stayed true to its past while also remaining current?
We haven’t changed the original recipes in any way. At the same time, we’ve embraced the future by leaning heavily into social media to get our name out there. Steve and I have also used new technology to run our business and ship products all over the nation.
Why did you choose to keep making candy by hand rather than by machine?
There is more control when making candy by hand. You can also taste it along the way to catch any changes in flavor before it becomes a problem.
Does your menu change around certain major holidays?
Yes. We have many seasonal items for the major holidays, like assorted chocolates for Christmas, Valentine’s Day boxes, and Easter bars.
Do you plan to pass the business down to your own family?
All three of our children are already involved in the business. Leah (our oldest daughter) works here full time, Cara (our younger daughter) is the store manager and plans to take it over when we retire, and her twin brother, Craig, is in charge of social media.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
In a nutshell, candy makes people happy. So if a customer arrives in a less-than-jovial mood, once they wander around and check out our unique creations, they are usually pretty happy.
We are proud to be a traditional part of so many family celebrations over the years and to continue using our founding fathers’ recipes. Christmas is the best because folks tell us that it’s one of the highlights of their holiday season. For many people, the trip to Hercules Candies is part of their holiday tradition, just like trimming their tree.
For more info, visit herculescandy.com