History

Our history is plentiful and very sweet! Pharmaloz Manufacturing, Inc. evolved from a family of sweet treats.

Charles and Margaret Simon originally founded Simon Candy in 1949 as a chocolate company. The 18,000 sq.-ft. Elizabethtown, Pa. plant, manufactured mainly hollow-molded Christmas and Easter chocolates, along with a small amount of hard candy. The holiday chocolates the company produced were highly decorated and larger than most – many of the chocolates were between five and twenty pounds.

Although Charles loved the chocolate industry, he was tired of the seasonality of his products. He discovered new European higher speed double-twist wrappers and realized there was a market for hard candy. Since hard candy sold year-round, with less of a peak season than chocolate, Charles foresaw a more stable business in hard candy.

In 1962, Simon Candy left the chocolate business and entered the hard candy business. The company manufactured conventional hard candies like root beer barrels, butterscotch buttons and sour balls, along with functional and fortified candies, including medicated, organic, sugar-free and all natural varieties.

In 1974, John and Eleanor Hess acquired Simon and JoEl became the parent company of Simon Candy, which had operations in Elizabethtown and Lebanon, both in Lancaster County. JoEl’s line of organic hard candies and lozenges under the College Farm brand and Simon Candy in Simon’s bulk candies, Coal Candy, Tropical Treasures, Stars & Stripes Mints, Serendipity Sugar Free and Lolly Lites. In 2003, Simon Candy produced 15 million root beer barrels and 6 million lemon, 3 million cinnamon and 2 million-plus butterscotch candies.

Pharmaloz was born in 1984, when a second location was identified and construction began and opened in 1985. This is where lozenges were manufactured and still are today.

Simon Candy closed its doors in Elizabethtown, PA in 2009, mainly due to the rising costs of materials and the effect of foreign products.