Barton's Candy Corporation
{{short description|American Chocolatier and candy company}}
{{use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
Barton's Candy Corporation{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/18/archives/stephan-klein-at-71-helped-start-bartons-the-candy-company.html
|title=Stephan Klein, at 71; Helped Start Barton's, The Candy Company
|date=December 18, 1978
|access-date=October 30, 2022}} was a Chocolatier and candy company founded in 1940 by Stephen Klein{{cite web |website=JTA.org (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
|url=https://www.jta.org/archive/stephen-klein-dead-at-71
|quote=was buried today in Israel.
|title=Stephen Klein Dead at 71 |date=December 19, 1978 |access-date=November 2, 2022}} and his five{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/26/archives/martin-klein-dead-a-bartons-founder.html
|title=Martin Klein Dead; A Barton's Founder
|date=February 26, 1973 |access-date=October 30, 2022}} brothers a year after they arrived in the United States from Austria. Its original name was Barton's Bonbonnieres, and as of 1960 operated 3,000 stores across America.{{cite book
|last=Szogyi |first=Alex |title=Chocolate: Food for the Gods
|url=https://archive.org/details/chocolatefoodgod00szog
|url-access=limited |publisher=Greenwood Press
|date=December 30, 1997 |isbn=0-313-30506-4 |page=193]}}
Few of their stores were in "specifically Jewish neighborhoods." All of their stores were closed on Saturday (Shomer Shabbos).{{cite magazine
|magazine=Commentary Magazine
|url=https://www.commentary.org/articles/morris-freedman/from-the-american-scene-orthodox-sweets-for-heterodox-new-york/
|title=From the American Scene: Orthodox Sweets for Heterodox New York
|author= Morris Freedman |date=March 1952 |access-date=October 31, 2022}} In 1981{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/09/realestate/postings-condos-plus.html
|title=Condos Plus
|author=Shawn G. Kennedy |date=June 9, 1985 |access-date=October 30, 2022}} a controlling share of Barton's was acquired by another firm.{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/06/business/company-news-barton-s-candy.html
|title=Barton's Candy |date=May 6, 1981 |access-date=October 30, 2022}}
File:Altmann_%26_K%C3%BChne_Graben_Wien.jpg
In 2011, the entire company was purchased by Bazzini, an 1886-founded nut, fruit and chocolate company;{{cite news |newspaper=Bronx Times
|url=https://www.bxtimes.com/new-law-forces-bazzini-nuts-to-pa
|title=New Law Forces Bazzini Nuts to PA – Bronx Times
|last=Weisbrod |first=Bill |access-date=August 15, 2021 |language=en-US
|archive-date=August 15, 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815221128/https://www.bxtimes.com/new-law-forces-bazzini-nuts-to-pa
|url-status=live}} a 2022 Jerusalem Post item wrote of "the now gone Barton's confectioners."{{cite news |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post
|url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-703035
|title=A defense of a kitniyot-free Passover
|quote=the now gone Barton’s confectioners (distributors of the 'Passover chocolate of choice').
|author=Barry Newman |date=April 2, 2022 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}{{cite news |newspaper=The Jewish Press
|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/books/book-reviews/the-story-of-an-iconic-store/2022/08/25
|title=The Story Of An Iconic Store
|quote=1970s and 80s .. Many businesses from these decades, .. Barton’s .. no longer exist.
|author=Avigayil Perry |date=August 25, 2022 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}
Centuries
The Jewish Chronicle newspaper wrote about Barton's in 2021 and added that "Jewish entrepreneurs had been involved in the chocolate trade for centuries."{{cite news |newspaper=The Jewish Chronicle
|url=https://www.thejc.com/life-and-culture/all/chocolate-guilt-chocolate-gelt-4zmB0MC0C22Tk1lCWMZm6f
|title=Chocolate guilt, chocolate Gelt |author=Michael Leventhal
|date=November 26, 2021 |access-date=October 30, 2022}} Klein's family developed some of its expertise in an Austrian company named Altmann & Kühne,{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/12/03/archives/hotel-store-and-apartment-properties-figuring-in-manhattan-real.html
|title=Kuhne, Hotel, Store and Apartment Properties |date=December 3, 1939}} much of which relocated from pre-World War II Europe to the United States.{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/12/12/archives/open-novel-candy-store-here.html
|title=Altmann & Kuhne Open Novel Candy Store Here |date=December 12, 1939}} By 1952 they had seven stores in Detroit.
Part of the company's 1950s{{citation |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/20/archives/workers-honor-bartons-candy-company-gets-plaque-for-harmony-with.html
|title=WORKERS HONOR BARTON'S; Candy Company Gets Plaque for Harmony With Employes
|date=June 20, 1951}} and 1960s{{citation |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/08/archives/bartons-candy-corp-names-vice-president.html
|title=Barton's Candy Corp. Names Vice President
|date=May 8, 1964 |access-date=October 30, 2022}}{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/17/archives/bartons-candy-studying-shift-of-stores-to-a-franchise-basis.html
|title=Barton's Candy Studying Shift Of Stores to a Franchise Basis
|date=April 17, 1962 |access-date=October 30, 2022}} growth{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/07/archives/bartons-sweetens-downtown-plan.html
|title=Barton's Sweetens Downtown Plan
|author=David C. Berliner |date=January 7, 1973 |access-date=October 30, 2022}} was due to competitions in Jewish schools among classes, competing for prizes for selling the most Barton's products.{{cite web |website=JTA.org (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
|url=https://www.jta.org/2013/10/01/ny/heckled-by-an-old-jewish-lady
|title=Heckled By An Old Jewish Lady
|quote=as a kid, I sold Barton’s Candy door-to-door .. to raise money for my Jewish day school
|author=Joel Chasnoff |date=October 1, 2013 |access-date=November 1, 2022}} "Generations of Jewish children sold Barton's candies as fundraisers," which was in part fueled by Klein's involvement with "philanthropic activities ... promoting Orthodox Jewish education."
It also helped that Barton's refused to water down the "mouth feel of chocolate" even as other companies were incorporating the use of synthetic ingredients in their products.
{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/22/archives/beating-the-high-cost-of-cocoa-beans.html
|title=Beating the High Cost of Cocoa Beans
|author=Nadine Brozan |date=July 22, 1974 |access-date=October 30, 2022}}
Promotional Book of Esther scroll
A cylinder containing a 4.5 inch scroll 1953-copyrighted Megillas Esther was distributed "throughout the 1950s and 60s with the same copyright date" with the container saying:
- Book of Esther in English, Megilas Esther in Hebrew
- Happy Purim
- Barton’s Bonbonnieres.{{cite news |newspaper=The Jewish Press
|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/features-on-jewish-world/a-vintage-matzah-box-a-bartons-megillah/2022/08/12/
|title=A Vintage Matzah Box & A Barton's Megillah
|author=Tsadik Kaplan |author2=Herman Lurie |date=August 12, 2022 |access-date=November 1, 2022}} The top of the cylinder had the words "Famous for Continental Chocolate."
Recall
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) praised the company's quick reaction in recalling about 4,000 two pound tins of fruitcakes when "a few samples" were found to have a problem; "most Barton's fruitcakes on the market were not contaminated."{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/23/archives/fruitcakes-are-recalled-because-a-few-are-unfit.html
|title=Fruitcakes Are Recalled Because a Few Are Unfit
|date=December 23, 1971 |access-date=October 30, 2022}}
Kashrut
While all Barton's products are kosher,{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/18/archives/calling-it-kosher-how-to-and-why-the-cost-to-birdseye-is-0000065c.html
|title=Calling It Kosher: How to and Why
|author=Leonard Sloane |date=May 18, 1975 |access-date=November 2, 2022}} not all of them are kosher for passover: some of them have flour ingredients.{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/13/archives/metropolitan-briefs-gov-grasso-threatens-tax-veto-bartons-candy.html
|title=Metropolitan Briefs |quote=bags of flour used by the company
|date=March 13, 1976 |access-date=November 2, 2022}} The Orthodox Union certification covers chocolate and candy items that are Pareve and dairy chocolate; they also supervise kosher-for-passover offerings.{{cite web |url=http://www.ou.org/pdf/daf/5763/Daf%2011-6.pdf
|title=PUBLICATIONS THE OU-P WHAT'S NEW FOR '03?}}{{cite web |website=JTA.org (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
|url=https://www.jta.org/2016/04/17/culture/go-on-treat-your-passover-seder-host-heres-how
|title=Go on, treat your Passover seder host. Here's how.
|author=Lisa Keys |date=April 17, 2016 |access-date=November 1, 2022}} A 2-part article noted that
"even its Easter chocolates were kosher for Passover."{{cite magazine
|magazine=Atlantic magazine
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/04/a-seder-different-from-all-other-seders/7340/
|title=A Seder Different From All Other Seders
|author=Jeffrey Yoskowitz |date=April 8, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}
The Atlantic magazine wrote in 2009 that Barton's initially "rejected OU certification"
but yielded when faced with competition from Barricini.{{cite magazine
|magazine=Atlantic magazine
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/04/the-kosher-chocolate-wars/13045
|title=The Kosher Chocolate Wars
|author=Jeffrey Yoskowitz |date=April 15, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}
Corporation
Former 2-term Congressman Herbert Tenzer was instrumental in helping the former Barton's Bonbonnieres expand, and served as chairman of the board of directors for two decades.{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/25/obituaries/herbert-tenzer-ex-congressman-and-philanthropist-is-dead-at-87.html
|title=Herbert Tenzer, Ex-Congressman And Philanthropist, Is Dead at 87
|author=Wolfgang Saxon |date=March 25, 1993 |access-date=October 31, 2022}}By 1964, "Former" Chairman: {{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/12/businessman-seeks-to-upset-aide-to-carlino-in-5th.html
|title=Businessman Seeks to Upset Aide to Carlino in 5th |quote=former board chairman of Barton's Candy Corporation
|author=Clarence Dean |date=October 12, 1964 |access-date=November 2, 2022}} Founder Stephen Klein's son George Klein became President/CEO in 1972.{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/23/archives/executive-changes.html
|title=Executive changes |date=February 23, 1972 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}
The company founders' real estate interests and community involvement led to the company's pair of large buildings benefitting the City of New York's attempts{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/06/17/archives/brooklyn-renewal-slowly-advances-brooklyn-renewal-slowly-advances.html
|title=Brooklyn Renewal Slowly Advances
|author=Robert E. Tomasson |date=June 17, 1973 |access-date=November 2, 2022}} to "emancipate Brooklyn from its commercial bondage to Manhattan."{{cite news
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/09/nyregion/mall-stands-alone-in-brooklyn-renaissance.html
|title=Mall Stands Alone in Brooklyn 'Renaissance'
|author=Frank J. Prial |date=April 9, 1982 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/25/archives/brooklyn-renewal-urban-cinderella-downtown-brooklyn-planners.html
|title=Brooklyn Renewal: Urban Cinderella?
|quote=George and Stephen Klein ... The Kleins .. to develop the remaining corners of Fulton and Flatbush
|author=Steven R. Weisman |date=April 25, 1971 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/09/archives/for-brooklyn-industry-a-mixed-report-a-mixed-report-for-industry.html
|title=For Brooklyn Industry, a Mixed Report |quote=But I happen to think it is going to work.
|author=David E. Shipler |date=April 9, 1972 |access-date=November 2, 2022}}{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/16/archives/renewal-project-nears-approval-17block-complex-is-urged-for.html
|title=Renewal Project Nears Approval |date=July 16, 1970}}