Confectionary says they have seen tremendous sales growth
PETOSKEY -- If there is one thing most people have in common, it's their craving for sweets.
Don McCarty, president of Petoskey-based Kilwin's Choclates, knows first hand.
"Our sales are about 20 times they were when we moved into this facility 25 years ago and we anticipate continued growth," McCarty said.
As sales have continued to grow over the years, McCarty says they're at the limits of space.
That's why they've got their eye on the former Olesen's supermarket store in Petoskey. That is where McCarty says they're hoping to make their new home. The building would triple the amount of space available for candy production and open up more room to host a retail store and tours of the public.
"The vision is to have a brand new ultra clean facility that we're super proud of that's making the highest quality products you can get anywhere," McCarty said.
But, making the move is easier said than done; here's why. Kilwin's Chocolates has nearly 70 stores nationwide. Products for those stores are manufactured at their Petoskey facility.
"We can make the move over there and we can do what we're doing at this facility but there's a question as to whether or not we can manufacture for distribution," McCarty said.
The Petoskey City Council is now considering a re-zoning request that would allow the company to manufacture their candy not only for on site sales, but for off site sales as well; just like they do now.
"I'm very optimistic about the whole project. I think it's good for us, it's good for the community, and we're looking forward to working through the process to see if it works for everybody and if it does we certainly want to be there," McCarty said.
While the Petoskey City Council considers the re-zoning request, McCarty says if given the final approval it would be approximately 12 months before the new facility was fully functioning.
Currently, Kilwin's Chocolates employs about 40 full time workers at its Petoskey facility. McCarty says with the move to the new building, he would expect that number to double over the next five years.
