Since moving to its new home in Cranford, N.J. a year ago, Kopper’s Chocolate has tripled its production capacity and introduced other initiatives designed to strengthen its position as a confectionery manufacturer.
Founded in 1937, Kopper’s Chocolate began making panned chocolates — also known as “dragees” — in an eight-story building in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The company began producing candy-coated lentils in 1938, three years before Mars began making M&M’S.
In 2016, Nuts.com, a third-generation distributor of bulk nuts, fruits and sweets, bought Kopper’s Chocolate. Kopper’s, in need of more elbow room, moved from New York to a 130,000-sq.-ft. facility in Cranford, where Nuts.com is based. Kopper's still maintains the same manufacturing process, ingredients and people to remain true to its history of producing quality products.
Since the move, Kopper’s has finalized its SQF Level 2 certification and created 22 new products, 19 of which are certified organic, making Kopper's the largest manufacturer of organic panned chocolates in the United States.
“We've spent the last year really listening to our customers, and it was important for us to be able to deliver the kind of service and products that they've been asking for,” said Mike Davis, v.p. of sales at Nuts.com and Kopper's Chocolate.
Kopper's is distributed nationally through its owned-and-operated distribution centers in New Jersey, Nevada and Indiana, providing one-day delivery to more than half of the United States and 2-3 day delivery to nearly everyone. Kopper's also has announced a new freight program that promises delivered pricing with a $250 minimum purchase.
Early next year, Kopper's will shift to hormone-free chocolate and will introduce new packaging. In total, by early 2018, Kopper's will have next-day shipping to 80 percent of the United States.
