- 1911
- Early 1920's
- 1968
- 1980's
The Davis Candy Company; A 100 Year Legacy
Simple natural ingredients pay tribute and honor to a legacy that started over 100 years ago. The Davis Candy story starts in 1911 and continues today with the same family traditions. The Davis Candy name continues to make tasty confections in small batches, with the highest attention to quality. It is our wish that we provide our customers with the very best confections and sincerely hope you enjoy our candy as much as we enjoy making it for you.
1890’s
It all started in 1894 when Joe Davis was an apprentice at at Brownfield-Hubbard Candy Company in Chillicothe, Missouri. It was a flourishing candy business and soon a second location was opened in Iola Kansas in 1900. But this time it bore his name, Brownfield-Davis Candy Company. Through hard work, persistence and pursuit of quality candy Brownfield-Davis Candy quickly became a household name and the largest Candy company in the state of Kansas.
1911-1924
The entrepreneurial spirit beckoned Joe to start out on his own so he traveled to Springfield, Missouri in 1911. And so Davis Candy Company Manufacturers of Pure Sweets was started on Jefferson avenue. After much success in the candy business it was time to expand to a new 18,000 square foot factory on Boonville Avenue. The year was 1924 and production was at 8,000 pounds of candy that was handmade each day. There was so much demand for Pure Sweets that supplies where brought in by the boxcar loads. One of their specialties was peanut brittle.
Joe’s son, Paul was called to serve in World War II. During this time the store was downsized to a retail shop on Walnut Street to make it more manageable for Joe to operate. When Paul came back from the war he resumed the business of making quality candy by hand.
1955-1968 Paul was now in charge of the Davis Candy legacy and in 1968 he would join forces with a budding theme park in Branson Missouri for guidance in the art of candy making. Paul helped to create an interactive, authentic demonstration of true candy making that is still enjoyed today.
1970’s-today
Fast forward to 1974, Paul would open a new candy store called Grandpa Davis Candies in a craft village called Mutton Hollow. After several years in the business at Mutton Hollow, it would be time to plan his retirement from making candy. This is when Rocky Johnson would take over the business. Rocky already had a vast knowledge of the art of candy making that made him a perfect fit. Paul shared all of his families recipes that makes Davis candy melt-in-your mouth confectionary goodness. You can buy the famous Peanut brittle online at www.DavisPureSweets.com or visit our store in Downtown Branson for a demonstration of candy making from years gone by.