A Candyfreak Shares His Sweet Obsession

Steve Almond hates coconut and despises Twizzlers, but he loves every other type of candy. And in his new book, Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America (Algonquin), which is the number one May Book Sense Pick, Almond recounts his fascinating and sweet-laden tour of eight American candy factories, from Idaho to San Francisco, Vermont to Tennessee. Much to the author's delight, he was able to taste candies right off the assembly line -- and take a closer look at the history and future of the candy business in America.

Almond, the author of the short-story collection My Life in Heavy Metal (a 2002 May/June Top Ten Book Sense 76 Pick), is no stranger to writing about sensuality. While in Heavy Metal he focused on sex, in Candyfreak he rhapsodizes about the feel of melting chocolate on his tongue and the shock of pleasure he got while watching candy centers become enrobed by their thick, velvety chocolate coating.

Almond said he's been a freak for candy since childhood. As an adult, he eats at least one piece of the stuff each day and has several pounds of candy in his home at all times. (And no, he won't share his stash of dark chocolate Kit Kats.) Of Candyfreak, he said, "I did this by the seat of my pants. I didn't have a proposal or an agent. I just figured I love candy, and I have to write toward my obsession."

He's not alone in his obsession, either. Almond said, "I did readings for My Life in Heavy Metal, and I'd mention I was working on a book about candy. Despite the fact we might've been discussing sex, nobody wanted to talk about it anymore. All of a sudden I was in a weird position, thinking, Can't you people get candy off your minds?" It was then, Almond said, that he realized that for many people, candy is their "first version of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. They remember their first candy bar, and they want to talk about it … like group therapy with sugar."

Candyfreak also served as a bit of therapy for Almond. When he left for his factory tour, he said, he was depressed at his failure to write a novel. "I was profoundly unhappy during the trip. What kept me going was that I could go to a candy factory the next day," he explained.

At the factories, Almond met the stalwarts and the visionaries of the independent candy companies that dot the American landscape. He met a candy historian, several candy engineers, and had the privilege of strolling hallways that smelled like chocolate. He also got to sample freshly made Twin Bings and Valomilks.

As with other businesses, Almond noted, the candy industry is undergoing massive consolidation, and the independent companies -- many of which are family-owned -- are struggling to survive. In the years between World War I and the Great Depression, after a young immigrant named Milton S. Hershey brought the candy bar concept to America, more than 30,000 candy-bar brands made their debut. Since then, those numbers have dwindled, and the big three -- Hershey, Nestle, Mars -- produce the majority of the candies we see on store shelves today. Those three companies are typically the only ones who can afford to pay the slotting fees that garner their products a spot on in-store racks, as well as storage space in retailers' warehouses. Small companies have turned to contracting work (they'll produce diet bars or candies for other companies) to increase their income.

Almond said that, as a result of his research, his perceptions of candy-racks have changed. "Now I look to see where [the candy] was made, and note where it is on the rack. I have a new way of looking at retail real estate."

And, he added, he feels conflicted about consuming candy bars at all: "It's really wrong to like chocolate. It's like being a meat-eater -- it's predicated on other people's suffering for your luxury. On the Ivory Coast, parents are selling their kids into slavery to harvest my Snickers bar." But, he conceded, "There's no way to get around that. Everyone in the West is living high off the hog in an unsustainable way…. My hope is that people will think about that piece of chocolate, which is now an unconscious luxury, and realize how lucky we are to live in this time, to have this amazing confection."

Almond felt lucky, too, that the candy companies were willing to take the time to meet with him, and share with him their histories, processes, and dreams. "I'm an indie guy … I was just enchanted these folks were willing to meet with me."

They're willing, too, to donate candy for Almond's author tour. He'll be visiting, as of press time, 27 independent bookstores around the country where attendees will be able to participate in a Q&A session, as well as a candy tasting. "If I'm reading about particular candies, I want people to be able to actually taste them," he said. It will, of course, be a "coconut-free zone." (For more about Almond's bookstore tour, visit www.stevenalmond.com for details.) --Linda M. Castellitto