The World's Best
The History of Old Monmouth Candies
or, "The Sweetening of Monmouth County, in a Nutshell"
In 1939, Lou Dey and Warren "Porky" Prest went in to business together, opening a luncheonette located on Main Street in Freehold, NJ. Lou Dey, being an old German candymaker, would whip up batches of different candies when business was slow. Most notably a peanut brittle, using a recipe that he had been working with since 1910. Eventually, people starting coming in more and more just for the candy.
So in 1948, they built the factory on Park Avenue (now also known as Business 33) in Freehold. A building devoted solely to making Old Monmouth Peanut Brittle and other delicious candies.
In 1967 Harold Gunther, Warren Prest's son-in-law, learned how to make the brittle and began working at Old Monmouth and by 1970 was working there full time.
At that time, Old Monmouth Peanut Brittle was one of the only fund raisers available for area groups. When the peanut brittle was in production, it was quite common for groups to be literally waiting at the door to load up the fresh cases of brittle.
Lou Dey worked into his eighties, and finally retired from the candy making business in 1975. Eight years later, in 1983, Harold Gunther took over the reigns of the family business. Although, over the next decade and a half, it was not uncommon to see Porky around during the busy Easter season, making sure that things were running along smoothly.
In 2003, Steve and David Gunther started working full time at Old Monmouth, becoming the third generation of candy makers in the family, proudly carrying on the traditions set forth nearly seventy years earlier.
Then, in 2008, two very important things happened. The first was being awarded the New Jersey Family Business of the Year award. The second was converting the 60 year old factory over entirely to solar power. 265 solar panels on the roof of our facility now provide all of the electricity needed to run Old Monmouth Candies. So yes, we have gone green.
We still use the same all natural recipes and techniques that were used back in 1939. Still made entirely by hand. Still using the finest ingredients available.
As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."