August 23, 2018

Henry’s Candy Company: A Sweet Treat

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Who can take a sunrise…sprinkle it with dew..cover it in chocolate and a miracle, or two? The candy man, the candy man can! As a young girl, my favorite movie was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Well, actually, it is still one of my favorites! I am from Kansas, and very proud to say that we have our own candy factory (on a much smaller and more realistic scale) right here in our own state! Let me introduce you to Henry’s Candy Company in Dexter, Kansas. 🙂

Henry’s Candy Company is located at 21172 K-15 Highway in Dexter, Kansas. Dexter is a town with a population of 278 (at last census), and is located about an hour southeast of Wichita. Although I had heard the candy factory mentioned numerous times throughout the years, we never actually made the short roadtrip to check it out until we happened upon it while traveling through. Of course, we HAD to stop and see what a real candy factory looked like. Better late than never, and I have returned several times since then.

History of Henry’s Candy Company

Some of you (especially those my age or older) may remember the “Oh Henry” candy bar . Tom Henry invented this candy bar back in 1919. He passed the candy making tradition on to his son, Pat Henry, Sr. The Henry’s have been making handmade candy since 1956 in Dexter, and this has been passed on through several generations.

Watch the Magic Happen

If you enjoy sweet treats, you’ll love what Henry’s has to offer. Fudge, chocolate covered peanuts, turtles, sugar coated drops, peach rings, gigantic lollipops, taffy, old fashioned candy sticks, log candy, pecan bars, peanut brittle, and ribbon candy are just a few of the candies made right before your eyes. What? Yes, these candies are made in front of your eyes. There are large glass windows that separate the store front and the big room where the “magic” happens. Customers are encouraged to watch the candy making process through the windows. If you visit on Sunday afternoons at 1:30 pm, you will usually see a scheduled demonstration, but can also catch them making the goodies at various times throughout the week. Call ahead at 620-876-5423 if you want to make sure you don’t miss out on the action!

Just some of the goodies made at Henry’s

Even if they don’t happen to be making candy when you drop in, there are oodles of sweets available for purchase at all times on the store shelves. You might even get a couple of samples if you ask at the register. On a recent visit we made to Henry’s on our way back from the Pioneer Woman Mercantile , my husband asked teasingly for samples, and they DID have samples to offer! In case you missed it, here is the post about our visit to Pioneer Woman. https://cookiesandcursewords.com/our-visit-to-the-pioneer-woman-mercantile-and-lodge

Store hours

Store hours are 8:30 am-5:00 pm (Monday through Saturday), and 9:00 am- 5:00 pm on Sunday. It’s true, they are open 7 days a week! Who else does that?

Shoppers inside the store. Notice the large glass windows where customers can watch the candy making process.

Just to clarify, I’m promoting Henry’s Candy Company strictly because it is a quaint little place with a world of history behind it..and they have fantastic candy! I am not receiving anything for this post, other than the satisfaction of keeping the word out about this gem. Some of the photographs I have included were taken myself, and others were borrowed from Henry’s Facebook page (with permission).

If you are anywhere in the area and looking for something to do with the kids or grandkids, take the journey to experience a little bit of magic and a whole lot of fun in Dexter, Kansas!