Minnesota has lost a 67-year-old candy-making landmark, the latest in a string of longtime food factory closures affecting workers around the country. Pearson’s Candy Company ended production at its St. Paul manufacturing plant on September 28, 2026, closing the West Seventh Street factory where generations of Minnesotans made Salted Nut Roll, Nut Goodie and other familiar sweets.
Roughly 80 jobs are being eliminated in connection with the shutdown. An updated Minnesota WARN notice shows that some employees are staying on temporarily for wind-down work, including workers whose termination dates were moved to October 31 and another employee scheduled to remain through November 24.
A 67-year-old St. Paul factory closes
Pearson’s roots stretch back much further than the plant itself. The company traces its history to 1909, when P. Edward Pearson started a confectionery distribution business in Minneapolis with his brothers. Nut Goodie arrived in 1912, followed by the Salted Nut Roll in 1933…