How Are Candy Canes Made? A Visit to Logan’s Candies

How are the candy canes are made? We visited Logan’s Candies candy demonstration in Ontario, California to try it out ourselves.

For several years now we have been thinking about going to Logan’s Candies Candy Cane demonstration in Ontario, California. They are held in November and December, and the tickets sell out within the same day they are released for sale.

This year we managed to snatch some tickets and were able to see the secrets candy making in first hand. We had such a great time and also bought some sweets on our drive back home from Southern California.

Ontario is located in San Bernardino County about 35 miles (56 km) from downtown Los Angeles. You might of come across the Ontario International Airport in the same city if you have looked for flights to California, as it is one of the busiest ones in the state.

Ontario is often also referred as a “gateway to Southern California”.

Logan’s Candies is right in downtown of Ontario and very easy to find. There was a public parking space behind the building or you can just park along the road.

Logan’s Candies

Logan’s Candies is a family owned business which was first opened in 1933. The current owner, Jerry Rowley started working in the candy store when he was 12 and saw it change owners several times.

Jerry finally took the business over with his wife Susie in 1982 when he was just 19 years old. He and his family has been running it ever since.

Logan’s Candies make over 200 different kinds of candies for sale. Among the candy canes they also have candy pillows, candy ribbons and caramel apples. We also bought some fresh fudge which they had in many different flavours.

Out of the candies that were sold there but were not locally made I was happy to see some Scandinavian black liquorice which I always buy when we visit Finland during the summer time. They also had many sour candies.

Candy Cane making Demonstration

Seeing how candy canes were made was really interesting and fun. The whole demonstration took about 45 minutes and we got to watch it from very close behind a glass window.

You can either watch outside or inside, and they even had a little TV were you could see what was happening. They also tell you about the candy making process throughout the demonstration so that it is easier to follow.

It all starts with boiling some sugar, water and corn syrup to over 320F. Then the mixture is poured out onto a marble table until it cools off and hardens a little bit, and then divided into parts. These parts get different colours and flavours added in.

The traditional peppermint flavored red and white candy cane is the most sold item at Logan’s Candies at Christmas season, but we got to try something totally different. During this demonstration the flavours were coconut and pineapple, and it turned out to be quite delicious.

All the other colors are added as a color extract except white. That color forms naturally in the sugar by pulling and folding the dough on a hook they had on the wall.

After that, different colored candy dough pieces are layered on top of each other and rolled into a thinner stick. This stick is then cut into shorter pieces and bent into a candy cane shape.

On our candy demonstration they also made some candy pillows. We got to taste them when they were still warm and quite soft, and they were delicious. I wish I could have my candy canes that fresh too!

After the actual demonstration was over we all got a warm candy stick that we could bend into a candy cane or to any shape we wanted. But you have to do it fast while they are still warm or they will break like some of ours did.

Among the canes we were able to make one fairly decent heart shaped candy cane.

A tip: If you don’t care about bending your own candy cane then you can just walk in and watch the demonstration for free and do some shopping. We didn’t know this beforehand, so we thought that the only way to see it was by purchasing a $5 ticket.

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Candy Canes actually originate from Germany. It is thought that the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral started giving some “sugar sticks” to kids during Christmas time, so they would sit quietly in church.

He then asked the candy maker to bend the sticks so that they would resemble the canes of the shepherds from the Christmas Gospel.

From Germany the candy canes spread to the rest of Europe, and later to the rest of the world.

You can find something similar to the candy cane making from a little town close to Pacific Coast Highway called Solvang. They have a store called Swedish Candy Factory where they do candy making demonstration for a candy very similar to candy canes; Polkagris.

Seeing candy canes made was quite fun and we all agreed that it was worth a stop even though we still had a very long drive head of us. And kids always love to experience something like this.

Another great place to see how candies are made in California is the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. We have been there several times and taken some of our foreign guests there. The factory tour is free and it is both very educational and fun.

For many people, the Jelly Belly Factory is along the way when you drive to Sacramento or to beautiful Lake Tahoe, and it makes a perfect little stop for the drive.

Have you ever visited a candy factory or made your own candy?