Butterfields Candy brings back nostalgic ‘Peach Buds’

Butterfields Candy in Nashville, N.C., has been “disappearing from candy jars since 1924.”

It’s been a curious journey for this small business with no apostrophe. The company itself almost went kapoof a few years ago.

 

The Butterfields story began 98 years ago in Winston-Salem with the birth in 1924 of the Cane Candy Co., a family-owned confectionery. Through the years, the business changed hands and relocated several times, eventually landing in Nashville in Nash County in 1994. 

It was renamed Butterfields in a rebranding campaign in 1998. Butterfields was known for its hard candy “buds” in assorted fruit flavors. 

National attention for the candies came in 2007, when celebrity chef Rachael Ray declared Butterfields buds to be one of her “favorite snacks” on her syndicated television show.

 

Rachael Ray

The Butterfields website tells us more: “After enjoying decades of success and growth, Butterfields changed ownership in 2012. At the time, the factory was in financial peril and near being forced to close due to the recession.” 

Loyal customer Dena Manning stepped in to scoop up and rescue the Butterfields brand.

 

Dena Manning

She said: “Butterfields Candy buds provided my mother and I simple comfort and joy while she was fighting a battle with ovarian cancer.” 

“Lemon Buds packed a big burst of fruit flavor that would give Mom a real boost while she was in treatment. A little comfort goes a long way in those conditions and sharing Lemon Buds helped us continue to share good memories, laughter and smiles.” 

Thus, Manning was spiritually moved to pour her heart and soul into rebuilding Butterfields. In so doing, she performed a national act of “public service” by preserving the flagship brand – Peach Buds. 

“Peach Buds’ delicate bouquet of fresh, ripe, peachy tang, mixed with the sweet dab of smooth, creamy coconut, is a perfect combination of flavors making it a gourmet favorite for almost a century,” Manning said. 

Other favorite flavors include Key Lime, Lemon, Honeybell Orange, Ginger, Cherry and Muscadine.

 

“Our old-fashioned hard candy is handcrafted in well-worn, vintage copper kettles, using time honored recipes,” Manning said. “A true candy connoisseur would expect no less.” 

The candy makers are viewed as artisans. They make candies in small batches offering “unmatched flavor and texture, leaving you with the impression of enjoying a fresh, juicy piece of fruit right off the tree,” Manning said.   

Mimi Montgomery, a contributor to Walter magazine of Raleigh, wrote: “When you walk into the Butterfields Candy factory, the first thing that hits you is the smell, sweet and delicious.”

 

Manning acknowledged that the air is filled with sugar all the time. Even her scruffy-bearded son, Harry, who has learned the art of candy-making, “always smell sugary.” 

“Each candy has an individual shape, all using vintage machinery. Hand stirred and hand folded then cut into buds,” she added. 

The only thing that’s changed has been the Butterfields image. “We looked to Raleigh graphic designer Dan Early to create the colorful fruit art for our upgraded packaging,” Manning said. 

Consumers have responded favorably – both with nostalgic messages and to suggest new applications for the morsels. Some have recommended adding Key Lime Buds to vodka or Peach Buds to champagne. 

“I’ve even heard from a North Carolina microbrewery about using buds to create special, fruity craft beers,” Manning said. 

Nashville community members have dubbed Dena Manning as their “Candy Lady.” 

They’ll be working hard to ensure that Butterfields gets nominated in 2022 as North Carolina’s “coolest manufacturer,” in an online contest promoted by the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce.