It takes a lot more than a steady stream of sugar to keep a business going for more than a century — though the sweet stuff is the specialty at the General Candy Co. in Tower Grove South.
“We’re supplying happy,” said Bill Hellwege, who is the third-generation owner along with his brother Jack.
That’s not just a one-off statement. It’s a take on a motto his uncle coined for the business.
“Kids love candy, and adults do, too. It’s something that you don't grow out of,” said Hellwege, who himself certainly hasn’t.
General Candy Co. is marking 101 years of family ownership in 2025 by doing what it has always done: stocking local shops, concessions and small businesses with snacks, sweets and other vending items. This time of year, the warehouse is also busy with individual shoppers preparing for Halloween.
“Some of them go overboard,” said Hellwege. “You'd be surprised how many people come in, for candy to give out of their house, and they'll spend hundreds of dollars and not blink an eye.”
There has never been much of an advertising budget, with most business for the eight-employee company coming via word of mouth or left over from the decades when General Candy salesmen hit the streets. But recently, the warehouse has picked up foot traffic after being featured in a few social media posts that went viral locally.
“I love to spoil my babies in the neighborhood, so I wanted to come get them some good candy,” said Tanya King, who drove in from O’Fallon, Illinois, after seeing the store on TikTok. She had barely made it halfway through the warehouse aisles before her cart was filled with hard candies, Skittles, gummies and some “old-school candy” King is contemplating saving for herself. ”You just can't come here if you have a sweet tooth,” she said with a laugh.
Hellwege’s taste for the sweets business was inherited.
“My grandfather, also named Bill, was a customer of General Candy, and he was what they call a ‘wagon jobber,’ which meant he would come to General Candy, load up his truck with candy and merchandise that he knew his customers would need, and then he would go out in the field and service his customers the [items] right out of his truck.”
Hellwege said that when that owner planned to retire, Grandpa Bill borrowed some money and bought the business.
Growing up as a kid in a candy store, sometimes selling wares from the store on the grade school playground, Hellwege said he always knew he wanted to run the company. He studied business in college and went to work in the Tower Grove South office in 1975. He’s been there ever since.
“It seems like there’s always something new and exciting,” he said. “I like my job. I wouldn't be here 50 years if I didn’t.”
Hellwege shares his generation’s nostalgia for how inexpensive a candy bar used to be and remembers how kids had to become savvier consumers when their school cafeterias stopped stocking so many sugary snacks and they began to frequent neighborhood convenience stores. In all of those times, Hellwege noted, the business has remained relatively steady.
“The demand is always there,” he said. “I think people still just want their little treat.”
The vintage sweets, like Bit-O-Honey, rock candy and old-fashioned turtles, help set General Candy apart from competitors Sam’s Club and Costco. It also takes smaller orders, which is important for small-business owners working on thin margins. Barbi Francis, owner of Sugar Shack in Kirkwood, frequently visits the warehouse to keep her shelves stocked.
“Every penny counts when you're in the penny candy business,” said Francis.
That’s also why it’s important for Hellwege to be thoughtful about the items the business stocks.
“Of course, whenever a new item comes in, I have to try it. I have to know what I'm selling,” he said.
He’s seen customer tastes evolve and embraced trends, like sour or gummy candies, or items that play on “gross” themes. (He points to a dip-in-sugar style candy that’s shaped like a toilet.)
They might not be Hellwege’s personal preference, but a salesman has to think like the customers — and for a candy salesman, that means thinking like a kid.
“That's what makes this job even more fun,” he said.
The reality is he and Jack are both closer to retirement than to their trick or treating days, which will likely mean selling the company, eventually. But they still have a few more Halloweens in them.
“It's candy. It's fun. No, it's not brain surgery, we’re having fun,” said Hellwege. “And business is good.”
