Golden Grove Candy Company began in 2007 when its founder, Lee Swinson, purchased the Mt. Olive Candy Company. Lee is a peanut farmer in Eastern North Carolina and uses the Carolina/Virginia-style peanuts grown on his farm to make the Carolina Crisp Peanut Bar.
The Carolina Crisp Peanut Bar is a local treat that has been around for over 30 years. They are handmade, using copper kettles to cook the syrup, while the peanuts are double-roasted. This gives them a rich flavor not found in other brands. After the peanuts and syrup are mixed together, they are poured onto marble cooling tables where they are cut into bar sized squares.
Lee Swinson started helping his dad in the tobacco fields when he was only 5 years old. In 1994, at the age of 12, this young farmer rented 20 acres to grow cotton. Over the years he increased his acreage and experimented with various crops. In 2005 he found his niche, growing peanuts. When a nearby candy company came up for sale in 2007, he jumped at the opportunity to grow the peanut business with a diversified, value-added product line by making peanut candies. Peanut farmer and owner of Golden Grove Candy Company, Swinson was a recipient of the 2009 N.C. Value-Added Cost Share (NCVACS) award. His cost share is valued at $3,500 to defray the cost of a professional grant writer who will help apply for the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG).
Lee Swinson Recipient of 2009 Value-Added Cost Share (NCVACS) award. Read more…
Raleigh’s News & Observer Readers Rate Favorites as published September 8, 2010
