Meet Georgia’s oldest candy company
What should I take for a hostess gift? Or to celebrate a win at work? What can I share that would brighten someone’s day? For generations of Georgians, the answer has been the pecan rolls, divinity, pralines and brittle from Dillon Candy Company in Boston.
Candy made fresh daily
George Dillon started making candy in 1918 at a grocery store in Brunswick, where customers purchased his candy alongside staples like sugar and canned goods. By November 1921, he placed an ad in the Brunswick News promoting Dillon’s freshly made Pecan Rolls, sold at Brunswick Candy Kitchen.
When he retired from the candy business, George Dillon moved to Boston, midway between Thomasville and Quitman, with a plan to become a farmer. But soon, with his wife Lucile at his side, he was making candy again. When George died, their daughter Margaret Dillon Cook joined her mother in the Dillon Candy Company.
From stirring hot syrup to becoming president of the company
Growing up, Tom Cook, Margaret’s son, worked in the family business. He prepared the syrup for pecan and peanut brittles and stretched it into thin sheets. He worked on the pecan roll line with his grandmother, Lucile Dillon. When she tossed the caramel-dipped nougat centers onto a bed of pecan pieces, Cook would coat them in the pecans, making sure the rolls were evenly (and perfectly) covered.
It was one of the many experiences that prepared Cook to become the owner and president of the company 20 years later.
“When my mother came in, she focused on growing the business. She’d travel to trade shows in Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Mexico to introduce our candy to potential new customers. Her dedication to the business made an impression on me,“ Cook said.
”After graduating from the University of Georgia, I went to work outside the state. But when my wife Amy and I started growing our family, it was important to us to come back to Georgia.
“In 2001, I bought the business from my mother, and we’ve built our life here in Boston. We have three girls and maybe one, or all of them, will want to make candy."
Traditional Southern candies still made by hand
The company’s niche is producing old-fashioned candy. Cook says that many customers tell him the candy brings back memories of their childhood. “We’re making traditional Southern candy in small batches with attention to detail,” Cook said. “My grandmother used to say, ‘Candy recipes are a dime a dozen. The difference between good and great candy is in the detail and handling.’”
Inside today’s factory, the work of candy making hasn’t changed much since Cook was a teenager, although it’s a bigger operation with a little more machinery. “It’s still a business with a lot of hand work,” said Cook. For example, the hot brittle mixture is poured from a copper kettle onto the candy tables and then stretched by hand so the pieces are extra thin, and the pecan rolls are still hand dipped in caramel and hand rolled in pecan pieces.
From divinity to pumpkin-spiced pecans the product line has grown
“Our product line has grown and evolved over the years. Early on, my grandfather made divinity and then stopped. My mother started making it again about 30 years later,” Cook said. “And about 35 years ago, we started making chocolate-coated pecans. Now we also make chocolate-coated dried cherries and blueberries, pecans, almonds and peanuts.”
Cook said he is constantly thinking about new items his team can produce. “We do a lot of experimenting, and while there are some things you will never see, there are also things we think are just right,” Cook said. “We introduced peppermint divinity about fifteen years ago and we’re getting into more seasonal flavors like the citrus-flavored spring divinity we made last year. Pumpkin-spiced pecans are another of our new flavors.”
“I eat it every day.”
Has growing up around candy and working with it every day soured Cook on the company’s sweet treats? “No! I eat it every day, and that’s the truth,” Cook said. “Right now, my favorite may be our penuche pecan rolls with the brown sugar and subtle maple flavoring in the nougat. But truthfully, I like all of them.”
Cook is grateful to be able to continue the family’s tradition. “My wife Amy works alongside me, and we both feel it’s special to continue something that began with my grandmother and grandfather.”
Where to find Dillon Candy Company products
Customers in the area can drop by the factory store where they can purchase the company’s candy in individual packages or by the case, as well as shelled pecans, gift baskets and other Georgia-grown products. Those further away shop through the company’s website.
Their candy is also sold through retailers throughout the United States, in the Caribbean and Canada, with the widest distribution in the Southeast. Call the factory for help finding a store nearby.
Dillon Candy Company. 19927 U.S. Highway 84 E., Boston. 229-498-2051, dilloncandy.com
