MOOSIC, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A well-known candy factory has relocated in Lackawanna County keeping the making of the “Ring Pop” in our area.
Everybody recognizes the candy jewel of the ring pop. But did you know the origin of the sweet treat ties back to Lackawanna County in the 1970s?
“They produced four original flavors strawberry, watermelon, blue raspberry, and cherry. Those flavors are still made today.”
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Ring pop manufacturing plant director Carmen Gatto explains the growth of the candy has been exponential from its inception in Scranton to its new factory on Birney Avenue in Moosic.
The plant’s grand opening was held on Thursday. Just seven months after its Scranton facility closed its doors.
Many of those workers have been with the company for more than 50 years. Perfecting their skills.
The process of making a perfect ring pop and then wrapping it is astounding. They crank out a total of 512 ring pops per minute.
The candy gets cooked and deposited into the ring pop mold, where it gets a ring.
“It travels down a cooling tunnel for seven minutes, it takes that candy from roughly 300 degrees down to 75 degrees. Then it goes through metal detection, visual inspection and then wrapped.”
That completed product totals in the billions annually. To be packed up in NEPA and shipped worldwide putting the once-small factory on the map.
“The new plant, new us, the new location, all the attention is certainly spreading the news so we’re no longer the best-kept secret in Scranton.”
Plant officials say the new factory will allow them to expand its operations and open more employment opportunities.
