Enstrom Candies, Inc.
Grand Junction, Colo.
Doug Simons represents the third-generation of Enstrom’s Colorado-based, family-owned business, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Douglas S. Simons
Owner and President
Enstrom Candies, Inc.
Grand Junction, Colo.
Doug Simons represents the third-generation of Enstrom’s Colorado-based, family-owned business, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Having worked part time at Enstrom’s while attending Mesa College in the mid 70’s, Simons first exposure to the industry was mucking-out butter fat that had been tracked into the freezers. He later married Jamee Enstrom and joined the business full time in 1979.
Doug spent his formative years in the confectionery industry learning the art of candy making under the watchful tutelage of his father-in-law, Emil Enstrom and company founder, Chet Enstrom. He then worked his way through every aspect of the business, was named president of the company in 1986 and purchased the business in 1993. Simons was also the first in the family to have any formal confectionery training attending the Retail Confectioners International (RCI)’s Candy School in 1982.
Simons is credited with turning a “Mom and Pop” business into a competitive, high-quality producer of confections. Under his leadership, two plant expansions have been constructed and he has brought innovation through technological advancements to both mail-order and manufacturing. His quest for innovation eventually lead to the development of cutting-edge machinery to allow for continuous-production of Enstrom’s premiere product, World-Famous Almond Toffee.
“Enstrom’s success is due, in large part, to our unyielding commitment to quality” says Simons. “You can sell anyone once, but premium quality products will keep them coming back time and time again”.
He is currently the president of the Western Candy Conference and chaired last year’s conference in Hawaii. Simons served as a board member of RCI from 1991-2000 and was elected president in 1999. He also served on the National Confectioners Association (NCA)’s Board of Trustees from 2005-2008.
