In the 11th edition of “Chocolate Candy Market in the U.S.,” Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, reports that premium chocolate makes up just 18 percent of total chocolate dollar sales and 14 percent of unit sales, but it still leads the way in developing flavor trends and new product formulations, particularly in the use of clean-label ingredients.

Pfluger cited the fact that there’s a Midwestern attitude at the Russell Stover's; one that’s grounded in substance, one where people value content over noise.

Russell Stover Candies has received citations from the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for an incident in September that closed a manufacturing plant in Iola, Kan. for more than two hours.

“The ‘secret’ to our success is taste; we are acknowledged as having the best tasting sugar-free [candy] available in the marketplace,” says Mark Sesler,of Russell Stover.

Tuttle died Dec. 7 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo. from complications of pneumonia. He was 58.