Pearson's Candy Company closing St. Paul factory, laying off 80 workers

The St. Paul, Minnesota, factory that produces goods for the 117-year-old Pearson's Candy Company is closing at the end of September due to financial issues.

The company notified Minnesota officials that it plans to lay off 80 employees at the West Seventh Street facility by Sept. 28 because it does not have enough money to keep the plant running.

Pearson's Candy Company is best known for its Salted Nut Roll, which launched during the Great Depression. For a nickel, Minnesotans could get a candy bar packed with peanuts that would both satiate a sweet tooth and fill an empty stomach. 

For many, the Salted Nut Roll and Nut Goodie bars carried memories that lasted long after the wrapper was gone.

"A memory, a child fun memory," said Kay Moon. "My mom always ate the Nut Goodie bars, the maple, she loved that. It was always kind of a family treat."

Pearson's parent company, Promise Confections, said that it will "explore all options in order to make these legacy products." Some of Pearson's most iconic goods could be manufactured by a "strategic partner," the parent company said.