Founded in 1953, Duerr Packaging is an independent, family-operated company now well into its second generation. Based in Western Pennsylvania, it runs separate paperboard and plastics plants and serves customers across the United States as well as several foreign countries. The company is particularly associated with custom candy packaging, including its distinctive heart boxes.
Philadelphia CandiesFounded in 1919 in western Pennsylvania’s Shenango Valley, Philadelphia Candies makes milk and dark chocolates in-house from scratch, including its signature soft-centered creams and chocolate-covered snacks. The company still works in small batches and hand-packs customizable boxes at its Pennsylvania factory, while supporting organizations through chocolate-bar fundraising.HERMITAGE, PA
Gardners Candies IncSince 1897, Gardners Candies has been making chocolate confections in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, growing from Pike Gardner’s horse-drawn candy wagon into a producer known for its Original Peanut Butter Meltaway®. The company’s history also reaches into everyday American tradition: its early decorative candy boxes helped inspire the heart-shaped box associated with Valentine’s Day. Now part of the Sarris Family Company, Gardners operates stores across Central Pennsylvania and supports hundreds of organizations through its fundraising program.311352TYRONE, PA
Friendly City Box CompanyFounded in Johnstown in 1927 as a maker of wooden cigar boxes, Friendly City Box Company now manufactures custom folding cartons and specialty packaging for customers nationwide. The Blackburn family still leads the fourth-generation business, which operates from a 100,000-plus-square-foot facility producing more than 25 million boxes annually. Its long-serving workforce includes employees with 20 to 40 years at the company, pairing modern production capacity with experience built over nearly a century.JOHNSTOWN, PA
Dee Packaging SolutionsFounded by Max Dee in 1919, Dee Packaging Solutions is an employee-owned company whose century-long history began in specialty paper products and grew with the folding-carton industry. From its 100,000-square-foot facility near Philadelphia, the company creates paperboard folding cartons for brands that need packaging tailored to their products and customers.CHESTER, PA