DeMet’s Candy Company

What DeMet’s Candy Company does

DeMet's Candy Company is a U.S. confectionery manufacturer and brand operator, founded in 1916 by George DeMet in Chicago, Illinois, and currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of pladis North America, Inc., headquartered in White Plains, New York. The company manufactures and markets the Turtles® brand of caramel nut clusters — a signature combination of crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and a chocolate shell — across four packaging formats: gift boxes (2.3oz and 4.6oz), sharing and family bags (5.9oz to 17.5oz), 3-piece and 4-piece bars, and 6.2oz minis bags, in flavors including Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel, and Peanut & Caramel.

The company sells through traditional U.S. retail distribution (grocery, convenience, and specialty retailers) supported by a where-to-buy store locator on its brand website, and operates a direct-to-consumer web presence primarily for brand information and consumer engagement via Instagram and Facebook. Revenue is generated through consumer packaged goods (CPG) candy sales across gifting, everyday snacking, and sharing occasions, with target customers being general consumers and gift buyers. The company is private, with no disclosed funding rounds, no standalone management team data, and no publicly disclosed pricing or revenue figures; strategic and operational decisions are made within the broader pladis confectionery group.

Name

DeMet’s Candy Company

Legal name

pladis North America, Inc.

Website

https://demetscandy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

DeMet's Candy Company manufactures and markets the Turtles® caramel nut cluster brand across U.S. retail and e-commerce, serving general consumers and gift buyers through formats including gift boxes, sharing bags, bars, and minis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stamford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Candy Sales: DeMet's Turtles generates revenue through the sale of chocolate confectionery products including caramel nut clusters, bars, minis, and gift boxes through retail distribution channels. The company sells directly to consumers via its website and through third-party retail partners including grocery stores, convenience stores, and specialty retailers across the United States.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DeMet's Candy Company manufactures and sells Turtles® caramel nut clusters — a chocolate confection combining crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and a chocolate shell. The product is offered in four packaging formats (Gift Boxes, Sharing/Family Bags, Bars, and Minis) and four flavors (Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel, and Peanut & Caramel). Products are distributed to US consumers through grocery, convenience, and specialty retailers, with a brand website providing product information and store locators.

Product overview

DeMet's Candy Company offers Turtles® caramel nut clusters as a unified confectionery product line spanning four distinct packaging formats: Gift Boxes (4.6oz and 2.3oz) for gifting occasions, Sharing and Family Bags (ranging from 5.9oz to 17.5oz) in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and sea salt caramel flavors, Bars (3-piece and 4-piece in both standard and king-size) available in milk chocolate, peanut & caramel, and sea salt caramel varieties, and Minis (6.2oz bags) for portable snacking. All products feature the signature combination of crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and a chocolate shell. The company was founded in 1916 by George DeMet in Chicago.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Turtles®: Classic caramel nut cluster candy featuring crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and a chocolate shell. Available in Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel, and Peanut Butter varieties in formats including Gift Boxes, Sharing Bags, Bars, and Minis.

Products and services

• Turtles Milk Chocolate Gift Box (4.6oz) Standard-sized gift box of Turtles caramel nut clusters (crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and milk chocolate shell), designed for gifting during holidays, celebrations, and graduations.
• Turtles Milk Chocolate Small Gift Box (2.3oz) Compact gift box of Turtles caramel nut clusters, sized for smaller gifts or personal indulgence.
• Turtles Milk Chocolate Family Bag (17.5oz) Large family-sized bag of Turtles Milk Chocolate caramel nut clusters with crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and milk chocolate.
• Turtles Milk Chocolate Sharing Bag (6.3oz) Medium-sized sharing bag of Turtles Milk Chocolate caramel nut clusters.
• Turtles Dark Chocolate Sharing Bag (5.9oz) Sharing bag of Turtles Dark Chocolate caramel nut clusters with crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and dark chocolate.
• Turtles Sea Salt Caramel Sharing Bag (5.9oz) Sharing bag of Turtles Sea Salt Caramel flavor featuring crunchy pecans, creamy caramel with sea salt, and chocolate.
• Turtles 3-piece Milk Chocolate Bar Turtles bar containing 3 pieces with crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and milk chocolate coating, designed for on-the-go or on-the-slow indulgence.
• Turtles 4-piece Milk Chocolate Bar (King Size) Larger Turtles bar containing 4 pieces with crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and milk chocolate coating, king-size format.
• Turtles 3-piece Peanut & Caramel Bar Turtles bar with peanut butter flavored fudge, featuring crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and chocolate coating.
• Turtles 4-piece Peanut & Caramel Bar (King Size) Larger Turtles bar with peanut butter flavored fudge, featuring crunchy pecans, creamy caramel, and chocolate coating, king-size format.
• Turtles 3-piece Sea Salt Caramel Bar Turtles bar featuring sea salt caramel flavor with crunchy pecans, creamy caramel with sea salt, and chocolate coating.
• Turtles Milk Chocolate Minis Bag (6.2oz) Bag of mini-sized Turtles caramel nut clusters in milk chocolate, designed for on-the-go snacking or sharing for an afternoon treat.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• pladis North America Inc.parent companyOtherspladis North America Inc. is the parent company and owner of the DeMet's Turtles brand. The company operates the official Turtles website and handles all corporate operations, privacy policies, terms and conditions, and promotional activities for the brand.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ferrero: Ferrero is a global confectionery incumbent with multiple chocolate-and-nut products (Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Kinder Bueno) that compete with Turtles in the premium chocolate nut cluster space. Its broad portfolio and global reach dwarf DeMet's single-brand US footprint.
• Lindt & Sprüngli: Lindt is a globally recognized premium chocolate brand with strong gifting and seasonal positioning through Lindor truffles and gift boxes. It competes with Turtles in the premium gifting chocolate segment and has significantly greater international and DTC infrastructure.
• The Hershey Company: Hershey is the dominant US chocolate manufacturer with deep retail relationships, mass marketing budgets, and a broad assortment of boxed and bagged chocolate products. Hershey competes indirectly with Turtles across most retail occasions and can crowd out shelf space with promotional intensity.
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Company: Ghirardelli is a large, established premium chocolate brand operating across a much wider portfolio (squares, baking chips, sauces, bars). It competes with Turtles in the premium chocolate gifting and snacking segments but is a substantially broader and larger player.

Direct peers

• Fannie May Confections: Fannie May is a premium boxed chocolate confectioner with a similar mid-market gifting and personal-indulgence positioning. Both brands emphasize heritage (Fannie May since 1920) and rely on retail and seasonal gifting distribution.
• Russell Stover Chocolates: Russell Stover is a direct peer in boxed chocolate confectionery, particularly the caramel and nut cluster category. It distributes through the same grocery, drug, and mass retail channels and targets the same gifting and seasonal occasions that drive Turtles sales.
• Russell Stover (Whitman's) / Whitman's Chocolates: Whitman's is a heritage boxed chocolate confection brand with a similar mass-market gifting and seasonal assortment. It is part of the same parent as Russell Stover and competes directly with Turtles in the boxed caramel and nut cluster segment at national retail.
• See's Candies: See's Candies is a premium boxed chocolate confectioner with a strong heritage brand, broad assortment of chocolates, and significant gifting and seasonal exposure. The consumer occasion set and premium positioning closely mirror Turtles.
• Brown & Haley (Almond Roca): Brown & Haley's Almond Roca is a closely analogous chocolate nut cluster confection with a multi-decade heritage and a focus on gift-box formats. Both brands compete in the same premium nut-and-chocolate cluster segment with similar sharing/gifting positioning.

Emerging players

• Vosges Haut-Chocolat: Vosges is a specialty/premium chocolate brand that competes with Turtles in the upscale gifting and indulgence occasion set, but with a more artisanal, flavor-forward positioning. It is a smaller, emerging player in the same premium chocolate gift box segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/demetsturtles
• Facebookfacebook.com/demetsturtles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DeMet’s Candy Company