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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1957)
EIGHT MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Sunday, December 8, 1957 O Peas -Faction Is Product That Belongs Soley to Rogue Valley , - i fl? .... i A,jb J J CUTTING MACHINE This special machine had to be made by Severson's candy company of Medford when it became necessary to mass-produce Pear-fection, a candy developed lour years ago by the firm. The machine, operated here by Mabel Groves, cuts the candy automatically and it falls into the try shown above. Later the candy undergoes a second curing period before being pack aged. The company has been in business in Medford for 10 years and celebrated the oc casion Saturday. FINISHED PRODUCT Shown above is a two-pound box of Pear-fection which is manu factured from Rogue River valley pears by Severson's candy company at 132 West Main sL, Medford. The company has been making fje product for about four years after spend ing several years developing a recipe that would retain the delicate pear flavor. The boxes, as well as packages for other candies made by the firm, were designed by Mrs. Henry Severson. By BOB VROMAN Mail Tribune Staff Writer Economists here have long re alized the importance of bring ing outside money into the Rogue River valley. The ideal way to do this is to utilize raw materials available here to man ufacture a product that could be sold outside of southern Oregon. One such product, that be longs uniquely to the Rogue Riv er valley, is Pear-fection, a can dy developed about four years ago by Henry and Kenneth Se verson. father and son, who op erate Severson's 'candy shop in Medford. Pear-fection has been sold in every allied country in the world as well as every state in the U.S., according to the Seversons, and orders are increasing every year. The Seversons and their crew of candy makers are busy 10 months out of the year making the tasty confection, and in the process use more than 400 lugs of Rogue valley pears and three tons of locally-grown walnuts annually. According to Henry, it is the only product manufactur ed here that makes use of pears. Developing a candy recipe that retained the delicate flavor of the pears was no easy job and Kenneth and his father worked at it off and on for sev eral years before perfecting it. Only fresh pears can be used in the candy . and in order to keep production on a year around basis they had to find a pear that had both flavor and keeping quality. The D'Anjou was finally decided upon because of both of these factors. When they finally hit upon just the right ingredients the Seversons began turning out small quantities of the candy to sell in their two retail outlets in Medford. It became so popu lar that they had to expand their facilities to keep up with the demand. With a little advertis ing in a west coast magazine the orders began to pour in and the Seversons were really in business. They now had to figure out a way to mass produce the candy and it was necessary to build a special set of trays and storing racks and. a machine to cut the candy into squares. They put on extra help to operate the ma chines, cut pears and to pack the candy into its attractive con tainers. Pear-fection is not an overly sweet candy and it depends en tirely on the pears for its fla vor. No artificial flavoring or preservatives are used in its manufacture, according to the Seversons. The candy is packed in one half, one and two pound boxes, which sell for 85 cents, $1.50 and S3 respectively. For the last four years Severson's have been packaging quantities of Pear fection for Bear Creek orchards and Pinnacle Packing Co., who include it in their fancy gift boxes. Seversons also make a com plete line of other candies such as chocolate creams, divinity, fudge and toffy, but as good as they are, none of these have gained the popularity that the delightfully - flavored Pear-fection has. In additon to Henry, Kenneth and Mrs. Severson, who waits on customers at their main store at 132 West Main street, the candy making crew consists of four to eight women throughout LlOUiNG AH APPLIANCE? - Do It h EASY Way! The easiest way is the safest way, toe, when you Call DAVISf Because skilled Davis Movers have the "know-how" and equipment to move your expensive appliances safely. Davis can also quickly crate any appliance for shipment costs less than you'd expect' too. SHIPPING A TELEVISION SET? I DAVIS 1 Don't take chances ... Call DAVIS and relax. You'll know that your set will be properly packed and handled ... arrive safely. If you're shipping a TV this Christmas ... Call Davis ... The Cost is Small . . the Service BIG! FOR THE BEST MOVE OF YOUR LIFE . . . CALL DAVIS TRANSFER! DAVIS J4dferl-13 South Pir Ashland-240 4th St. TRANSFER AND STORAGE CO. Crating & Packing Phone SP 2-6273 Phone MU 2-8552 I At IMF AGKIT FOR MEDFORD AND ASHLAND CANDY INGREDIENT Rogue River valley pears are the main ingredient in Pear-fection, a candy developed about four years ago by Henry and Kenneth Severson, father and son, who operate Severson's candy shop in Medford. Fresh pear pulp makes up about 45 per cent of the volume of the candy. Above, Henry is shown halving the pears that will be cored and peeled before being cooked with sugar in a big copper candy kettle. D'Anjou pears are used because of their flavor and keeping quality. p-i? v I vmiticciPI D'S COUPLET! WITH Mewly Styled Hand Type Microphone WEISFIELD'S LOW EASY TERMS Full Fidelity Recording Heod Duel Track Recording Three Speed Easy Control Operation Professional Type Editing Key Wide Range Full Tone Speaker Basily Read Numerical Type Tape Counter POUR CANDY Above, Henry Severson. right, and his son, Kenneth, pour a batch of Pear fection into a tray after cooking, where it will cure for a period of 24 hours before being sugared and cut into small pieces by a special machine. . the year. The candy concern is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week but only in the last four years, since they have been marketing Pear-fection, have they done something more for this area than to supply its citi zens with candy. Now they are not only providing a payroll for their employees but tljey are al so making a market for more local farm produce. 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