Day Trips

The Goodart Candy Company has the sweet smell of success. When you walk into the factory's storefront on Lubbock's industrial east side, you're engulfed in the soft aroma of cooking sugar, corn starch, and peanuts.

The company has been making its famous 3-inch, pink peanut patties at least since 1939; Ron Harbuck has been an owner since 1988. The legend goes that Mr. Goodart began making the patties in his grocery store in Anton, a village northwest of Lubbock. In 1939, he moved to Lubbock to make the candy for extra income in retirement. The sweet and salty snack became a West Texas tradition.

The company only makes peanut patties and peanut brittle, including an extremely spicy jalapeno peanut brittle. "Nobody has figured out how to mechanize the process; it's all done by hand," Ron says.

Last summer when the temperatures soared, Ron got a call from a local candy distributor. Melt chocolate sales took a dive in the Texas heat. "We had outsold Snickers in West Texas; the number one selling candy bar," Ron says.

Goodart's Candy Company is at 335 E. 40th, just east of I-27 in Lubbock. The factory store is open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5pm. The 2-pound bag of peanut pattie pieces is the best deal. Be sure to ask for a warm sample direct from the cooling racks. Sorry, no factory tours.

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1,132nd in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips," is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.