Bluebird Candy’s Sweet Legacy

Emily Buckley

Editor in Chief

If you visit Center Street in Logan and catch the aroma of chocolate, caramel, or roasting nuts, you’ll want to step into Bluebird Candy Factory — a place where family tradition and sweet treats have blended together for over a century. Step inside, and you’ll find more than just display cases of chocolates and truffles; you’ll find a story that’s as rich as the finest chocolate, including one family’s three-generation legacy of candy making.

For Teresa Varner, Bluebird Candy isn’t just a job — it’s a family legacy. As the store’s manager and head candy maker, she’s spent a lifetime watching, making, and teaching others the delicate art of candy-making. Teresa recalls her earliest days in the shop, tagging along with her mom, Lereta Andersen, who spent 47 years making Bluebird Candy.

“I remember coming to work with mom when I was little,” Teresa said. “We’d go through The Bluebird Restaurant to get the cash for the day and take it to the candy store. I’d sit with her, have an ice cream, and then we’d take the money back at the end of the day.”

By the time Teresa was 19, she officially joined the team, working alongside her mom in the back room, operating the enrobing machine that coats candy bars with chocolate. Later, after taking a break to have a family, she mastered the art of hand-dipping chocolate. Teresa is passing on her skills to a new generation — including her own daughter, Christa Mouritsen.

Christa, who also has fond memories of her mom and grandmother at Bluebird, started working at the shop when she was 16. Like her mom, she took breaks to have children but felt drawn back to the candy shop. “I do a little bit of everything now,” she said. “It’s always been a good, family-friendly place to work.”

Behind the historic storefront, Bluebird Candy buzzes with activity, especially as the holidays approach. October marks the start of the candy-making marathon leading up to Christmas, with their usual team of 10 candy makers doubling in size to meet demand of hundreds of pounds of candy a day. By mid-December, lines sometimes stretch out the door as customers wait for their turn to buy holiday favorites — like the legendary Victoria (a rum cream center with chopped pecans), buttercream truffles, and the famous O’Aggie Bar, a caramel and Brazil nut treat.

Crafting candy at Bluebird is an art that’s been honed over generations. Achieving the perfect chocolate temperature takes skill and precision and only a trained eye can achieve that flawless shine and texture. “It’s an art,” Teresa said. “We train our employees, and some just have a knack for it.” For those with a talent for candy making, the dipping room becomes a place to showcase their skills, with customers watching through the windows in the storefront.

Bluebird Candy is steeped in history, from its recipes to its building. Originally located in the Thatcher Bank building (now Cache Valley Bank), the store moved several times before settling at 75 West Center Street in 1967. The historic building, which once housed a three-story hotel, a billiard hall, and even the local newspaper office, is rumored to have a friendly ghost named Bubba who occasionally rearranges items or appears as a fleeting shadow. “Things move around, and every once in a while, you think you catch a glimpse of someone,” Teresa said with a smile.

Justin Hamilton, who took ownership of Bluebird Candy in 2016 and restored it to its original grandeur, has preserved much of its history. The candy recipes, passed down for over a century, remain unchanged, and the original candy mixer — a reliable workhorse — still churns in the back, ensuring each batch tastes just as it did generations ago.

“Teresa and Christa are a valuable part of what makes Bluebird Candy what it is,” Justin said. “They love their work. Our company motto is ‘Bluebird for Happiness,’ and they’ve dedicated their lives to making candy that brings happiness and joy to generations.”

“We love working together,” Teresa said. “It’s creative and satisfying to make something that brings so much happiness to people, year after year.”