Albanese Candy: Gummi and Chocolate Factory Outlet

Being the candy lover that I am, you would think I’d know about a huge candy company only an hour away from where I live, in an area I frequent often. However, even though Albanese has been making candy since 1983, I only discovered the company this year. Albanese Candy produces high-quality chocolates in their Merrillville, Indiana, factory, as well as award-winning gummi candies. You can buy all of their candies in the outlet store adjacent to the factory.

Albanese candy factory outlet

Albanese Gummies

Gummies are my favorite non-chocolate type of candy, but until I tasted Albanese gummies, I thought they were all about the same. One taste of Albanese gummi bears tells a different story. Made with a technology that Albanese invented, the flavor bursts from the candy. The gummies come in sixteen flavors, including wild cherry, banana and mango. Besides bears, you can buy gummi worms, rings and special holiday shapes.

Albanese gummi bearsThe gummies are so deliciously different that Disney contracted Albanese to make gummies for them. Albanese also won the 2002 Professional Candy Buyer’s Product of the Year award for their innovation in gummi candies.

Not sure by sight whether you’re about to eat an Albanese gummi? Check its tummy. Albanese bear tummies are imprinted with an “A.”

Albanese Chocolates

Whether you’re a dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate fan, you’ll find it at the Albanese outlet. The chocolate layer on their candies is about an eighth of an inch thick, not just a thin coating. Although I’m not big on super-sweet centers, I found a lot of choices that suit my tastes, including Dark Chocolate Mocha Meltaways, Dark Chocolate Dried Cherries (cherries from Michigan), and Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nuts.

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Touring the Albanese Candy Factory

You can watch candy being made through big windows that separate the outlet from the factory with videos describing the candy making process. Guided tours are available for groups of 12 or more with reservations.

Shopping the Albanese Outlet

WARNING TO CANDY LOVERS: The minute you walk in the door of the Albanese outlet store, you’ll get sucked in. If the sweet smell and the colorful candies don’t do it, the three-story chocolate fountain will.

chocolate fountainBesides gummies and chocolates, the Albanese outlet sells lots of other candy favorites as well, making it a one-stop shop for candy buying. They also offer lots of pre-packaged gift items, boxed or in baskets, each decorated with a pretty bow.

Albanese CandyAlbanese Candy Outlet interiorgift items at Albanese Candy OutletAnd for yourself, don’t pass up the gummi seconds. We picked up a huge bag of green apple gummi rings for six bucks. I don’t remember how much it weighed, but I’d guess about five pounds.

If you go

The Albanese Candy factory outlet, located at 5441 East Lincoln Highway in Merrillville, Indiana, is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Self-guided tours are available anytime the store is open, except November to December and March to April. (You might catch Santa or the Easter Bunny during those months instead.)

Check the Albanese Candy web site for further details about the candies and the outlet store or to order online.

Accommodations: I stayed at the Comfort Inn Hammond during our visit to Northwest Indiana. Find the best hotel deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

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Albanese Gummi Bears

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Disclosures: Our visit to the Albanese Candy outlet was hosted by the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority, and we received several complimentary candy samples. However, all opinions in this article are my own. Photos by Skip Reed.
This article contains an affiliate link, which means that if you book a room through the TripAdvisor link above, I will receive a small commission, with no additional cost to you.

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4 thoughts on “Albanese Candy: Gummi and Chocolate Factory Outlet

  • December 16, 2015 at 10:03 pm
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    The Albanese gummies look delicious! Never seen gummies in Mango flavor, are these sold anywhere else other than the outlet and online store.

    Reply
    • December 18, 2015 at 10:13 am
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      Hi Priya. Albanese gummies are as yummy as they look. They are sold in stores all over the U.S. On the albanesecandy.com website, there is a store locator. Enter your zip code, and you’ll get a list of stores near you that sell them.

      Reply
    • September 23, 2023 at 5:14 pm
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      The outlet in Merrillville does have bags of imperfect candies. I can’t remember what they’re called, but the last time I was there I got a big bag of sour gummies at a great deal.

      Reply

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