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Work space has gone Totally Toffee |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 07 December 2006 |
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 The recipe is simple.
Some sweet cream butter, California almonds, sugar and pure milk chocolate and you’ve got the ingredients of a 30-year-old tradition.
The butter almond toffee from Vern’s Toffee House in Fort Collins has become a holiday staple for families everywhere.
“About 80 percent of our annual sales is done in one month so we are going to be mighty busy,” said Ron Hert, co-owner of Vern’s Toffee House.
Hert and his wife Mary took over the business from Mary’s father, Vern, in 1984.
“Her father started the business when he was 59,” Hert said. “It was growing rapidly. He began screaming for help. He was either going to sell the business or we were going to take it over.”
Hert had been in education for 20 years. The English professor was ready for a change. His wife Mary had worked in the corporate world her whole life. The idea of owning her own business had been on her mind for a long time.
“We wanted to see the business grow in success with the family,” Hert said. “I was pretty content in my career, but this is a fascinating little business. When I saw the scope of the business and the potential of it, I got excited too.”
Hert expects to produce 35,000 pounds of toffee by hand this year.
“We are like a microbrewery in that we aim for a high-quality product you can’t buy anywhere else,” he said.
Vern’s toffee is sold at The Cupboard and several Whole Food Markets. The best place to get the candy is directly from Vern’s Toffee House. 444 S. Link Lane. The window to the kitchen allows guests to see the process firsthand.
“We are kind of like a factory outlet,” Hert said.
Still, about 80 percent of sales are mail order. The toffee can be ordered online and shipped just about anywhere.
“We now have second and third generations of people who grew up with our toffee,” he said. “Now they give it as gifts.”
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To place an order for some toffee that Ron Hert is making above, visit Vern’s Toffee House’s Web site at vernstoffee.com.
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VITAL STATS
Name: Ron Hert, 65, of Fort Collins
Company: Vern’s Toffee House, 444 S. Link Lane
Title: Co-owner
How long have you worked there? Since 1984
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IN HIS WORDS
What impresses you?
When people go beyond what they would normally have to do in a relationship, whether it’s a business relationship or personal relationship, and really want to please you. That is really impressive.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
I’d probably retire. The nice thing about this is it’s not extraordinarily demanding of my time except for a couple months a year. I’d spend time fly fishing and volunteering for some social service type of thing.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
I have had so many different jobs. I grew up in Omaha and worked in packing houses. My job was to collect six cows and push them down a track into a walk-in refrigerator. At the end of the day, I was kind of bloody from my feet to my head. Because I was always running on my toes in the freezer, my toes would be frozen in an upright position and I couldn’t walk straight.
What do you do during your breaks?
I’m a daily addict of going to the health club or gym. I spend an hour or two at the gym every day. Beyond that, I have a lovely 4-year-old granddaughter. I love spending time with her. I love to travel. I’m an avid fly fisher. When you add all that up, there’s not enough free time to do it all.
Name one thing in your life that prepared you for your job.
I think a broad liberal education, including all the jobs I had to pay for that education. Starting as a kid, I was a paperboy. I got used to being very independent and having my own money. That sense of independence prepared me for being a business owner and small entrepreneur.
What’s your job’s biggest payoff?
After everything is over, it’s quiet and you realize if you stop to think about it, people in Denmark, Germany, England, Japan, Australia and in living rooms all across the country have enjoyed the product I made.
Family?
My wife Mary, one daughter Stefanie, son-in-law Patrick, and granddaughter Katie.
Favorite TV shows.
“House”
Movies.
“Lawrence of Arabia”
Books.
“Absalom, Absalom!” by William Faulkner.
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
My bank account, radio stations and fly fishing guides.
Where do you play?
Any lake or river. I’m a real water person. I like the Poudre River and the Big Thompson. My favorite one is the one I’m on at any given time.
Go out to eat?
We go to a lot of different places. It just depends on what we feel like. We spend a lot time at The Rio. We also like Austin’s The Moot House, The Charco Broiler and Jay’s Bistro. It depends on our mood.
Favorite spot?
East Africa. Tanzania because of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Indian Ocean coast and the Serengeti. It’s a spectacular place.
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