Dan Malley ‘85
Cleveland’s Candy Man Enjoys Sweet Success
The first half of this article is excerpted by permission from the August 2001 issue of Manufacturing
Confectioner, The Business Magazine of the Global
Sweet Goods Industry.
“I absolutely love my job!” Dan Malley
says. And why not? He produces a quality
product, enjoys meeting new challenges
and works with “great people.” Dan is
vice president of sales and marketing at
Malley’s Chocolates in Cleveland, OH,
with 12 stores in the Cleveland area.
late bar with the Indian image; it was a
huge success.” Malley’s also sold more
than a million Albert Belle Chocolate
Bars, named for the Cleveland Indian
player.
Beyond sales ideas, Dan is always looking for improved production efficiency.
“We have built some machines that friends
in the business marvel about in terms of
Malley’s Chocolates has been around since
Dan’s grandfather started the business in
1935. Dan has been in the business fulltime since 1985, but he began working
at Malley’s long before that. “My folks
brought me along to work as far back
as I can remember. I remember bagging
Easter grass for 2 cents a bag.”
Much later, he moved onto “the bottom
rung of the ladder” as kitchen janitor/new
cook. He progressed to become head over
the cooks, general manager of plant operations, and eventually vice president of
sales and marketing, also overseeing production.
Dan relishes the challenges of the industry. “We need to be different, stay one
step ahead.” Malley’s product line changes
with consumer demand, but some traditions stand: “Presently our most popular
product is our Nutmallow-my grandfather’s special recipe of marshmallow and
English walnuts covered with milk or dark
chocolate.”
Malley’s products are marketed through
their own catalogs, fund raising and corporate campaigns. “We also do direct mailings to our house list of customers,” Dan
adds. The company does not buy namescatalogs are only mailed to people who
have requested information.
“We try to have fun with our product and
to move merchandise by connecting to
local interests,” Dan says. “Several years
ago, we teamed up with the Cleveland
Indians baseball team and made a choco-
A little more than a year ago, Dan and
his wife, Melissa, established The Malley
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of abused and
neglected children. Through the Foundation, Dan, Melissa and a host of donors
and volunteers are providing friendship,
support and opportunity for 36 children
under the age of 12. The kids, residents
in a Children’s Aid Society facility, were
removed from their homes because of
abuse or neglect.
“Every child there comes from a bad situation,” Dan said recently. “My wife and I
just decided we wanted these kids to share
some of the things we enjoyed growing
up.” So now, once a month, Dan and
Melissa “take these kids out and treat
them like we were raised. We try to give
them some good memories.”
The monthly outings have included such
things as a trip to a circus, an Easter
party (Easter baskets for all), and a recent
Christmas party where, Dan reported,
Santa surprised each child with something
he or she had asked for in a letter written
to Santa last summer.
construction cost and running efficiency,”
he says. “We have built chocolate bar
machines, nonpareil machines. We also
have a candy packing line that I believe is
one of the best in the market.”
With growing competition from discount
stores like WalMart, “specialty chocolate
shops must keep getting the message out
that cheaper is not always better,” Dan
says. “Malley’s makes a quality product
where we never cut corners on raw materials to save a few pennies. We want people
to be very proud to serve Malley’s chocolates in their homes or to present them as
gifts.”
Still, Dan is constantly looking for new
ideas, because in this business, “you are
only as good as your last holiday.”
Assisting Kids
is Sweeter Still
Dan Malley has done well in the chocolate business, but he’s found his sweetest
success as an advocate for kids.
Other Foundation-sponsored activities
include buying baseball mitts and new