Allison Behringer remembers when the boxes and pallets took up every nook and cranny at Sweet Pete’s Downtown location.
Pulling an order meant time spent rearranging boxes or playing a game of musical pallets to snag the right item to send out.
It was a good problem to have for the chocolatier and candy maker. Business has grown significantly year over year, resulting in the stockpiled orders.
But still, it was a problem. More space was needed, especially to handle online orders coming in from across the U.S.
“Everything got so much bigger,” said Behringer, who co-owns the business with her husband, Peter.
At one point last year, the Behringers’ high-profile business partner — investor and TV personality Marcus Lemonis — had an agreement on two Downtown buildings near Sweet Pete’s that could have been used for extra parking, event space and storage.
That deal never materialized, but it didn’t deter growth.
Behringer said she and her husband ideally wanted to find extra space in Downtown or Springfield, but prices were too high.
They also toyed with the idea of having the distribution center based in Illinois. It would have been more central and closer to Lemonis, who lives just outside Chicago.
They ended up leasing close to 6,000 square feet of space off Commonwealth Avenue near Interstate 295 and made the transition in July. The warehouse is owned by Bailey Publishing & Communications, which publishes the Daily Record.
The extra space allowed the Behringers to invest further in their online presence, which came to fruition two weeks ago when Sweet Pete’s launched an upgraded website at sweetpetescandy.com.
Results already have been noticeable. Allison Behringer said the holiday season is three times what it was last year. The internet purchases are driving growth, which shows in the warehouse.
On Thursday, Behringer and many others were hard at work filling boxes and decorating packages that will be shipped beyond Jacksonville.
In another section of the warehouse, shelves are lined with assorted house made and acquired sweets.
Chip Chip Chipotle Almonds. Coffee Explosions. Granny Smith Gummies. Chai Tea Cordials. And plenty of sea salt caramels, one of the more popular items Sweet Pete’s makes.
In all, the warehouse has probably 3,000 items and more than $300,000 in retail items.
That includes the pallets full of specially crafted gummies made just for Peter Behringer, the candy maker of the ownership tandem, and shipped from Belgium. The flavored gummies are available only at Sweet Pete’s and will be part of a big push the Behringers are planning for January.
Such specialty ventures have come with the help of Lemonis, who Allison Behringer said has invested “more than we originally planned” because of how much growth has happened.
Since their partnership, a Sweet Pete’s opened in Lake Forest, Ill., which is just outside of Chicago, and Key West. Behringer said the hope is to open locations in two Southeastern cities next year.
At this pace, Behringer acknowledges the company likely will need even more space before too long.
This time, though, she’ll make sure there won’t be a need for games of musical pallets.
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