In 1929, on the brink of the Depression, our father and grandfather
“Poppy” Sol took a bold step. 22 years old, he had already
worked fulltime for 10 years to support his family. Yet he was
ambitious, and wanted to live the American Dream and make the lives of
everyone around him better. So, donning his best of suits and an
assured smile on his face, Sol walked away from the bank with a loan
to start his own business, the Newark Nut Company. The rest is
history.
Hi! I'm Sandy. Uncle Sandy too. From around the time I could walk, I remember coming to work with my Dad and sitting on a wooden milk crate in the back of his 3 speed International truck. The ride to work would be like a taxi ride, and I hated it, as we had to pick up all of the employees along the way. As I got older I would leave school and go down to the store and work until we closed, and of course work every weekend. On Fridays we would work until 9 or 9:30 PM and be back to work at 5:30 AM the next morning. My only reprieve from work would be during high school football season when I had practices and games. When I graduated from high school my father had very little help at the store, so I ended up working full time and going to college at night.
Our original store on Mulberry Street was housed in a building from the mid 1800s and did not have any heat. During the winter, heat would come from the peanut roaster, and we couldn't wait for the hot peanuts to come out to warm up. Back then the store spread into the outdoor market and we would practically freeze during the winter. The only other heat in the store would come from when my dad would roast up sweet potatoes on a small gas stove for all of the employees to eat. Boy did we love that!
My Dad was well known throughout Newark as the unofficial Mayor of Mulberry Street. On any given busy day he would hold court with local lawyers, politicians, and doctors. His customers would sit down, visit the store for hours, and customers became friends. It brings tears to my eyes as his customers' children continue to visit us, as I remember their parents as a small boy.
Through the countless hours of working with my dad and listening to his conversations, the most important thing I learned was that you can not try and fool the customers. Customers always want and are entitled to the freshest, best tasting, and highest quality products available. This was his secret to keeping customers coming back generation after generation. Remember, he was 22 when he started and worked until he was 88.
As I grew up in the business, so did my role. I soon took over the buying from my dad. Just as my father did, I sought only the freshest, largest, and highest quality nuts and dried fruits. I started visiting our growers across the country in places such as California, Georgia, and Virginia. Today, I am in constant search of new and unique products. Some of our hallmark products that I am quite proud of are our whole dried cranberries, giant filberts in the shell, and super jumbo peanuts in the shell.
I am also proud to see my son and nephew as the 3rd generation of our family business. I know my dad would be very happy and proud to see how much we have expanded and grown through the years.
sandy
david
kenny
