Company History
After working for others for nearly a lifetime, Marinus founded Marich Confectionery in 1983 in Watsonville, California. While he was the clear guiding force of Marich, there were a few co-founders that have continued to the present, including Ron, Von, and Lon Packard. Marinus also employed his two sons, Brad van Dam, who was then in college, and Troy van Dam, still in high school, who began their careers at Marich.
In Watsonville, Marinus invented a series of delicious chocolates consisting of chocolate covered dried fruits. The first was the chocolate covered dried cherry with pastel cherry coating. In late 1992, Marich introduced the chocolate covered dried blueberry to the confectionery market. These were the start that led to many more chocolate covered fruit products that have found widespread appeal in the marketplace. In 1995 Marich was recognized for its leadership in shaping the gourmet chocolate market. In 2001, Marich received the International Fancy Food Show award for the creation of the chocolate covered dried cherry, then considered a classic.
While in Watsonville, Marich had expanded and was spread between three buildings. So in 1997, it acquired its own land in Hollister, California, built a consolidated 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2) manufacturing facility, and moved. Soon before the move, Marinus died. Before his passing, his son Brad was installed as the new CEO of Marich, and his son Troy was installed as the new COO. In 2006, Marich added 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) to its manufacturing plant to meet demands for its products. Brad van Dam was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of NASFT, which sponsors the biannual International Fancy Food & Confection Shows.
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