Scholtens Inc - Cottage Country Candies — Local services in Burlington

Update: After posting the review (below) customer service did contact me. They seemed genuinely concerned and stated they did not get the feedback I submitted on their website. (I sent a screen shot proof for their IT department to look into) After multiple e-mails (unfortunately the product I wanted is no longer in production), they sent me (via Canada Post) a box of assorted candy worth more that I spent at the store. I appreciate the effort, and do think they took steps to correct the initial failure. I would deal with them again in the future, and as such have changed my original 1 star review to 4.

What a disappointment. Not sure if I am more disappointed in the stale product, or complete lack of any customer service. Avoid! I located some hard to find Easter candy and drove all the way from Cambridge to the Burlington Factory Outlet Store at 279 Sumach Drive, to buy some for the family. I spent over $30 and bought 7 bags. Unfortunately when we arrived home and opened it, the candy was hard as a rock. Not just a little stale, but so hard it would shatter if hit with a hammer. Completely non edible. It must at minimum be last years stock, not what you would expect from the factory outlet store. But that wasn't even the worse part. Not wanting to spend another $15+ in gas for the return trip to take the candy back (I would have spent more on gas than I spent on the product it's self) I began trying to contact Cottage Country to see if there was some sort of local solution. Possibly a location close to home I could return the items, or maybe a store credit for future use, anything. Even to be able to report the situation so others aren't buying stale candy. For an entire week I have been calling their customer service phone number, many times. Different days, different times of the day. I left at least 2 voicemail messages asking to be called back to discuss. I also filled out the online feedback form which indicates they will respond shortly. One week later I have heard nothing. Absolutely no attempt to respond. Reading other feedback on here, I see that I am not the only one to experience this. Very disappointed. I would recommend avoiding Cottage Country products because if you have any issues, you will not be able to contact...

I left 2 stars because this review reflects my personal opnion, and that there are many other candies that i do not have the pallet for that im sure others would like.

However. I've been buying cottage country products for as long as I can remember up until now.

They had some of the best tasting and freshest product you could buy, now they decided to change ingredients in several of their products. Which unfortunately Includs their ju jubes..

For clarification their ju jubes were the best ones you could get anywhere, they were always consistent in texture and flavor, their flavor being very similar to the fruits the were meant to represent.

Now? Now they've changed to foul, oily tasting "flavors" that are nowhere near as enjoyable as the previous versions let aone far off from what they "should" taste like.. And the consistency has gone from an enjoyable squishy texture to a mix of greasy, tough feeling almost like toffee without the stickiness.

I will no longer be buying their products. As the ju jubes were the last straw.

I also believe thanks are in order because I've now lost my appetite for sweets and will be eating healthier...

I really like the candies, chocolates, and salty snacks this company produces. They're usually fresh. Sometimes the stores that resell the treats don't rotate stock as much as they should which can lead to some stale bags. However, I weirdly like stale gummies (extra chew!). I don't like that the Scholtens Inc slogan of sorts is "In God We Trust". I don't think that religion should be mixed with business, unless of course there are dietary restrictions (i.e kosher, halal), special objects for worship, etc. But this is snack food. I guess that's just my personal...