In a Facebook post, Aplets and Cotlets, the chewy and iconic Washington confection out of Cashmere, announced they will remain open and continue operations like normal after they were expected to shut down in June.
In the post they said the maker of the candy, Liberty Orchards, is currently in negotiations with a prospective buyer.
The Facebook announcement on Friday, May 28 received over 100 comments, 400 likes and 700 shares.
In March, Liberty Orchards announced they would shut down operations on June 1.
According to the Wenatchee World, the family was looking for a buyer for three years. After the initial announcement was made in March, the family-owned business continued to seek a buyer for the assets, including the brands, the production equipment, and the factory and warehouse buildings, according to a press release on its website.
Liberty Orchards was founded in Cashmere in 1920 by two Armenian immigrants who turned surplus fruit from their trees into the iconic confection.
The company was founded in 1920 by two Armenian refugees, Mark Balaban and Armen Tertsagian. The two created Aplets, and then later Cotlets, from surplus apples and apricots from their orchard. The recipe was based on an Armenian specialty called locoum, which more famously known as Turkish Delight.
The company's current president, Greg Taylor, is the grandson of Armen Tertsagian.
Aplets & Cotlets became a regional favorite, including a proposal a decade ago to be named the official state candy, over Almond Roca, made by Brown and Haley of Tacoma.
