The Sweet Success of Sir Walter Candy Co. | My Member Story

Ever since Alfonso Porras was a boy, he has been fascinated by how things are made. He was first inspired by a field trip to a factory, but eventually his family connections opened a path to success.

Now a lifetime later, he has a growing confection business, he works with his family every day and he has recently opened a beautiful factory and storefront. What could be sweeter?

Growing up Porras
Alfonso grew up in the suburbs of Mexico City, where he experienced a growing city with a strong sense of community. His grandfather was an entrepreneur, and his mother was a business owner, so he was always learning about how businesses work.

Ever since that factory field trip, Alfonso was obsessed with the fabrication of goods and the business side of commerce. “The fascination for me was how you make it, how you get it out,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

The making of an entrepreneur
Coming from a business-minded family, Alfonso paid close attention to what it took to succeed. He studied his family members and emulated them from a very young age. He started out selling sandwiches to his schoolmates. He volunteered for every school fundraiser simply because he loved the art of selling.

At fourteen, Alfonso worked as a salesman for his uncle's bulk diaper distributorship. Within a year, Alfonso had built such a loyal following that customers met the delivery truck before it even reached the warehouse, not wanting to risk a sellout.

The road to Sir Walter
The path to candy making came about through Alfonso's older sister, who had moved to New Jersey and lived with a couple named Walter and Karen. Walter was a confectioner, and when he visited the family in Mexico City, Alfonso was rapt by his stories of sweet creations. He couldn't get enough of it!

On one visit, Walter brought Alfonso a book on candy making. Alfonso dove in, making recipes in his mom's kitchen—first popcorn that he sold at his school store, then his first original recipe of chocolate with cornflakes.

Alfonso and his wife, Alejandra, eventually moved to Los Angeles so Alfonso could go to school. Soon after, Walter sadly passed away. Karen sent Alfonso one of Walter's cherished books—The Art of Making Candy—along with $1,000 as seed money to start his own business. "She was so excited about somebody keeping Walter's legacy alive," Alfonso recalls. He named the company after Walter in his honor, and that book remains one of Alfonso’s prized possessions.

As he built his business in California, Alfonso focused on candied nuts because they were uncommon in the U.S. "I wanted to start making something in the United States that was different, and I remembered those candied pecans I saw in Mexico," he shares.

All in the family
With four young children and a full-time day job, Alfonso saved enough to buy a trailer to sell his goods at farmers markets. It was a delicate balance raising a business and a family, and he credits Alejandra for their success. "She's the reason why we were able to do everything," Alfonso says, noting that she handled setup while he was still at work.

From a young age, all four children helped at the Friday night markets. The oldest, Amir, caught his father's passion early. "I remember my dad saying, 'You've got to go talk with people, hand them a sample and sell them a bag of the candied nuts,'" he recalls. Today, Amir serves as vice president of Sir Walter Candy Co.

Making the move to Salt Lake City
As Sir Walter outgrew its California space, Alfonso began considering new locations. At a trade show, he struck up a conversation with a woman in the neighboring booth who happened to have a 10,000-square-foot building in Salt Lake City that was move-in ready. Alfonso decided to relocate the company and the family.

That location served them well for 18 years—both personally and professionally. But they were again bursting at the seams and needed a bigger location to meet the growing needs of the company. This time, he chose to build, creating a facility custom-designed for how Sir Walter does business.

Building the dream
Today, this confection powerhouse is run as it always has been—by the Porras family. In addition to Amir, son Brandon handles product development and procurement; daughter, Melissa, is over marketing and social media; and youngest son, Haffid, handles sales.

The look and feel for the new space were put in Melissa’s very capable hands. She wanted a classic but contemporary design—something that blended an older style, like midcentury, with modern touches. It was all about finding the right kind of inspiration and honing it down to a specific look. “The inspiration for the store and retail space here was … a European pastry shop or chocolate shop that can take you somewhere else,” she explains. “Somewhere that feels familiar but has that classic vibe.”

It was a process, but Melissa brought her vision to life. It took about two years from the first discussions about rebranding to opening the doors earlier this summer. What makes it so different? “It’s the experience,” says Brandon. “You come into a candy factory and you feel like a little kid again. And it helps that the candy is really good!”

For Alfonso Porras, who started selling sandwiches as a boy and never lost his fascination with how things are made, Sir Walter Candy Co. represents something sweeter than any confection—a legacy built with his family, honoring a mentor who believed in him and creating moments of joy, one piece of candy at a time.

Finding the right financial partner
Making such a big business move requires money. While Alfonso and Amir were getting quotes from several big banks in the area, their real estate agent recommended they also try Mountain America Credit Union.

The suggestion was right on the nose! Most of the Porras family were already Mountain America members. They reached out, received a quote and were pleasantly surprised by how quickly they got financed. The loan was finalized with great terms while the other banks were still gathering documentation.

Working with a credit union that understood their vision and moved at the speed of their ambition made all the difference. “Mountain America is our champion,” Amir explains. “They are doing everything they [can] to help make our business successful.”

Supporting Sir Walter Candy Co. as they’ve grown and thrived has been a real treat!