While reading the Diary of Mim Walsh, an Irish immigrant who arrived in Arizona in 1916, in the Winter 2022 Journal of Arizona History (Vol. 63, No. 4), We were interested to learn that hot tamales, coffee and Cactus Candy was served at the University of Arizona Faculty Club meeting on December 20, 1919. In the footnotes, an article in the Arizona Daily Star from the same day about cactus candy factories having to increase their production to meet the holiday demand for this Arizona original treat. The article noted, “cactus candy spreads Tucson’s fame from the frozen North to balmy Dixie.” Additionally, the Arizona Daily Star article noted that the candy was produced in Tucson, Phoenix and Albuquerque. The candy is made from the prickly pear cactus. One Tucson company guessed that over 200 lbs. of the candy was mailed out of Tucson every single day! According to a 1920 article in the Tucson Citizen, cactus candy was an “ancient part of Tucson” that locals made for their own consumption, but in the 1919-1920 many newspaper articles noted increasing commercialization in the production of the product, especially as the area was becoming a tourist destination.
We have seen cactus candy in various tourist shops and specialty stores in Arizona over the years, and we have even purchased some for gifts. After reading these historical notes, though, we became increasingly curious about the contemporary production of Cactus Candy. We did a little Google-sleuthing, and we were able to contact and then visit The Original Cactus Candy Company in Phoenix! The production and sale of this unique Arizona holiday gift occurs in a warehouse district off of Thomas Rd. and 39th Avenue. Outside of the front door stands a wooden saguaro cactus, and Amelio C Enterprises is the official name of the company found over the front door. While we were there choosing holiday gifts in the storefront, we had the distinct honor of meeting the Amelio and Angelo Cascieto, the father and son team who own and operate the cactus candy production facility. They have owned the company for nearly 30 years, and they told me they purchased it from a Greek family who had owned it previously. Among the treasures we found are a cactus jelly sampler, “Kick Yo’ Ass Hot Sauce,” A fun cactus themed card game called “What’s the Point,” and of course Cactus Candy! Please consider supporting this local family-owned business that also preserves a sweet part of Arizona history!
For more than 75 years, Cactus Candy Company has been specializing in manufacturing high quality gourmet specialty foods, including candies, jellies, marmalades and syrups made from prickly pear cactus fruit. In 1996, the company was acquired by the Amelio C. Enterprises. Cactus Candy , one of their most popular product, is a soft sugar-sanded jellies candy in Prickly Pear flavors. A great snack item and adds flavor and color to all kinds of desserts. Cactus Candy is still manufactured locally in Arizona, and is sold throughout the state and the country.
