Candy Industry Veteran Passes Away
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — CandyRific LLC owner and CEO Rob Auerbach passed away May 7. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Auerbach, alongside partners Michael and Paul Roberts, founded CandyRific in 2000. His work focused on bringing popular licenses to the company's products.
According to CandyRific, Auerbach had a keen eye for both licensing and branding opportunities within the candy industry. In part to Auerbach's efforts, CandyRific now has licenses with some of the most well-known brands in the world, including M&M'S, Skittles, Star Wars, Disney, Warner Bros., Universal and DreamWorks, among others.
[Read more: In Memoriam]
Earlier in his career, Auerbach founded Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Markets in 1977, which specialized in supplements, natural grocery goods and organic produce. Rainbow Blossom is now managed by Auerbach's daughter, Summer.
Auerbach is remembered for his love of thoroughbred racing. He was in attendance of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, recently held May 4.
He is survived by his wife, Pumpkin, and daughters, Summer and Star.
"Above all things, Rob loved his family. He was the most positive person you could ever meet. Rob was a gifted storyteller with a great sense of humor, and he made everyone feel happier just being around him," BJ Ruckriegel, president at CandyRific, and Lou DiMarco, president at Hilco Sweets, said in a joint statement.
Hilco Sweets is a subsidiary of CandyRific, which purchased the Pennsylvania-based company in 2014 for $1 million.
CandyRific has appeared on the Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists of fastest-growing companies in the United States consecutively for the last seven years.