Robert Wagner, the 66-year-old owner of Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store, has been charged with a gross misdemeanor after prosecutors say his Jordan shop sold liquor-filled chocolates and candies without the license required to do so. The charge followed an undercover operation this past summer that turned up chocolate-covered brandy cherries and whiskey-syrup chocolates on the shelves of the 27,000-square-foot roadside attraction.
Scott County prosecutors filed the single count on Oct. 27, accusing Wagner of directly or indirectly selling alcoholic beverages without the proper authorization, according to the Star Tribune. The investigation began after an anonymous tip alleged the store had sold liquor-filled candy to a minor without checking the child’s identification, as MPR News reported.
Undercover Buy Turns Up Brandy and Whiskey Candies
Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division agents went undercover at the store in July. On July 22, according to the criminal complaint, they searched the shop and found an entire section devoted to alcoholic-beverage candies, the station's report notes. Agents purchased chocolate-covered brandy cherries containing a 7.3 percent concentration of brandy, along with chocolates with a whiskey syrup center measuring 3.58 percent alcohol by volume.
Per the same account, the complaint states there was no separate purchasing procedure for candy containing alcohol — customers could buy the boozy treats the same way they’d buy any other candy in the store, without any special check or process.
Owner Says He Believed Stock Already on Shelves Was Legal
According to the complaint, Wagner acknowledged to investigators that the store had no liquor license, but he told them he believed he could still sell alcoholic candies that were already in his inventory. He said he had carried the liquor-filled candy for an unknown number of years and that he stocked unusual items like it to offer customers a broad selection, telling investigators, “We have suckers that have scorpions in them. We don’t sell a lot of them, but we got it,” and, “The candies that have the spirits inside of them. We want those as well.”
Wagner also said a customer had made the tip to authorities without first raising the issue with him directly, and that he would have pulled the candy from shelves if agents had told him it was illegal to sell. He said he stopped selling the liquor-filled candies after the law enforcement operation, per the Star Tribune's reporting.
A Roadside Landmark With a Provocative Sign
Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store began in 1979 as a family apple stand and has since grown into a well-known roadside attraction in Jordan, a city roughly 42 miles from St. Paul. Wagner has leaned into the shop’s reputation for the unusual, placing a sign out front that calls it “Minnesota’s Most Wanted Candy Store.”
What Comes Next in Court
Under Minnesota Statutes section 340A.702, selling an alcoholic beverage without a license authorizing the sale is classified as a gross misdemeanor. A conviction under that charge carries a maximum of 364 days in jail or a $3,000 fine, or both, per Minnesota Statutes section 609.03.
Wagner’s first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 18 at 8:30 a.m. The evidence reviewed does not indicate how the case will ultimately be resolved.
