BONUS EPISODE: Brown & Haley Merger and Mountain Bar History

On this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY, Feliks Banel digs into the audio archives for his interview from October 28, 2020 with Kathi Rennaker, spokesperson for Tacoma-based Brown & Haley, longtime local makers of Almond Roca and Mountain Bars. On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the Seattle Times reported that Brown and Haley has officially merged with its “longtime import and distribution partner in China,” an entity known as BHM Group LTD. The Times also reported, “That company’s leader, Sam Meng, has been named Brown & Haley’s new CEO.” In this interview from 2020, Ms. Rennaker, who, according to the Times’ story, has been named Chief Operating Officer of the merged companies, goes into detail about the origins and history of the Mountain Bar, which had a few different names early on, and which remains popular in an era when many regional candy bars have gone away. She also lets us in on the unique distribution method she was planning to use on Halloween of that pandemic year to get Mountain Bars into the hands of the trick-or-treaters she expected to visit her house. Seattle Times article on the Brown & Haley merger: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/tacoma-candymaker-behind-almond-roca-announces-international-merger/ Links to more information as well as images related to most topics discussed on the show are often available at the CASCADE OF HISTORY Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/cascadeofhistory CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via flagship station SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle. Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms and never miss regular weekly episodes of Sunday night broadcasts as well as frequent bonus episodes. "LIKE" the Cascade of History Facebook page and get updates and other stories throughout the week, and advance notice of live remote broadcasts taking place in your part of the Old Oregon Country.