Minnesota's Largest Candy Store changes name after liquor-candy bust

JORDAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The owner of Minnesota's Largest Candy Store in Jordan says despite recent charges alleging that he illegally sold candies that contained alcohol without a license, he believes that state law says he can, and he has since temporarily changed the name of the store in the process.

Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store alcohol charges

What we know:

Robert Wagner, 66, of Belle Plaine, has been charged in Scott County with one gross misdemeanor count of selling liquor without a license or permit.

Talking to FOX 9 on Tuesday, Wagner provided an update on the infraction that he believes at the moment is unjust.

"We want to have every conceivable candy, even if it doesn't represent much in sales. So, we have suckers that have scorpions in them. We don't sell a lot of them, but we got it. The candies that have the spirits inside of them. We want those as well … European imported candies from Germany and France. We have them," Wagner said outside his store. "My reading of the law states I can have them in the candy store. That is my reading of the law. So we had them in the store. I don't even know how many years we've had them in the store."

Wagner said the complaint came from a customer who never spoke to him, but then confirmed state agents made a purchase, which was later deemed illegal, at his store.

"At that point in time, they could have stopped and talked to me and said, ‘Hey Robert, we don't think you can sell this candy.’ And I'd say, ‘Well, I think I can. Here's my documentation," Wagner said of the process. "And then we'd have a conversation. And if they convinced me, well then, I'd say, ‘I'll take it off the shelf, no big deal.’"

According to Wagner, he believed that up until that point, he had nothing to hide, or was doing anything illegal.

"If I thought for a moment that I couldn't legally have this candy, I wouldn't have this. If I thought that I was going to be breaking the law, I wouldn't put it on a shelf for 650,000 customers to walk by and view," Wagner said. "If I'm going to sell fentanyl, I'm not going to put it on the front porch with a sign that says fentanyl. I'm gonna put it in the basement."

A sign out front of the location just off Highway 169 in Jordan, now temporarily says "Minnesota’s Most Wanted Candy Store."

"It just doesn't feel like this is the relationship between the state and a taxpayer," Wagner says.

The backstory:

In July 2026, an anonymous complaint to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division said the store was selling "liquor candies" while also alleging they had sold the products to a minor without checking proper identification.

An investigation determined the store in fact had a "section dedicated to alcoholic beverage candies and confections," according to court records, 

What's next:

Wagner faces a gross misdemeanor charge of selling liquor without a license. He is set to have his first court appearance on Dec. 18.

If convicted, he faces up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.

The Source: Information provided by store owner Robert Wagner, and previous FOX 9 reporting.