Carl Goldenberg, who operated the candy company that made Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, has died at age 85.

Goldenberg died Monday at his Philadelphia home after a 17-year battle with prostate cancer, according to his son, David. He was a third-generation operator of the family business, joining it in 1950 and spending more than 50 years there.

The beloved regional brand was sold to Bethlehem-based Just Born Inc., maker of Peeps marshmallow candy, in 2003. The chewy chocolate-and-peanut confections are still produced in Philadelphia, but they’re now sold nationwide.

“He was very proud putting a product out like we did every day, and we took great care with its quality,” said David Goldenberg, who operated the business before it was sold. “To my father, freshness was No. 1, and getting as many peanuts in that center as he could was No. 2.”

Goldenberg’s Candy Company was started by a Romanian immigrant, David Goldenberg, in 1890. The company began producing Peanut Chews in 1917. By the 1940s, the company had dropped its other candy brands to focus solely on its most popular confection.