From a home kitchen in the 1920s to a Dayton-area candy business marking its centennial, Esther Price Candies makes handmade chocolates and confections. Esther Rose Rohman began with fudge, then built a following for chocolate-dipped fillings and bite-size treats; later owners preserved her use of quality ingredients and handmade production practices. Today, the company’s candies remain part of local celebrations and are sold through its retail locations and select grocery stores.
Andy’s CandiesFounded in Rochester in 1917, Andy’s Candies handcrafts small-batch chocolates and confections, including its long-popular sponge candy, at its Hudson Avenue factory and storefront. Now in its fourth generation of family ownership, the company still uses many of the same recipes and serves the Rochester community through retail, wholesale, seasonal candy, and custom corporate gifts.ROCHESTER, NY
Marie’s CandiesBorn from homemade gifts made by Winfred and Marie King in their Ohio country kitchen, Marie’s Candies has been making small-batch chocolates since opening in 1956. Now third-generation owned by siblings Shannon and Rebecca, the West Liberty confectioner carries that family tradition from a restored train depot that serves as its retail space. Its best-known offerings include customizable chocolate assortments and distinctive treats such as Tur’Kins, a turtle-style candy.WEST LIBERTY, OH
JoMart ChocolatesSince 1946, the Rogak family has made hand-crafted chocolates and confections at JoMart Chocolates, Brooklyn’s oldest chocolate factory. Now a third-generation candy shop, JoMart still produces fresh sweets in the family’s original tradition, with Michael Rogak using his father’s stove and grandfather’s copper kettles. The family’s small-batch, hand-cut and hand-dipped approach carries through to its classic marshmallows and custom bonbon gift boxes.BROOKLYN, NY
Stutz Candy CompanyStutz Candy Company makes handmade chocolates and candies using recipes Joe and Mary Stutz developed in the early 1930s, when they sold their confections from a garage in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Established as a factory and retail operation in 1938, the company now carries that old-fashioned approach into its Pennsylvania and New Jersey stores, with its candy-making heritage reaching five generations. Stutz is particularly known in the Delaware Valley for its boxed chocolates and chocolate-covered pretzels, alongside gift assortments and boardwalk sweets.HATBORO, PA