Stutz 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.
Gertrude Hawk ChocolatesGertrude Hawk Chocolates has been making chocolate and candy in northeastern Pennsylvania since Gertrude Hawk began the business in her Scranton kitchen in 1936. Now based in Dunmore, the company still makes its chocolate centers by hand with copper kettles and marble slabs, while its long-running fundraising programs help schools and community organizations raise money. Its signature Smidgens® and freshly prepared hand-dipped treats carry that family-rooted tradition into stores and gift boxes.DUNMORE, PA
Michael Mootz CandiesSince 1975, Michael Mootz Candies has made small-batch chocolates and other confections in northeastern Pennsylvania, carrying on recipes developed by “Gammy” Mootz in her early-1900s Pottsville store. Today Jason and Meagan Mootz run the Hanover Township business, with Jason representing the family’s fourth generation of candy makers. The Creamery, opened in 2015, puts the company’s own chocolate pieces to work as ice-cream toppings.HANOVER TOWNSHIP, PA
Esther Price CandiesFrom 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.DAYTON, OH
Gardners Candies IncSince 1897, Gardners Candies has been making chocolate confections in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, growing from Pike Gardner’s horse-drawn candy wagon into a producer known for its Original Peanut Butter Meltaway®. The company’s history also reaches into everyday American tradition: its early decorative candy boxes helped inspire the heart-shaped box associated with Valentine’s Day. Now part of the Sarris Family Company, Gardners operates stores across Central Pennsylvania and supports hundreds of organizations through its fundraising program.311352TYRONE, PA