 |
| Filling of a Hershey's Kiss |
Ever
since I moved to Pennsylvania, I have tried several flavors of Hershey's Kisses paying my respects to
one of the most internationally acclaimed brands of chocolates of the world.
With the time flying around my feet, I discovered, however, that the state of
the Mountain Laurel is not only represented by Hershey, but also by several
other small chocolate factories, which seem to be highly competitive in the
market. Their unique tastes, ingredients, essences, delicacy, and in many cases
the commercial presentation have made these brands be the pride of
Pennsylvanians for decades. Let’s take a look at four companies that are the
most competitive in the local niche of chocolate consumers next to our top one
Hershey.
1)
The Dan Smith Candy Company. With four locations in
Dubois, Ridgway, Clarion and Brookville, the owners started the business
selling ice cream in 1946 Seven years later, encouraged by the success of the
ice cream sales; Dan decided to expand into making candy. One of the
first candies created was the coconut
and peanut clusters that they
still produce today. The Old Fashioned Holiday Flower Mints compete in second
place providing a terrific experience of sweetness. The Pecan Delights will
melt in everyone’s palate. There are gift baskets with prices varying between
$32.95 and $154.95.
 |
| Holiday Flower Mints |
2)
Bedford Candies (Chocolate and Popcorn).
Bedford Candies was founded in 1929 by George B. Sotirokos in the heart of
Historic Bedford, Pennsylvania. The store was owned and operated by three
generations of the Sotirokos family. Steve Sotirokos was the third generation,
and successfully ran the business from 1979 to 2010. Steve has since retired
from the candy business, and has left the store in the hands of long-time
employee Tammy Wiley. Tammy strives for the same excellence that the store has
achieved for over 80 years and continues to create high quality chocolates that
cannot be found anywhere else. Bedford Candies Gourmet Popcorn was born from
Adam Wiley’s senior project in 2013. Adam is always thinking of future business
endeavors, and he believed that gourmet popcorn would be a great addition to
his mother’s candy store. Among their flavors of chocolate, you will delight
yourself with peanut butter meltie bars, peanut butter cream, spider bites,
cordial cherries, coconut bark, raisin clusters, and many other irresistible
tastes. The company runs two stores in Altoona and Bedford.
 |
| Cordial Cherries |
3)
Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. She began her career
making chocolate in the kitchen of her small house in Scranton, PA, in 1936, at
the height of the Great Depression. Today, with over 60 retail store locations
located across Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey and a growing e-commerce
website, the company’s signature Smidgens® remain the number one retail seller.
With the addition of hand-dipped specialties such as caramel apples,
strawberries and ice cream, shopping for Gertrude Hawk Chocolate remains a
tradition at Christmas and Easter. The caramel apples come in three different
flavors from dark chocolate, white and milk chocolate and covered in nuts,
toasted coconut, and rainbow sprinkles. For those strawberry lovers, the
chocolate covered strawberries are killers of the palate and you can conquer
anybody’s heart with a box for $39.99.
 |
| Chocolate Strawberries |
4)
Betsy Ann Chocolate. Since 1938, their time-honored
recipes include only the finest, freshest, and all-natural ingredients. Each
chocolate confection is custom created distinctly for the American palate.
Familiar favorite ingredients, flavor combinations and pleasing textures
lovingly turn each bite into the sweetest of memories. For generations of
loyal customers, their confections are a nostalgic and joyful treat and their
stories inspire us daily. Their truffles come in assortments with delicate
ingredients like parfait and rich mousse. Buy a box of Birthday Presents-Milk
Chocolate (12oz) for $17.99, and Gold Foil Coins-Milk Chocolate (12oz) for
$19.99.
 |
| Chocolate Pretzels |
5)
Chocolates by Leopold. He started his business
in 1997 in Binghamton, NY. His customers had the pleasure of watching as
Leopold created chocolate masterpieces such as an Aztec Pyramid, Carousels and
a replica of the Binghamton Mets baseball stadium. Leopold enjoyed the
opportunity to fill orders for customers no matter the size or degree of
difficulty.
 |
| Leopold's Tulip Pop |
For one customer, he created 24,000 white chocolate golf balls! One
of the exciting features about his chocolatier is the fourth generation German
chocolate recipes that he always considers to satisfy every chocolate lover’s
palate. These recipes include such specialties as Buttercrunch, Cherry Cordials
and Mint Delight. Leopold also creates mainstays such as Chocolate Bark,
Truffles, and Caramels. One suggestion is to browse and buy those chocolates he
makes for special occasions such as rose pops, chocolate shoes, and black-eyed
Susan Pop.
Before
you return home from vacation or a business trip, don’t forget to board your flight with these treats that
your loved ones will always remember and made just in Pennsylvania.
 |
| Advertisement |
|
 |
| Advertisement |
|
I can only aspire to write material like this. I am extremely impressed with your presentation of the sound points in this article. Thank you for writing this engaging content. Custom CBD Lollipop Boxes
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete