"From sweet beginnings…."
When my four brothers and I were growing up, my dad, David H. Koch Jr., made caramel at Christmas. We took the caramel to school and sold it by the piece or traded it with our classmates for cookies from their lunches. Dad also gave it as Christmas gifts for family and friends. I later learned that my great-grandmother had made the same caramel years before, and prior to World War I, there had been a family-owned candy store in Canton, Ohio. This same recipe has been in my family since 1904!
Unfortunately, my dad passed away before we could make caramel together, but our business is built on his tradition. To start our first sales, my wife Donna and I made caramels for a craft show, and we did very well. When she told me we had over 100 pounds of orders, I thought she was kidding; the most my dad ever made was 50 pounds one year. We made the caramel, packaged all the orders, loaded the candy on a sled, bundled up the kids, and set out to make deliveries in our small hometown of Freeport, Ohio. Our sons Aaron and Brandon were in grade school at the time, while our daughter Bethany was still a toddler at home. Eventually, they each continued the tradition of giving, selling, or trading caramels at school.
In the beginning, I did the cooking and cutting of the caramel while Donna and the kids wrapped it. At first, we only made 10 pounds at a time. Then we would take a break to relieve the anxiety that young kids have—outside we would go to pass a football for a little while before coming back inside to wrap 10 more pounds. All of our children helped to wrap candy until they each finished school. Today they are our taxi, delivery, and marketing service. As our business has grown we have formed a special relationship with our local Amish families, who help with the cooking and wrapping with the same amount of care as our own family.
Koch Caramel is homemade, hand wrapped, and made with LOVE in our small hometown. It is perfectly smooth, soft, sweet, and chewy. We take pride in our product and its deep roots in our family. You will not taste a better caramel!
My dad would be amazed that we have shipped his caramels to so many states in the USA and even to other countries. He would have loved to see his caramel tradition grow into a traditional enjoyed by many.
- Bob Koch, Koch Caramel
