Authorize.net merchant Amy’s Candy Kitchen, named “Best Caramel Apple” by the Wall Street Journal and featured on the Food Network, tells us how their small chocolate shop in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, achieved their success.
We spoke with Paula Heupel, VP of Sales, about their journey that began 20 years ago with a goal to perfect the art of the caramel apple.
What makes Amy’s award-winning?
It comes down to our passion for quality; that's the Amy's difference. We use extra fancy jumbo granny smith apples in every luxurious caramel batch we make. Our caramel is always freshly made by hand in small batches. Our toppings are hand packed and garnished on every single apple we produce by our chocolatiers. We use only velvety, world-class Belgian chocolate from Brussels as our base chocolate in everything we make. This uncommon attention to detail gives you a gourmet apple beyond compare.
How did Amy’s go from being a small chocolate shop to such a big success?
We started by making Amy’s Candy Kitchen a destination for locals and tourists. People walking through downtown Cedarburg couldn’t resist the heavenly aroma of our caramel that fills our store. Our award-winning caramel is hand made from premium quality natural ingredients in old world copper kettles which cooks our caramel at a slow consistency to provide a gourmet, buttery flavor that no one can match.
In 2002, our owner expanded the business and launched AmysApples.com, making our best-selling apples available everywhere in the U.S. and Canada. It's a favorite treat for so many people; so we're excited that Authorize.net enables us to quickly and easily take orders online so we can offer our award-winning caramel apples to customers even outside our Cedarburg community.
How has the word about your amazing apples spread?
Our gourmet apples have been featured in many different media outlets including winning the "best overall" by the Wall Street Journal. We have also been featured on the Food Network as well as Roker on the Road, Martha Stewart, Epicurious magazine and local news media.
What would be your business advice to other small businesses out there?
Focus on one thing and do it well. Once you’ve achieved success give back to the community that supported you and helped made you successful. Amy’s Candy Kitchen / Amy's Gourmet Apples takes pride in being a stronghold in the local Cedarburg community. We donate to the local Festivals, Chamber of Commerce, Santa’s Workshop, the local food pantry and rescue farms. By donating products and providing discounts to the local schools, churches, the Humane Society, among other county programs, we help to make Cedarburg a great place to live, work, and visit.
Amy's Candy Kitchen/Amy's Gourmet Apples would like to thank our customers, as well as the local community of Cedarburg for supporting our business for the past 20 years! Try Amy’s Gourmet Apples for yourself.