I’ll show you a Candy Crush!6 min read

Two sweet businesses in Cincinnati that you’ll want to check out!

Sunshine Caramel Company

Years after devouring the caramels for sale on the counter, as she left her hair appointment at High Five Salon, Cara Carter-Misleh heard that the caramel lady wanted to sell her business. Her interest immediately piqued at this opportunity.  The original owner, Michele Wolf, never imagined that her joy of making caramels was going to turn into a huge success (that would become a little overwhelming).  From her point of view, Cara saw it as a chance to make it even bigger.  Her love of cooking and her creative flare made it a natural fit.  After working under Michele for a short while, learning the technique of making a fine caramel, Cara took over.

These are the softest, most delish caramels around.  Made with love and a long sticky process, they are then hand cut and hand wrapped.  She gave me samples, and I totally hoarded them! I didn’t give one away.  You don’t get between my sweet tooth and me!

She offers a variety of flavors, and there’s even a flavor-of-the-month club. I sunk my teeth into the Sea Salt…holy night, that’s some good stuff!   Turns out that’s the #1 crowd pleaser. I got to get a jump on the flavor of the month (yep I get big perks with this job)…the apple cinnamon.  I’m telling you, one bite of these little gems, and you will be hooked too.  Oh, lest I forget… coming soon to you… the “carabons”. These are like caramel buckeyes or like a Rolo on steroids. :)

I’m telling you, this is a perfect idea for corporate gifts, wedding treats, hostess gifts, the holidays, “a lift someone up” gift or just, flat out, a treat for yourself!  She can even do very cute custom labels to add to her adorable packaging.

She sells her caramel delights in many locations:
High Five Salon
Carabello Coffee(which just opened a new cool coffee house)
Dutch’s
Camargo Trading Co.
OTR Candy Bar
Lehr’s Prime Market
New Riff– (she uses their bourbon in the bourbon vanilla)
6 Skyline locations
And her treats are used for VIPs at 21C Hotel

FLAVORS… are you ready for this?
Sea Salt, Bourbon Vanilla, Espresso, Chocolate Drizzle, Georgia Pecan, Maple Bacon (because bacon is a new staple in our food groups), Hot Buttered Rum, Sunshine Orange, Coconut, Bananas Foster, Old Fashioned Vanilla and, just in time, Harvest Spice.

• Keep your eye out for the new Carabons and the caramel corn flavor
• As of this minute, you can order anything online but a storefront may be announced soon.
• 10% off you purchase when you mention “Hey, Michelle”

When you walk up and open the old front door of this adorable chocolate shop, you’ll immediately be engulfed with the most amazing aroma of decadent chocolate ever.  As I stood there, everyone who walked in made a comment… “Smells sooo good” or “ahh, that is the smell of chocolate”.  The next thing you notice is the cool space, tracing its roots to the Hong Kong Tea and Coffee Co. from the 1800s.  From there, it’s the classy logo and the wonderful packaging.  The display of the beautiful truffles will confuse you on exactly what you want to buy.  So many choices!  The Maverick theme playing through on all the candy bar wrappers. Marlene said they thought the name was fitting because Mavericks “danced to the beat of their own drum,” and they were inventors of their time, just like the Pictons who went on a limb to build a business around chocolates.

Owners Paul & Marlene Picton always knew they wanted a family business. Paul’s job as an engineer in aviation, hence the Maverick theme, had him traveling around the world.  When he came home from a trip, he always brought home chocolates for the family to try.  After his traveling stopped, they missed all the fun chocolates, so why not try to make some themselves?! They started in their kitchen, selling to family and friends.  From there, the demand grew.  Then, why not go to the home of many family businesses…Findlay Market?!

The adorable staff will assist you with detailed scoop about the chocolate, where the beans come from and the process.  You can sample all the wonderful flavors.  You can also see the chocolate being made right there in the store, which is also the factory.  I had no clue there was so much that went into the process of making a candy bar!

This process will make you appreciate chocolate more than ever!  They are a bean-to-bar factory (I have never run across one of those).  The chocolate is crafted in small batches right in the store and it is quite a craft.  Check out the Maverick Chocolate website to see the process.  It takes 7 days to make a batch, resulting in about 400 bars.  Who knew!?
They have 11 flavors of chocolate bars, a drinking chocolate mix and truffles in their store.

I also tried the nitro coffee. It’s basically carbonated coffee that’s served through a keg.  Cheers! They also have cold-brewed coffee made with cocoa chips that has a steeping process of 16 hours.  For non-coffee drinkers, they offer a cold or hot chocolate to which you can add peanut butter or espresso.

Stop in and take a whiff… I promise you won’t leave without buying something!

FLAVORS
Pumpkin Spice Milk Chocolate
63% Morropon Dark Chocolate
70% Belize Dark Chocolate
72% Ecuador Dark Chocolate
60% Dark Milk Chocolate
60% Dark Milk Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs
65% Espresso Dark Chocolate
Fahrenheit 513 Dark Choc.
Prohibition Milk Choc
White Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs
Lemon Lavender White Choc

Things to know…
•They won the 2015 Good Food Awardfor the Fahrenheit 513 Bar
•They won the 2015 International Chocolate Award.Silver for the Prohibition Milk Chocolate
•Madtree Brewerypartnered with them to create Rubus Cacao which is a stout with a slight raspberry flavor
• They support the locals. They use Deeper Rootsfor the Espresso Bar. They make truffles forNew Riffusing their bourbon, Churchill’s Fine Teathe Earl Grey Bar and Colonel De Spicesfor the Pumpkin Spice
• They have beautiful boxes for gifts that will surely win someone over
• When they opened two years ago there were only 40 chocolate makers like themselves in the U.S.
• Their chocolates are sold in stores all over the country but are made right here in our backyard!

      WHO DEY!!!!