BY ERIN GREGORY
Sisters Brooke and Dana Schmidt have been providing the community of Terre Haute with gourmet candy and dessert for over a year now. With a unique offering of gluten free and organic, this store is the perfect family-centered opportunity for sweet lovers in the Wabash Valley.
Brooke knew she had a calling for candy at a young age, selling homemade buckeyes at a local festival when she was merely 14 years old. After marrying her husband, Doug, and moving back her to hometown of Dana, Indiana, she and her mother, Donna, and sister, Dana, made her dream a reality and opened the first shop in 2004.
Business was going well in Dana, and in 2014, Donna decided to retire and the two sisters began running the business on their own. In 2015, they started a second company named Brooke’s Naturals which makes all natural gluten and rice free baking mixes for the wholesale market. These products can be found locally at Baesler’s Marketplace and throughout Indiana in Kroger, Carmel Market District, Fresh Thyme, Green Bean Delivery and more.
In March of 2016, Brooke and Dana decided it was time to expand and started looking at potential retail locations in Terre Haute. Now, one and a half years later, the store and product lines are growing every day, and this fall the sisters will present some delightfully original concoctions including pumpkin fudge and harvest blend cocoa.
“Our products are unique from other chocolates,” commented Dana. “Each piece is hand made with each ingredient picked for its flavor and natural state. First of all, we have a flavor for everyone, including the clean eaters in your family! You will not find any preservatives, waxes or dyes in our store.
We even make sure the Candy Canes we carry at Christmastime are made with natural dyes and flavorings.” The shop will also feature Peppermint toffee, fudge & truffles for the Holiday season.
What motivates these two busy women to keep everything in Brooke’s Candy “clean” is the opportunity for the entire family to enjoy the same dessert together. “In our personal lives, we strive to keep family first,” stated Dana. “And when family gets together at our house we ALWAYS end up with more homemade desserts than food! Which makes for lots of laughter and love shared, especially around the holidays.”
Prices for Brooke’s Candy range from $2.79 for individual pieces to up to $100 gift baskets available for holiday purchasing. More information on the family-owned operation can be found at www.brookescandy.com or by calling 765-665-3646. The store in Terre Haute is located at 10 N. 5th Street downtown. The business is still headquartered in Dana, Indiana.
