A story on how the Alaskan Fudge Co started.
In 1974 my parents came to Alaska to work on the Trans-Alaska pipeline. They fell in love with the vast landscape and natural beauty all around them. In May 1977 as construction was wrapping up, they found themselves in a spot that many young couples find themselves in, what to do next with their life. With one year of college between them they settled in Fairbanks and struck out on business adventure after business venture and nothing really seemed to stick. They had success in the summertime with painting and handyman jobs but those kinds of jobs went away in the winter.
It was shortly after they were married in Juneau (my mother had an Aunt and Uncle that let them get married in their home) that my Grandma had the idea that a fudge shop would do well in the little Capital City of Alaska. At that time a couple of cruise ships a week came in so my parents said: “what do we have to lose?” So they found a place to lease for a summer and got to work. My dad spent two weeks in the spring of 1979 learning how to make products, while my mom learned how to run the books. They made their first batch of fudge for tourist visiting Juneau in the early summer of 1979. Its been 38 years since that first batch was made and not much has changed! Recipes are the same, tables are the same, and the kettles are the same. We feel if it’s not broke don’t fix it.
From that moment on, we have dedicated ourselves to making candies the old fashion way, with quality ingredients and by hand. Hand making the product ensures that each piece is up to our standards, smooth creamy fudge. My Dad has always said that he would rather sell one great fudge, then a bunch of mediocre fudge.
We hope you get to spend quality time with your loved ones this holiday season and we hope you think of getting some candies for your family.
