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The art of baking comes in various forms, with different products created through a unique process. At
Connecticut FudgeWorks, the family-owned and operated business has perfected its niche craft, generating fresh and creamy homemade fudge for all.
Connecticut FudgeWorks was established in February 2022 by John and Maureen Virkler, but the couple’s passion for making and selling fudge goes back to 2008 when they opened a store in Illinois.
When the Virklers moved back to Connecticut and sold their Illinois business, Maureen said it was always in the back of her mind to make and sell fudge in Connecticut.
The Virkler’s son, Josh, owns LuAnn’s Bakery & Cafe in Ellington. “When he [Josh] opened his cafe, I thought, ‘Oh that’d be great to have fudge in there also,’” Maureen said, however, due to room constraints, space did not allow it.
Fast forward two years, Josh purchased a bigger production facility, which had lots of kitchen space. With the new space and Maureen’s continued desire to make fudge, she thought of renting space from her son and establishing her kitchen.
“Three years later, this is where we are,” Maureen said, reflecting on how the business began and grown ever since.
“The idea was, though, that it would be kind of a little retirement job for us,” John said. “It just got a little bigger than that, a little sooner than we thought. But that’s not a bad problem to have.”
When it comes to making the fudge, Maureen explained that she starts the process at the beginning of the week. Using an electric water-blanketed kettle, the ingredients for each batch are mixed together to produce 30 to 35 pounds of either a vanilla or chocolate fudge base.
From there, the fudge is divided into 6-pound portions and other ingredients are added, such as cookie pieces for cookies and cream fudge or peanut butter for peanut butter fudge. The fudge is then poured into pans to set for 24 hours before being cut into ½-pound pieces and packaged for retail sale.
Packaging and delivery to customers normally take place at the end of the week.
Connecticut FudgeWorks works with MCM Fundraising, a Connecticut-based food products supplier, to sell their fudge, which John noted is their “largest customer.”
In addition to MCM Fundraising, Connecticut FudgeWorks — in season — sells its products at the Ellington Farmers Market on Saturdays. They also have about 25 retail stores throughout central Connecticut. A complete list of the retail stores can be found on their website.
Connecticut FudgeWorks also offers online sales and can ship to anywhere in the United States.
Maureen shared that they have about 20 to 25 “set flavors” that are offered, in addition to seasonal flavors. For instance, for spring, Maureen said she is looking into making a key lime fudge, caramel coconut fudge, chocolate with pastel M&M’s and other flavors with “spring-type vibes.”
For the weekly farmers market, they create a featured flavor that is “special” or “different,” Maureen noted.
In the summer, John said some popular fudge flavors have been raspberry lemonade and orange cream, and for the Strawberry Festival, a strawberry cheesecake flavor, for example.
“We’ll try to theme it for what the theme of the market is that week,” John said.
Maureen added that there is a “dill pickle market,” to which they created a dill pickle cheesecake fudge. “It was very popular,” she said, recalling the flavor that she was originally nervous to make. She noted that she made double what she would normally make for a specialty fudge and it sold out.
“People like novelty,” John said. “Especially for something like that festival.”
The most popular flavored fudge is the classic chocolate. Some other top contenders are chocolate peanut butter, salted caramel, dark chocolate sea salt caramel and cappuccino — a relatively new flavor.
In the fall — Connecticut Fudgeworks’ busiest time of year — the most popular flavors are pumpkin pie and caramel apple pie, and around Christmas; peppermint and candy cane fudge.
Connecticut FudgeWorks also does weddings, bridal showers and other events, along with making charcuterie boards. For a special event — such as a wedding or shower — John shared that the fudge is often used as a guest or table favor, and placed in little sachet bags with a message.
He noted that these offerings are something they hope to “capitalize down on” a little more this year.
“We like to think of our business as just overall, making people happy,” John shared. “Providing a product that gives people something to smile about.”
CONNECTICUT FUDGEWORKS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT CTFUDGEWORKS.COM, AS WELL AS FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM @CTFUDGEWORKS. JOHN SAID THEY POST REGULARLY ON BOTH PLATFORMS, AND PEOPLE CAN MESSAGE THEM DIRECTLY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA OR ON THEIR WEBSITE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT PRODUCTS, LOOKING TO MAKE A SPECIAL ORDER, WEDDING INQUIRIES AND MORE.
ALTHOUGH CONNECTICUT FUDGEWORKS DOES NOT HAVE A STOREFRONT, MAUREEN SAID IF ANYONE WANTS A CERTAIN FLAVOR, THEY CAN MAKE IT AND BRING IT TO LUANN’S BAKERY FOR PICK UP AS IT’S RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM THEIR PRODUCTION FACILITY.
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