Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/589641
108 | NOVEMBER 2015 nshoremag.com in-depth SHOP working with their parents at a young age, helping run the com- pany's much-loved stand at the Topsfield Fair, and similar booths at fairs across New England. Today, the tradition continues with daugh- ter Jillian Winfrey managing its four retail locations, website, and marketing. Twins Scott and Mark are integral to the business as well: Scott manages the candy produc- tion and Mark oversees packing, shipping, and wholesale accounts. "We were able to grow very quickly as a business once my brothers and I joined after graduating college," explains Jillian. "My parents started from nothing, and built such an amazing foundation—then Mark, Scott, and I each brought along our own skills and new ideas." Both the family and the business have grown in recent years to wel- come the company's third genera- tion: Jillian, Mark, and Scott have seven children between them, each with a candy named in their honor, ranging from "The Victoria Rose," a milk chocolate pecan caramel square, to "The Emerson," a square of dark chocolate with sea salt and blueberries. In May of 2011, Scott's, Mark's, and Jillian's families each welcomed a new baby within the span of a single week. "We were in sync!" Jillian laughs. "My brothers are my best friends," she adds. "We hang out on the weekends, our kids play together, and we work together in the Rowley location." The Rowley Winfrey's now boasts an impressive kitchen, packing area, and temperature-con- trolled storage space, where stacks upon stacks of nonperishable choc- olates can be kept cool for weeks. In the kitchen, Scott Winfrey and other employees—many of whom have worked with the company for decades—create batches of fudge, caramel, buttercream, and brittles from scratch in huge copper kettles and pans. Across the hall, a large room holds the two massive candy enrobers (machines that cover the squares of salted caramel or vanilla buttercream in rich chocolate). Squares of filling travel down the enrobers' belts to be covered in chocolate, and then down a cooling tunnel that allows the chocolate to harden. At the end of the cooling tunnel, employees decorate the can- dies by hand and transport them to the packing area. The Rowley location produces new candies nearly every day— typically, the enrobers yield up to 1,400 pounds of buttercreams daily. While preparing for the holidays or other special events, the Win- frey's employees can create around 3,500 pounds of fudge in a single day. Winfrey's produces all fudge, brittle, creams, caramels, and taffy in-house, while supplementing their stores with hard candies and penny candies from outside distributors. "We have several staples that people associate with Winfrey's," explains Jillian. "Our chocolate fudge is classic—even with all our varied fla- vors, people still choose the choco- Below, Left to right, Scott Winfrey, with his sister Jillian, and twin brother Mark