Background information from the BBC ( Rebecca Hay ):…read more
"The history of this sweet delight dates to 1859, when 25-year-old housewife Amalia Eriksson found herself a widow and single mother to a daughter, Ida. Determined to support herself, Amalia started making candy for weddings, christenings and funerals. At the time, Swedish law didn't allow women to own or operate a business, but after receiving a license to sell the confectionery from Gränna's magistrate, Amalia gained approval from the mayor, Carl Johan Wennberg, to start her own business, becoming one of Sweden's first female entrepreneurs."
This is the background story for this candy shop. However, make no mistake, this is a tourist attraction for you to spend money on lots of candy!
Every year, millions of red and white polkagris sweets, also known as candy canes or sticks, are rolled out by hand in the tiny town of Gränna in the north of Småland, considered by many to be Sweden's capital of candy.
You are greeted upon entering this factory/ candy shop. You are offered a sample of the candy. If you are lucky, you may witness the making of this candy in real time, in the back factory area of the candy shop.
Today, the factory section was quiet. Nevertheless, the walls are lined with a variety of hard candy, caramels, chocolates, licorice and the famous peppermint candy sticks.
There is even a menu of the stick flavors offered at the shop. So many unique flavors.
I also spied a children section in the store, offering toys and stuffed animals for the little ones.
We had 15-20 minutes to look around and make our selections.
Within that short time, I picked up a lot of candy! I don't know how the stick candy tasted and I went solely on the flavor menu board!
The store is large and organized to guide you to each corner filled with different types of candy.
You definitely become the "kid in a candy store".
Update: 06/10/25- I tried a piece of the Strawberry flavor stick. It can be easily broken into a small piece of candy. It has a sweet side taste and the strawberry flavor is mild. The great thing is that the candy is smooth and doesn't cut up your mouth!
