Walter Sweenor makes hard candy in the 1960s.
Sweenor’s
Chocolates started modestly more than 50 years ago as a home business in Cranston,
Rhode Island. Schoolteacher Walter Sweenor had learned the trade from his father,
who was a candy maker in Springfield, Mass., in the early 1900s. Looking to
make extra money during World War II, Walter Sweenor started creating the sweets
in his basement kitchen and, in 1955, opened the first retail shop, “Sweenor’s
Open Fire Candies” in Garden City, Rhode Island.
In the decades since, Sweenor’s has continued to focus on quality, using
only the finest ingredients – fresh cream, butter, honey and roasted nuts,
a special blend of pure milk chocolate and dark chocolate, superior flavors
and no preservatives.
Now Bill and Brian Sweenor maintain the candy-making tradition (Photo courtesy of The Westerly Sun)
While
the commitment to creating the best confections remains the same, the business
has grown. Sweenor’s Chocolates is now Rhode Island’s largest chocolate
manufacturer, and is well-known for its quality products.
Now in three Rhode Island locations, Sweenor’s Chocolates is owned and
operated by the third- and fourth-generation confectioners. Bill Sweenor and
his son Brian continue to create a wide assortment of treats by hand and are
proud to now offer their chocolates online.