This Ohio Chocolate Shop Is Celebrating 100 Sweet Years, And The Timing Couldn’t Be Better

A chocolate factory grew up around a woman’s actual house, and it’s still making candy there today.

The whole story started with fudge made in a home kitchen and sold door-to-door to neighbors and coworkers.

That was 1926. Now the shop is turning 100, and every chocolate still comes out of that same Ohio address.

I like how stubborn that is, in the best way possible. Plenty of brands move production somewhere cheaper, but this one stayed put and kept the handmade approach.

The boxes come wrapped in gold with a red ribbon, so they basically announce themselves as gifts. The lineup runs from caramels and creams to brittle and chocolate-covered potato chips.

I can’t imagine a better year to finally see where it all happens. So which box would you grab first?

A Kitchen Fudge Hustle Turned Into A Century-Old Factory

Esther Rose Rohman started with a pot, a stove, and a plan to sell fudge. In 1926, she cooked it in her kitchen and carried it door-to-door to neighbors and coworkers.

That small side gig grew into Esther Price Candies, one of the best-known candy names in Dayton. The wild part is that the factory headquarters on Wayne Avenue was built right around her original home.

Think about that for a second. Most businesses outgrow their first location and leave it behind for good.

This one just kept adding on, including three extra floors to the factory over the years. The house stayed in the story instead of getting swapped out for something shinier.

Esther ran the business for 50 years before selling it in 1976. That’s half a century of fudge, creams, and caramels under her watch.

The company has kept her vision going by sticking with quality ingredients and handmade production. So the candy you buy today still connects back to that kitchen in a very real way.

A hundred years later, the shop is celebrating its centennial in 2026. Few Ohio businesses can say they started with a single pan of fudge.

Even fewer can say they never moved away from it.

Every Single Piece Still Comes From One Address

Freshness has a home address here. All Esther Price chocolates are still made at the Wayne Avenue facility in Dayton.

That matters more than it sounds. When you shop at this location, you’re buying candy from the same building where it was produced.

The Wayne Avenue site pulls double duty as the main production facility and the original store Esther opened. It’s a rare setup in a world where most candy travels a long way before reaching a shelf.

The company still follows handmade production practices. That approach ties directly back to how Esther did things in her own kitchen.

Plenty of brands lose that personal touch as they grow bigger. Here, growth meant adding floors, not shipping the work off somewhere else.

For candy fans, that offers a nice bit of peace of mind. You know exactly where your caramels and creams began their journey.

It also makes the shop feel like more than a store. You’re standing at the source, which is a pretty fun place for a chocolate lover to be.

Here’s a small tip for planning. Stop by on a weekday morning if you like getting an early start, since doors open at 8 AM Monday through Friday.

Ohio Milk And Butter Are Part Of The Secret

Good candy starts long before the chocolate gets poured. Esther Price Candies uses pure, premium chocolate along with locally sourced Ohio milk and butter.

I love that the dairy comes from close to home. It gives the candy a real connection to the state where it’s made.

The nuts and fruit get serious attention too. The company uses fancy-grade almonds, pecans, cashews, and cherries in its candies.

That kind of ingredient list explains why the shop has lasted so long. You can’t really fake quality for a hundred years.

Esther set the standard early, and the company has kept using those same quality ingredients. It’s a simple idea that’s surprisingly hard to stick with over time.

Shoppers who care about where food comes from will appreciate this detail. It’s nice to know your treat supports Ohio farms in a small way.

Next time you bite into a pecan piece, think about the path it took. Premium chocolate, local butter, and carefully chosen nuts all meet in one Dayton building.

It’s a pretty great team effort for something that disappears in about two bites. Then again, that’s exactly why you’ll want a second piece.

Good Luck Picking Just One Kind Of Candy

Caramels, creams, fudge, and brittle all share the shelves here. That lineup alone could keep a sweet tooth busy for weeks.

Esther Price Candies offers a wide selection of assorted and single varieties. The categories include caramels, creams, crunchy and chewy chocolates, fruit and nuts, fudge, and brittle.

Assorted boxes are great if you can’t make up your mind. You get a little bit of everything without having to commit to one flavor.

Single-variety boxes work better when you already know your favorite. Dark chocolate caramels fans, for example, can grab a box of just those.

The shop mainly sells boxed chocolates, so plan your choices around that. It has also expanded into single-serve options for quicker treats.

Custom orders are available too. That’s handy if you need something specific for a party, a thank-you gift, or a work event.

A smart move is to decide who the candy is for before you shop. Crunchy fans and chewy fans rarely agree, and boxes help keep the peace.

Fudge deserves a special nod, since it’s how Esther got started. Ordering some feels like a tiny tribute to where this whole sweet story began.

Yes, They Dip Potato Chips In Chocolate

Salty and sweet make a great couple, and this shop knows it. Esther Price Candies offers chocolate-covered potato chips and chocolate-covered pretzels.

These treats feel a little playful next to the classic creams and caramels. They’re the kind of snack that makes people say, wait, really?

Then they try one and stop asking questions. The crunch of the chip and the smooth chocolate just work together.

Pretzels bring a sturdier snap and a bit more salt. They’re a solid pick if you want something crunchy that isn’t overly rich.

These are also smart choices for people who claim they don’t love candy. Everyone has that one friend, and chips might win them over.

I believe a candy shop proves its personality with items like these. Old-school boxes are wonderful, but a little fun keeps things fresh.

Consider adding a bag of chips to a bigger gift. It gives the recipient something different to snack on while they save the fancy pieces.

Movie nights, road trips, and office break rooms all welcome salty-sweet snacks. Just don’t expect leftovers, since chocolate-covered chips tend to vanish fast once the bag opens.

That Gold Box With The Red Ribbon Does The Talking

Some gifts need a card to explain them. A gold Esther Price box tied with a red ribbon pretty much explains itself.

The signature gold packaging is one of the brand’s best-known features. Around Dayton, that look signals a special treat before anyone opens the lid.

That makes gifting almost too easy. You don’t need fancy wrapping paper or a perfectly tied bow of your own.

Birthdays, thank-yous, and holidays all fit the gold box nicely. It feels thoughtful without requiring hours of shopping.

Packaging might seem like a small detail. Still, a recognizable box builds memories over many years of celebrations.

Families who grew up with these boxes often connect them to holidays and big moments. That’s the kind of loyalty a brand earns slowly.

Here’s a helpful idea for planning ahead. Pick up a few boxes at once and stash them for last-minute occasions.

Just hide them well, because a gold box sitting on the counter rarely stays sealed. The ribbon practically asks to be untied.

For the 100th year, that classic look feels even more meaningful. It’s a century-old tradition you can hand to someone in one neat package.

Holidays Bring A Whole New Round Of Treats

Calendar flips mean candy changes here. Esther Price Candies makes specialty seasonal candies throughout the year.

Easter is a big one for chocolate lovers in this part of Ohio. Seasonal chocolate eggs make the spring lineup especially fun to browse.

Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and the winter holidays are natural times to shop too. A gold box fits right in at any of those celebrations.

Seasonal items don’t stick around forever, which adds a little urgency. If you spot a favorite, it’s smart not to wait too long.

Holiday weeks can also shift store hours. Check ahead before making a special trip, especially near major holidays.

Here’s a practical tip for busy seasons. Call in your order and use curbside pickup, which runs Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

That option saves time when your to-do list is already long. It also keeps your car trip quick on chilly days.

I like that a shop this old still treats each season like a fresh event. After a hundred years of holidays, it could easily coast, but the specialty candy keeps showing up.

Plan Your Stop On Wayne Avenue The Easy Way

Finding the birthplace of all this chocolate is simple. Esther Price Candies sits at 1709 Wayne Ave, Dayton, OH 45410.

That’s the original store Esther opened, and it’s also where the candy gets made. Few shopping trips come with that much backstory.

Weekday hours run from 8 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday. On Saturday, the doors open at 9 AM and close at 5 PM.

Sunday is a day off, so plan around that. Showing up to a locked door with a craving is nobody’s idea of fun.

Hours can change, particularly around holidays. A quick check before you leave can save you a wasted drive.

Curbside pickup is another handy option for call-in orders. It’s available Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Out-of-towners visiting Dayton can easily work this stop into a day of errands or sightseeing. It’s the kind of detour that pays off immediately.

One more friendly suggestion is to bring a small cooler on warm days. Chocolate and a hot Ohio car are not best friends, and your caramels deserve better.

Living Far Away Won’t Keep You From A Box

Moving away from Dayton doesn’t mean saying goodbye to these chocolates.

Esther Price Candies offers shipping to most of the United States, although it currently does not ship to California.

That’s great news for former Ohio residents who miss a hometown taste. It’s also a sweet way to surprise friends and family across much of the country.

Shipping turns the gold box into a long-distance hug. Grandparents, college students, and old neighbors all make excellent recipients.

A centennial year feels like the perfect excuse to send one. Sharing a hundred-year-old tradition is a pretty memorable gift.

Timing matters when ordering chocolate by mail. Order early before big holidays so the box arrives right on time.

Warm weather can also affect chocolate during travel. Keep the season in mind when choosing your delivery dates.

I can’t think of a better reason to finally try this Dayton classic. The shop that started with door-to-door fudge now reaches doors across much of the country.

Esther once carried her candy around the neighborhood by hand. Today, her name travels much farther, but the idea stays the same.

Good chocolate, made in one place, shared with people you care about. After 100 years, that recipe still works beautifully, and it might be time you got in on it.