HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Easter’s just around the corner, and it’s drawing in sweet business to local family-owned candy shops this week.
The conveyor belt is on, and chocolate is flowing at Michael Mootz Candies in Hanover Township. A heavenly sight that this crew is used to, especially with the rush of Easter approaching.
“We stay with the traditional, the filled eggs and you know the crosses and the bunnies and the things that people come year after year and generation after generation,” explained Colleen Zupancic, production manager at Michael Mootz Candies.
Zupancic has been with the shop for more than 35 years. A part of its history that’s in its fourth generation of ownership, now under Jason Mootz.
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“Jason is my boss now. I worked for his dad and I worked with his grandfather,” said Zupancic.
Tradition is also kept with how the treats are made, keeping it old school like the way they mold chocolate.
Mootz says it’s an art form, with an extended family.
“We’re fortunate that our employees have been working with the product for so long, and growing up around it, you get a feel for it, and that’s the fun part, is mastering that craft,” explained Jason Mootz, co-owner and president of Michael Mootz Candies.
This year Easter falls later in the month, giving the shop more time to focus on production. Such as the popular peanut butter eggs.
Fresh off the conveyor belt, the peanut butter eggs are then wrapped individually and brought right out to the shop.
“Anywhere from bite-sized, all the way up to one-pounders, and we do peanut butter meltaways, coconut creme, butter creme, fruit, and nut,” said Mootz.
Cranking out the product to meet the easter demand, this shop will soon be packed with customers, many of whom come back every year.
“I think for us it’s really an honor to be a part of their long-held family traditions,” said Jodi Herstek, store manager at Michael Mootz Candies.
We asked the owner, "What’s the secret to beating the rush ahead of easter?" He says to get there as soon as they open and to try and pick up the goodies as close to the holiday as possible.
