It's about chocolate. And so much more than chocolate.
We are a 4th generation confectioner with deep roots and passion to continually make the finest chocolates for our customers to enjoy.
The business continues to grow and succeed today due to a loyal and dedicated team of employees and family members still working under the principles that Christ Naum founded our company on over 100 years ago.
Today, Sweetland Candies are sold at our two retail shops in Michigan one in Grand Rapids located on Plainfield Ave. and one in Downtown Rockford, in select gift shops, and through our online store.
Our founder, Christ Naum, immigrated from Greece to Canada in 1905.
There, he worked diligently to learn the art of candy making from his uncles. In 1919, Christ came to America and started his own business, Sweetland Candies, right in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Christ moved the business to several locations around the West Michigan Area and eventually became established on the Northeast side of town.
The shop began to thrive after World War II, at which time his son, John S. Naum (second generation), joined him and learned the trade. Christ passed away in 1962, and John took over the business, expanding and maintaining the same standards of quality that his father founded the business upon.
In 1975, John's son, John S. Naum, Jr. (third generation), joined the business and continued the family tradition, and together they worked to grow the business even further. In 1985, they built the present headquarters of Sweetland Candies. Since 2008, John Jr.'s son, Andrew J. Naum (fourth generation), has been perfecting the art of candy making taught to him from his grandfather, John Sr.
In 2015, Sweetland Candies opened a new location in Downtown Rockford with a new concept called Sweetland Chocolates & Coffee. The objective was to create a cohesive café that served our chocolates alongside specialty coffee. With tremendous response and feedback from customers on this vision, we opened a second café at our Grand Rapids location on Plainfield Ave. in 2017.
To be West Michigan's finest homemade candies destination and to treat every customer like family.
We are first and foremost a faith based company. Sweetland Candies believes strongly in practicing the triple bottom line within our business operations. The Triple bottom line is modeled by the three P’s (People, Planet, Profit).
People- Pertains to fair and beneficial business practices toward our labor, community and region in which we conduct business. Sweetland’s believes we should better our community through charitable donations and community service.
Planet- Refers to sustainable environmental practices. We believe strongly in recycling and using post-consumer products. Sweetland’s is environmentally responsible by adding high efficient lighting and heating and cooling systems to our manufacturing facility.
Profit- We look at our profits as real economic benefits enjoyed by our host society in which we do business in. We enjoy contributing to job growth, being environmentally sustainable, and giving back to the community.