Wittich’s Candy Shop in Circleville has an authentic soda fountain sourced from the Beechwold Pharmacy in Columbus. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

At Wittich’s Candy Shop in Circleville, Ohio, candy is not just a treat, it’s a genuine experience in history. The store’s founder, G.F. Wittich, established the candy shop in 1840.

The atmosphere in this candy shop is friendly with home-town warmth. Plus it smells fantastic! I wasn’t able to walk out of there without three boxes of candy — sugar-free, of course.

One of the employees said it had been busy that day and would be even busier the next day with Christmas and holidays approaching. “It’s always real busy this time of year,” she said.

After 184 years and four generations of ownership by the Wittich family, it is the nation’s oldest family-owned and operated confectionery. Now owned by Fred Wittich, the shop makes history every day.

Fred Wittich said he considers himself not so much an owner but a curator of local history. “From the beginning, Wittich’s has believed that every piece of candy should be made with the highest quality ingredients in time honored ways,” he said. “We only use the freshest and finest ingredients, and we hand-dip or enrobe our candies.”

Wittich’s Candy Shop, founded in 1840, is located on 117 W. High Street in Circleville. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Besides dipped chocolate candy, Wittich’s makes a wide selection of molded candy, mints, brittle, fudge, and their own almondized peanuts. 

The candy shop also features a genuine old-fashioned soda fountain originally located at Beechwold Pharmacy in Columbus. The soda fountain was disassembled at its former location and brought to Wittich’s.

Perry’s Ice Cream is featured at the historic soda fountain, where customers can sit on round stools at the counter and enjoy a rich hot fudge sundae made with their secret recipe sauce, milkshake, cone or a phosphate. 

The Wittich team consists of talented confectioners each doing a part to create the best sweets for customers. From hand-dipped chocolate candy and molded candies, to nut brittles, to gifts designed to impress, they take pride in everything they make.

When I stopped in recently, I was amazed to view two of their confectioners hard at work at the back of the shop, hand-dipping chocolates in easy view of customers. You just don’t see something like this anymore, and it was wonderful to see.

View the Dusty Tires video on Wittich’s Candy Shop in Circleville. If the video above does not appear in your email, follow this link — https://youtu.be/LS_yfQ8uM0A

“We’re committed to providing exceptional customer service and making sure that every visit to Wittich’s Candy Shop is a sweet experience,” said Fred Wittich.

“Our customers are more than a sale to us — they are part of our history. We offer personalized service in store and by phone that goes beyond online ordering,” he said.

Customers are welcome to stop by at the shop, 117 W. High St., Circleville, or call (740) 474-3313 for friendly and attentive assistance. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, closed Sundays and major holidays.

All of Wittich’s chocolate candies are hand-dipped, or enrobed, right in the shop. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

In addition to assorted chocolates boxes, customers may also choose creams only or nuts and chewies only. Chocolate candy boxes are available in hand-dipped milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or both milk and dark.

Christmas specialties (while supplies last) include wintergreen patties, mint frappe, candy canes, chocolate straws, crystal creams, house almondized peanuts, fresh cashews from Krema Nut Company, and mixed nuts. You can place orders for any candies in a gift tin featuring the Circleville Wittich Candy Shop logo.

Here are “gift box” chocolate-dipped candies you can choose from (dark not available on all varieties): vanilla cream, orange cream, mint cream, maple cream, coconut cream, chocolate cream, pistachio cream, black walnut cream, vanilla caramel cream, vanilla nut caramel cream, chocolate caramel cream, honey nougat, honey nut chip, peanut butter chip, peanut stack, raisin stack, cashew stack, macadamia stack, coconut stack, almond or pecan bark, coconut logs, peanut butter buckeye, chocolate covered cherry, pecan caramel patty (turtle), salted caramel, peanut butter meltaway, vanilla peanut cluster, maple pecan cluster, peppermint patty, raspberry cream, almond butter toffee, almond butter crunch.  

Wittich’s has a huge assortment of hand-dipped candies in milk, dark and sugar-free chocolate. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Sugar-free chocolate-dipped candies include: almond or pecan bark, peanut stack, raisin stack, coconut stack, chocolate covered cherry, fudge meltaway, peppermint patty, orange or raspberry jelly, orange or raspberry cream, peanut butter truffle, caramel marshmallow, vanilla butter cream, vanilla caramel, coconut royale, pecan caramel patty (turtle), almond butter crunch.

Other candies available include candy canes, peanut brittle, cashew brittle and many more.

For more events and activities in Circleville and Pickaway County, see the Pickaway County Visitors Bureau website.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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