Nashville Wraps’ customer Chana Wood spent her childhood in her Grandma Ricci’s kitchen in Cumberland, Wisconsin, baking and learning new recipes. Her Grandpa Ricci raised dairy cows and crops, and every day at noon, her grandma would feed their 10-15 workmen. Chana would help bake and deliver desserts to the hired men in the fields.
After she grew up, Chana got married and moved away from the farm to the big cities – Minneapolis/St. Paul. In 2008 Chana’s first daughter Sophie was born and her heart was drawn back to her grandmother’s family recipes. She was determined to recreate Grandma Ricci’s classic desserts. In the beginning, she was baking for friends and family out of her own kitchen for holidays and birthday parties. She says, “Back then I wasn’t necessarily a ‘business owner’. I was a mother who simply wanted to cling to whatever memories I could of my grandmother so I could share them with my two daughters, Sophie and Ava.”
From Hobby to Full-Time Candy Business
In 2013, her husband was unexpectedly laid off from his job. Chana had been a stay-at-home mom with little income from her baking hobby. They left the Twin Cities and moved back to the small town of Cumberland where her grandparents still resided.
“We desperately needed money that holiday season for Christmas gifts for our girls and I needed to think fast! That holiday season, I created a cookie and candy gift box to sell using all of Grandma Ricci’s signature Christmas treats. They sold like crazy!
“The one item everyone came back and requested was our salted caramel shortbread. Soon enough, a local shop in our town asked us if we would be interested in selling in their store. After that exposure, we were featured in more retail stores, and then we began selling our products online! Our business, Sugar Wood, was born!”
Artisan Treats with the Goodness of Homemade
Chana’s classic Midwestern confections taste like candies your mother or grandmother would make. “Our treats are a throwback to the days when you would nestle in at your grandmother’s table and enjoy the sweetness of a home-baked dessert. They are nostalgic and comforting. They are created in a small town in Wisconsin by artisan hands.”
Every day in their bakery, Chana says, they have a moment of gratitude before they begin by thanking each customer and retailer with their hearts as they prepare and package orders. “I believe this energy is felt by our customers and they know they are supporting someone who truly appreciates them. When I bake and create new ideas, I pull out my grandmother’s recipes and I start re-creating or improvising and adding my own touches.”
The Sweetest Candy Packaging with Nashville Wraps
Beautiful packaging is important to their success. “When I was baking elaborate parties for my daughters during the early years of Sugar Wood, I found Nashville Wraps from my friends Maureen Anders and Adria Ruff of Anders Ruff (featured here on our blog). We became connected through the party planning world and they are long-time Nashville Wraps customers.
“There is so much to love about Nashville Wraps, I don’t know where to start! I love the variety of product options. It is a one-stop-shop for me! In my business, in addition to the caramel, I sell seasonal gift sets and limited-edition treats, so my packaging needs are constantly changing. I love that I can grab not only my candy boxes but my market trays, ribbon, tulle, tissue paper and crinkle paper shred in one fell swoop. There are so many different choices of colors, patterns, and styles!
“I will never have to worry about having the same packaging twice as I purchase from year to year. I also love the FAST shipping! I have yet to work with a vendor who has such a lovely shipping rate AND can ship so fast! It has been a huge blessing for our business!”
Grandma Ricci’s Hunk of Love!
Sugar Wood allows the customer to pick up their orders at any time. As a baking facility, they sell their products to a growing list of retail locations throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota and ship to all 50 states through their e-commerce site.
Chana sums up her business, “There was only one Grandma Ricci, and I am lucky enough to pass on her legacy and remember our loving bond every time I bake our products. In that respect, we are truly a one-of-a-kind brand.”
Nashville Wraps is grateful for customers like Sugar Wood. If you would like to offer their products in your shop, find wholesale information here.
