We recently connected with Jenn Morgan and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jenn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I come from a “fudge family.” So I’ve been eating and making fudge my entire life. And honestly, I didn’t realize my family fudge recipe was anything special until well into adulthood. I was only making fudge around the holidays and gifting it to friends and neighbors. But I kept hearing from the recipients how great it was, and how they were looking forward to it all year. Once I started getting requests for certain amounts and flavors so it could be regifted I knew I was on to something.

It was during the holiday season of 2019 that I finally said out loud to my husband, “Next Christmas, I want to make a sale.”

Saying that goal out load was like a starting pistol at a swim meet. All of a sudden, I had this deadline to complete a project. However, I was home with two young kids at the time (2 & 4), and I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to juggle it. Because I didn’t just want to make one cash sale from a neighbor… I wanted a legitimate business.

I created a massive list of all the things that needed to happen – every little thing from buying a new candy thermometer to navigating business legalities. Once I could see it all written down it just became a checklist for me. Every day I could pick something off the list to check off (and usually add more too it.) But it worked! I was able to make progress baby-step style and before I knew it, I had something real and tangible within a year.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I inherited a recipe for three fudge flavors – Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Butterscotch. To most people, this would have been plenty, but for me it was only the beginning. I believe fudge should be as exciting as any other dessert. The feeling that I get when I walk into a candy store or an ice cream shop and see all the colors and flavors is pure joy – and fudge should be no different.

My concept for a fudge business revolved around my ambition to create 50 flavors of unbelievably delicious and beautiful fudge that could change people’s perception of what fudge could be. I had to experiment with the family recipe to create a fudge base that could handle high-impact flavor, while still able to keep the smooth texture the recipe was known for. (And of course, keep the original three flavors nearly identical my grandmother’s.)

But once I started I couldn’t stop. By 2024 I had cataloged 250 unique flavors.

My desire to run a successful fudge business has never overshadowed my passion to make and preserve my very special recipe. There is no room for shortcuts or commercial batch-starters here.​ Fifty Flavors is premium, small-batch artisan fudge that will blow your fudging mind. Every batch is hand-made, hand-stirred, hand-cut and hand-packaged. Whether you’re looking to satisfy your own sweet tooth, or to give the delicious gift of old-fashioned fudge, Fifty Flavors is your one-stop, Cincinnati fudge shoppe!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As a home kitchen-based business, I can face roadblocks with customers that question the legitimacy of the product and the business as a whole. Starting out, I really had the “fake it ’til you make it” mentality and promoted myself as if I had a brick-and-mortar shop. Great web design and online presence has a huge effect on initial impressions. Even though my fudge is homemade, I didn’t want my appearance to look homemade. I knew I had to put in a lot of upfront effort with commercial-level marketing and branding to have any appeal with the public.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

For me, local markets and vendor shows are key. And there is no shortage of them in Cincinnati! By attending markets regularly, I’ve been able to keep a fun schedule that return customers can follow and know where to find me. But a huge portion of my sales at each show are just from the casual passer-byers that are excited to stop for a sweet treat.

Over the years, I’ve had to do a bit of trial-and-error vendor scheduling to determine which shows at which time of year are best for fudge sales. My main season is September through December, where I will attend 2-3 large events a month.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fiftyflavorsfudge.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/fiftyflavorsfudge/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/FiftyFlavorsFudge
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@fiftyflavorsfudge

Image Credits

Shay Rothstein, Smiles By Shay