We recently connected with Julie & Grant Schultz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie & Grant, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

When we decided to purchase Costas Candies in 2009 it was a life changing decision for us. Julie was currently a stay-at-home mom, with the intent to go back to teaching someday after our babies were in school and Grant was in the construction field working with his dad’s business, in line to be the 3rd generation owner of Schultz Homes. It was 2009 and the US was in the middle of a recession. Costas was in need of new owners with a vision and a heart to bring the business up to its full potential. We had a baby and a toddler at the time and Grant was ready for a change of career, mostly due to the recession and lack of work in building new homes. We were approached by the owners of Costas, although neither of us had a background in running a restaurant or candy shop. We both loved baking and cooking and Julie had worked as a waitress and also as an aide in a nursing home kitchen. We took a leap of faith and purchased Costas Candies and Restaurant in Oct 2009 and then in March 2020 took another leap and changed to Costas Candies, closing the restaurant and expanding the candy. While we had many years of growing and learning how to manage 2 small businesses in one location, all while maintaining our personal lives and adding 2 more children to our family, the risk was worth it. The risk to close the restaurant and expand the candy was the best risk we ever made! The candy side of our business has been growing and flourishing and the extra space has made our day to day production so much easier and more efficent.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Costas Candies and Restaurant was started in 1919 by a Greek family. After 90 years and 3 generations of the Boosalis family ownership, our family purchased Costas. For 10 years we ran the business as it was, a local candy store and small restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. We have always been in the same location in downtown Owatonna since it opened. All of our candy is handmade on site. Our candy has continued to expand throughout the years and we were cramped for space. In July 2020, after 3 months of no restaurant due to COVID, we made the decision to permanently close the restaurant so we could expand the candy side of our business. After a complete remodel of our space from Aug-Nov 2021 we are so happy to have a better retail space, and a spacious, modern production and packing room. All of our candy continues to be made in the same location and by hand. Every piece of candy is hand cut, dipped, wrapped and packaged. We produce in small batches, using no preservatives and put our heart and soul into making decadent, fresh candy. Making candy is an art and a science and we take pride in making candy that has been enjoyed in all 50 states and over 30 countries around the world. After nearly 104 years we are proud to own this amazing establishment that has found it’s way all over the world. We are so proud of the legacy of Costas Candies and the wonderful supportive customers the have enjoyed Costas caramels and chocolates for multiple generations.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for building our business has been being friendly and personable. By being welcoming and inviting makes our customers want to continue to come back and bring their family and friends. We listen to the stories of our customers as they reminisce about their years of enjoying Costas and make them want to continue coming. We participate in community activities and make donations to community events and fundraisers. We treat our customers and staff as we want to be treated, with kindness and compassion. We believe that our customers and staff are a part of our family and thus our Costas family just continues to grow.

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

The best source of new customers for us has been word of mouth. Our customers always tell us stories of sharing their love of Costas with their friends and family and that is the biggest source of new customers. Our candy has been shipped to all 50 states and at least 30 countries and it’s all because of someone’s love for Costas candies. We have individual customers that ship to their family and friends and then the recipients fall in love with Costas and decide to order some for their family and friends. We also have companies that give Costas for corporate gifts for the holidays and then those recipients will develop a love for Costas. Social media also definitely helped to introduce more people to Costas as they are able to see pictures of our products or videos of the making of the candies and thus want to support local and purchase a quality product they know is fresh and made locally.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.costascandies.com
• Instagram: Costas Candies
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/costascandies