Today we’d like to introduce you to Florence & Stefan Ernberg.
Hi Florence & Stefan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Ever since moving to the United States, we have found ourselves yearning for the deliciously sweet and sometimes salty Scandinavian candy that we love. In fact, whenever someone asked us what we missed most from home, it was a running joke between us to say simply: the candy. This intense craving for candy may not seem so dire, but many Scandinavians have an insatiable sweet tooth and take their candy very seriously. On Saturdays in Sweden, there is a tradition called Lördagsgodis – which translates to ’Saturday candy’ – where families head into their local sweet shops and load up on their once-weekly treats.
In March of 2010, we made the life-altering decision to sell everything we owned to open the very first Scandinavian candy store selling bulk candy in the US. When we opened the doors of Sockerbit, we were literally met by very emotional Swedish customers that had been longing for their beloved candy, and as more and more people have tried our candy for the first time, they too have discovered the unique and life-changing goodness of Scandinavian sweets. Over the past 12 years, what started as a single candy store in New York City has now expanded to a flourishing candy company based in Los Angeles with the online capacity to ship our sweets all over the United States and beyond.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being the first company to ever import bulk candy into the US, we started off this journey with quite of a lot of obstacles and it took a lot of time and research to figure out the whole import process, etc. Coming from Europe and moving to New York of all places to take on a complete remodel of a retail store was very challenging as well. But once you get into it, we were much too busy to take a step back and reflect on how challenging so many things are. It really is true that if you can make it in NY, you can make it anywhere. Opening two stores in California (Los Angeles and Anaheim) had its challenges but nothing compared to NY.
As you know, we’re big fans of SOCKERBIT. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We import amazing bulk candy from Scandinavia (mostly Swedish). The main difference compared to other candy is that our candy is made with less harmful ingredients. Our candy is free from High Fructose corn syrup, transfats, gmos and most of the candy has only natural colors. People can order online or in our store. We do a lot of customizations for Birthdays, Weddings, etc. We also offer customized labels/designs to corporate clients.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Dedication plays a key role in nurturing and growing our small business. Is what has kept us together and strengthened us, even during unprecedented times. Courage to make difficult decisions and take the leap.
Pricing:
- $15.99 pound
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sockerbit.com
- Instagram: @sockerbitnyc
- Other: tiktok @sockerbitcandy
Image Credits
candy images: Katrina Frederick @kfredphoto store image: @jeffmindell
