Candy makers at local shop prepare for orders ahead of Valentine's Day in New Jersey
Duffy's will be open all weekend and on Monday for Valentine's Day.
GLOUCESTER CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- It's a labor of love at Duffy's Fine Chocolates on North Broadway in Gloucester City, New Jersey.
They'll go through hundreds of pounds of caramel on big holidays like Valentine's Day.
"Taking the candy off of the belt," explained Dave Bulzak as he boxed up freshly made peppermints. "Checking the bottoms to make sure they're sealed-- and there are no holes in the candy itself."
Michelle Sieg is a fifth-generation Duffy and has worked in the store since she was 16.
"I'm dipping strawberries in milk chocolate for some orders that were placed online during our preorder for Valentine's Day," she said.
She's proud of the candy she makes and proud of the store's 100-year history.
"Charles and Elizabeth started the business in 1922, and then James and Genaeve started this location in 1950," said Seig.
They've come a long way from making chocolates in the living room decades ago and selling them on the front porch.
The main focus has always been their customers.
Frank Virgilio of Hammonton came in Friday with a sweet tooth and a list from his family.
Virgilio has been filling the same Valentine's Day candy boxes for decades.
The smell of chocolate brings back memories of 100 years ago.
It's longtime small businesses like Duffy's where traditions can continue for decades to come.
"Our backs are like breaking by the end of the week," said Sieg.
But she wouldn't want to do anything else.
"Oh, I love it. I love it," Sieg added.
Duffy's will be open all weekend and on Monday for Valentine's Day.
They also have a second location in Haddonfield.
