Indiana’s Candy Scene Is Seriously Underrated
Sure, Indiana is famous for basketball and cornfields, but did you know we’re also home to some of the best candy in the country? Across small towns and big cities, Hoosier candy makers are crafting world-class sweets, from iconic gummy bears to hand-dipped chocolates.
So what are the best candy brands from Indiana? Here’s our official ranking of the state’s most mouthwatering, locally made treats.
How We Picked These Five
Two rules kept this list honest. First, every shop on it is still open and still making candy the way it built its name on, confirmed against each store’s own site or listing in 2026. That mattered here: we cut Good’s Candy Shop in Anderson after it was sold to a Missouri novelty operator and its storefront went dark (Indianapolis Business Journal, 2022; Yelp, 2025). Second, we leaned toward places you can actually walk into, because half the fun of Hoosier candy is the counter and the person who dips the chocolate. A few of these we have visited ourselves, and we linked those full write-ups so you can see the shops before you go.
1. Albanese Candy, Merrillville (Founded 1983)
Start with the biggest name in the state. Albanese Candy Factory was founded in 1983 by Scott Albanese and now runs one of the largest gummy operations in the country, moving more than 300,000 pounds of gummy bears a day (Wikipedia, 2026). The 12 Flavor Gummi Bears®, branded as the “World’s Best,” are soft, bright, and stamped with that signature “A” on the tummy.
Albanese makes more than gummies. The chocolate-covered nuts, sour candies, and seasonal boxes are worth a look too. The factory store at 5441 E. Lincoln Hwy in Merrillville runs Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free samples (Visit Indiana / South Shore CVA, 2026). For the full backstory, read our deep dive on the Albanese Candy Factory.
What to Try:
12 Flavor Gummi Bears®
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
Sour Gummi Worms
2. Schimpff’s Confectionery, Jeffersonville (Since 1891)
Step into candy history at Schimpff’s Confectionery. The current shop at 347 Spring Street in downtown Jeffersonville opened April 11, 1891, under Gustav Schimpff Sr. and Jr., and it has run continuously ever since, surviving the 1937 flood (Wikipedia / schimpffs.com, 2026). In 2025 it was voted USA TODAY’s Best Candy Store in America, then defended the title in 2026, making it a two-time national winner (WHAS11 / WDRB, 2025-2026). The Red Hots and the Modjeskas (caramel-wrapped marshmallows named for Polish actress Helena Modjeska) are still pulled and cut by hand on the original marble tables. Read our full visit to Schimpff’s Confectionery.
What to Try:
Cinnamon Red Hots
Modjeskas (caramel-wrapped marshmallows)
Handmade Candy Canes (holiday favorite)
3. Olympia Candy Kitchen, Goshen (Since 1912)
For an old-fashioned counter that has barely changed in a century, drive up to Olympia Candy Kitchen at 136 N. Main Street in downtown Goshen. It has made hand-dipped chocolates in the same spot since 1912, with original booths, swivel stools, and a tin ceiling still in place (Visit Elkhart County, 2026). This one is personal for us. One of our writers grew up on Goshen’s Main Street, where their grandparents have run a store for 32 years, and spent lunch breaks at Olympia over a burger and a green river. Every family Easter basket had a treat from that candy counter in it. Read the full Olympia Candy Kitchen story.
What to Try:
Hand-dipped chocolates from the original candy case
A green river at the soda fountain
A classic sundae or malt
4. Wolf’s Fine Chocolates, Attica (Since the 1940s)
Out in Fountain County, Wolf’s Fine Chocolates has been a family-run shop at 503 S. Council Street in Attica since the 1940s, still working from old-school recipes at a slow, careful pace (Yelp listing, 2026). The creamy caramels, peanut butter creams, and truffles are all made in-house. The fun part of the Wolf’s story: the shop once sent its chocolate up on a high-altitude balloon and shared the ride to the edge of space on social media. Get the full picture in our Wolf’s Fine Chocolates visit.
What to Try:
Chocolate truffles
Peanut butter creams
Handmade caramels
5. Donaldson’s Finer Chocolates, Lebanon (Since 1966)
Quietly making some of Indiana’s best small-batch chocolates, Donaldson’s Finer Chocolates has been a family-owned business since 1966 (Donaldson’s Finer Chocolates, 2026). They’re known for simple recipes, rich fillings, and careful execution. The shop sits at 600 S. State Road 39 in Lebanon, just off the I-65 SR-39 exit, open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Yelp listing, 2026).
What to Try:
Raspberry Creams
Chocolate-Covered Cherries
Pecan Clusters
Donaldson's Finer Chocolates | Peter's Chocolate
Honorable Mentions
A couple of Indiana sweet spots don’t fit a “candy brand” ranking but earn a stop. Tell City Pretzel traces its recipe to Swiss baker Casper Gloor, who settled in Tell City in 1858 and passed the secret recipe down through generations; the company was revived in 2009 and still bakes from that recipe today (Indianapolis Business Journal / Tell City Pretzel, 2024). Their chocolate-covered pretzels are the salty-sweet exception on this page. For a dessert detour up north, Chillz Delights in North Manchester stacks warm mini donuts with ice cream in a mint-green 1950s-style building, which is a different kind of sugar rush but a Hoosier one.
Hoosier Candy Is Worth the Drive
Indiana’s candy makers prove that you don’t have to be a big city to make big-time sweets. From classic confections to innovative gummies, these Hoosier brands are crafting joy one bite at a time.
Did we miss your favorite local candy shop? Drop us a note and let’s keep shining a light on Indiana’s sweetest hidden gems.
