Wertz Candies expands sale of famous caramel corn to three local groceries

Have you ever had a hankering for some of Wertz Candies signature caramel corn but just couldn’t make it downtown to pick up a bag?

Lebanon’s own Jazzie Battle, who took over the legacy business in October, has you covered. The sweet and crunchy treat is now available for sale at three local grocery stores … and, according to Battle, it’s “flying off the shelves.”

The first extension to the downtown operation was at Gristick’s Fresh Market, 505 S. Lincoln Ave. Battle said he was shopping there last October “and asked if they would like to carry it. They said absolutely. And it started flying off the shelves.”

Bags of Wertz Candies Caramel Corn were available at Gristick’s by the second week of October, Battle said. Since then, he has been focused on business at the flagship Wertz Candies store at 718 Cumberland St. But recently, he said, he decided to see if there was any interest in expanding his reach a little further.

“We would like to grow the business and reach a new audience,” he explained. “One way to do that is the grocery stores.”

So Battle reached out to the Dutch-Way chain and asked if they’d be interested. “They’re similar to Gristicks, they carry a lot of local products,” he said, adding that Dutch-Way was immediately on board with the idea.

This past Thursday, Feb. 5, the Wertz corn went on sale at the Dutch-Way Farm Market at 649 E. Lincoln Ave., Myerstown. The next day, Battle said, it appeared on the shelves at the Dutch-Way at 2495 Stiegel Pike, Schaefferstown.

Battle announced the new sales venues on social media over the weekend. In a Feb. 5 post to the Wertz Candies page on Facebook, Battle gave the “exciting news” to Myerstown.

“We’re bringing a little piece of Lebanon closer to you!” the message read in part. “Dutch-Way Farm Market now carries our famous Wertz Candies Caramel Corn! So on those busy days when you’re crunched for time and can’t make it into the shop, you can still enjoy the sweet taste of Wertz – right in your own backyard.”

Two days later, he posted an update about the addition of the Schaefferstown location to their growing family.

“You asked, and we’re happy to share the news!” the post read, adding that the treat is “freshly made, perfectly crunchy, and a sweet way to support local.”

Of course, the new sales locations means Wertz Candies has to produce more product.

“Between Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we went through over 450 bags,” Battle said. “I would say it’s going pretty good. It’s definitely ramped up production within the store to keep up.”

Currently, he said, there’s no need to expand their commercial footprint or hire additional staff to handle the uptick in production. But Battle said that could change in the future.

“You want to take your time,” he said. “You don’t want to do too fast, you don’t want to go too slow. Let it grow organically.”

Although caramel corn is at present the only Wertz Candies product on local grocery shelves, Battle said that, too, might change.

“We have been asked for some other products, and we’re working on a way to make that happen,” he said. “Stay tuned.”

The response from customers so far has been great, he added.

“They love it. They LOVE it,” Battle said. “I’ve been getting … private messages, and people are really happy about it.”

On Facebook on Monday, Battle also announced the return of a perennial favorite: a seasonal Opera Fudge Stout that comes from an inspired collaboration between Wertz Candies and Snitz Creek Brewery.

Battle described the beer in his post as “something bold, rich, and seriously delicious” with “deep chocolate notes, rich flavor, and a whole lot of love in every sip.”

The limited-edition stout is released each year by Snitz Creek in time for Valentine’s Day and again at Halloween. When customers tap the brew at Snitz Creek locations in Lebanon and Annville, and Palmyra, Battle said, “it comes with a little sweet treat on the side — our very own homemade Opera Fudge.”

Snitz Creek describes the stout online as “brewed with copious amounts of raw oats, chocolate powder, chocolate syrup and milk sugar” and “conditioned on mounts of coco nibs.” The beer is listed at 6.2% ABV.

Battle, who also owns Poncho’s Backyard Grubbin’ and Rome’s Rentals, co-owns Wertz Candies with partner Travis Carroll. They purchased the business from Rob and Lindsay Wertz, who bought the business from the original Wertz family in 2023.

The original store was opened in 1931 by William Howard Wertz, who was inspired to open a Karmelkorn Shop in Lebanon after stopping at one in Illinois. He ran the store until his death in 1960, when son William Jr. and son-in-law L. Saylor Zimmerman Jr. took over. William Jr. later bought his brother-in-law’s share of the business and in 1971 changed the name to Wertz Candies.

He retired in 1986, leaving the business to his four children: William Howard, Jean Louise, Richard Alan, and Charles “Chuck” Wellington Wertz. Jean left the business in 2008, and in 2023 the brothers – by then in their 60s and 70s – decided to sell. They were not related to Rob and Lindsay Wertz, whose last name was purely coincidental.

Battle, a Lebanon native who admits to snacking on his own products more than he should, said more developments are on the horizon and urged customers to follow their social media for future announcements.