Sometimes, when running a small business, it takes help from the whole family. For Sarah Coleman, her husband, and her five kids, each pitches in their own special way to keep their multiple businesses running.
That’s part of what makes Prairie Junction Toffee so special—the story behind it, along with the irresistible toffee flavors.
Watch: "America's best toffee" is based in Eagle, Wisconsin:
"We started with just our milk chocolate, and then we just kept going further and further, and people just got more and more excited," said Sarah.
You can find it at Eagle Public Market—it's an international award-winning family recipe.
"We placed second in the world. A company from Switzerland that’s been making chocolates since the '60s got first place, so we can say it’s America’s best toffee," said Sarah.
Running the business takes help from the whole family.
"Yeah, we're a family small business, so it involves three teenagers and my husband making toffee," said Sarah.\
Sarah and her husband started their business, Prairie Junction Farm, back in 2018 as a way to provide food for their family.
"With five kids, we wanted to kind of grow our own food, but we always knew we wanted more," said Sarah.
Two years later, they decided to branch out, starting a business with their beloved family toffee recipe.
"As you can see, we roast our nuts inside the toffee. We also use more butter than most, so it’s not break-your-teeth toffee, and there's chocolate on both sides," explained Sarah.
The delicious candy is made with explosive flavors, from Sprecher Root Beer to Drink Wisconsinbly's Brandy Old Fashioned.
"We’re also using a company called Rustic Oak. They do cocktail mixers, so that’s how we were able to bring in that cherry and the orange," said Sarah.
Their toffee company has grown over the years, and they are now located all over Wisconsin and even in some parts of the country. Sarah said it has taken a lot of hard work to get to this point.
"Did you ever anticipate it would grow to what it is here today?"
"No, but I am so glad that it did," said Sarah.
Two years ago, they decided to take another leap of faith by opening the Eagle Public Market. It's a business that would continue their mission of supporting local first.
"We wanted to give back to the small businesses around Wisconsin, so we have over 100 local food vendors in here," said Sarah.
Almost everything in the store is local. Customers said it’s one of the many reasons they enjoy stopping in.
"The atmosphere is great. It’s a nice place to be able to visit and talk, with not a lot of commotion, especially at this time of the day. I enjoy that," said customer Marjorie Bublitz.
Sarah said that when the family started the business years ago, there were nerves about the uncertainty that lay ahead. But they believed in their product, and it helped that the whole family pitched in.
Now, they hope their story inspires other future small business owners to take that leap of faith.
"I will definitely go for it, for sure."
You can find Prairie Junction Toffee in Sendik's locations across Wisconsin.
To learn more about Prairie Junction Farms, click here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
