Kilwins Chocolates Franchise Inc.

About Kilwins Chocolates Franchise Inc.

In 1947 Don and Katy Kilwin opened Kilwin’s Bakery in Petoskey, Michigan. Soon after opening the bakery, the Kilwins began making candy. Six years later the Kilwins sold their bakery to focus on candy making full-time, and in 1978 sold the candy business to Wayne and Lorene Rose. The Roses began offering Kilwin’s franchises in 1982. Today Kilwin’s Chocolates, now owned by Don and Robin McCarty, sells chocolates, fudge and ice cream.

Our Brand Priorities

Since 1947, Kilwins has been a celebrated part of Americana having earned a reputation for providing high-quality Chocolates, Ice Cream, and Confections combined with excellent service. Our Brand was built on the simple premise of creating the best possible products from the finest ingredients and providing customers with a super-premium experience. Today we continue the tradition by uniquely combining high-quality products with a warm and friendly customer experience, which is supported through a successful community of caring Franchisee/Store Owners.

Kilwins prioritizes the ways in which we think about and communicate our Brand. This includes how we think about our Brand strategically, with our Franchisee/Store Owners and vendors, and especially in the way we communicate and deliver our Brand to our customers. This allows us to be clear and aligned around decisions, with our Brand serving as our guide and filter in our strategizing and planning.

Chocolates and Made-in-Store Confections

Since 1947, Kilwins has built a reputation for great Chocolate, Ice Cream and Made-In-Store Confections. Our attention to detail in developing and crafting our products supports our Franchisee/Store Owners in providing the best possible products and experience to customers.

100% of our Fair-Trade Kilwins “Heritage” Chocolate is made in our Chocolate Kitchen in Petoskey, Michigan.

From the moment you enter one of our original full-line Chocolates, Confectionery and Ice Cream Stores, you are greeted with the sounds and smells of Confections being freshly-made right before your eyes! Whether it’s our creamy Mackinac Island Fudge, “The Perfect” Caramel Apple, hand-crafted Caramel Corn & Brittle, Chocolate-dipped treats, Kilwins provides an authentic sensory and taste experience like none other.

“Original Recipe” Ice Cream

In 1985, we began perfecting our “Original Recipe” Ice Cream in small batches. Today we continue our tradition of excellence, using fresh milk and cream from family farms mixed with fudge, caramel, nuts, chocolate chips or other quality confections to create the best Ice Cream available, and it’s only sold in Kilwins stores!

Our Ice Cream is Kosher certified, is expertly frozen into specially designed tubs that protect the superior Kilwins quality and is delivered to stores on Kilwins’ dedicated temperature-controlled trucks to ensure quality.

Customers also enjoy our fresh Made-In-Store Waffle Cones, hand-crafted Hot Fudge and Caramel Toppings, Ice Cream packed in quarts and our Gourmet Cake and Ice Cream cakes. In our smaller format Ice Cream and Chocolate Shops, customers enjoy the smells and taste of our hand-made Waffle Cones, samples of Kilwins “Heritage” Liquid Chocolate and Kilwins “Original Recipe” Ice Cream.