55 Years of Sweet Tradition: The Legacy of Our Family Fudge Business

Joan and Frank Nephew opened the first Joann’s Fudge Store on Mackinac Island in 1969 in a building located next to the old McNally Cottage. One year later, a second Joann’s Fudge Store was opened in a historic building in the center of Mackinac Island’s downtown, and in 1980 a third location was added in Mackinaw City.

Today, Joann’s Fudge is a third-generation family business that continues Joan and Frank’s commitment to providing high-quality products. We pride ourselves on the smooth and creamy texture of our fudge. To obtain our world-famous taste, our fudge is slowly cooked in traditional copper kettles over a gas flame. Once the desired temperature is reached, the mixture is poured onto marble slabs for a cooling period and then hand-paddled into loaves. We only use fresh heavy cream and butter in every batch of fudge and pure ground cocoa beans in all our chocolate flavors. Joann’s Fudge does not contain any preservatives or powdered ingredients.