NEW RICHMOND, OH — French Chew, the Cincinnati candy known for the "freeze it, crack it, smack it" tradition, is celebrating 130 years and a new chapter in New Richmond, Ohio.
The taffy brand got its start in 1896, selling slabs of candy at Findlay Market, where customers could break off a piece to take home. Now, it rolls off an assembly line at a new storefront at 400 Front Street, New Richmond, OH.
Raymond Rice bought the French Chew brand from Doscher's Candies about a year and a half ago, determined to keep the candy in the region and make it the right way.
"I went to Doscher and cooked with them for 6 months to learn how to make the taffy, how humidity effects it, how temperature effects it, they gave me a great lesson," Rice said.
The purchase was the fulfillment of a family dream.
"My wife's dream always was to have a storefront where kids could walk in off the streets, French Chew came up and it's like let's buy it!" Rice said.
The shop is a full family operation. Rice's wife, five children, parents, and a close family friend named Desiree all play a role in running the business.
"Our full family's here, we have Desiree, she's like a sister to me, I have 5 kids they help out, my mom and dad they do most of our packing and stuff. And they love it," Rice said.
The feeling is mutual for the older generation pitching in.
"It's a family thing and this is something my husband and I can do that's not strenuous," Peggy Rice said.
The shop has introduced new flavors since taking over the brand and has even experimented with the freeze-dried candy trend. But the focus remains on staying true to what makes French Chew a classic — including one detail that surprises many customers. For generations, people have always assumed the white powder coating the candy was powdered sugar.
"It's just corn starch, everyone thinks it's powdered sugar but it's not," Rice said.
French Chew is available by the bar or in small nugget form at the New Richmond storefront on Front Street. Stop by and say hello, and grab a piece of Cincinnati history!
