Building a Better Bunny
It’s no surprise that our Easter Bunnies come from Germany. The Easter Bunny himself can be traced back to 17th century Germany roots and, as such, is an important part of the history of Germany’s relationship with Easter. The first edible bunnies weren’t made of chocolate, however, they were pastries made in the 1800s. By the time this tradition made its way to North America (Pennsylvania to be exact) children made brightly coloured nests in hopes that the Osterhase would lay eggs for them as a reward for good behaviour.
Our bunnies come from two family-owned companies in Germany: Klett and Riegelien. Oddly enough, both companies were started in 1953, 250km apart, by the family patriarch. Walter Klett started his company in Nehren while Hans Riegelien chose Cadolzburg. Both are still operated by members of their respective families and have become the leaders in beautiful chocolate figure work for holidays. Riegelein estimates that they use 18,000 tons of chocolate for their bunnies alone each year!
Riegelien, coincidently, was just honoured in January for their work by Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft, an organization which honours companies for above standard work in the food industry in Germany. Riegelein walked away with five gold medals, a few of them related to their seasonal sweets (how do we get a job on that judging panel!?).
Today 57% of children get up earlier than usual to see what the Big Bunny has left them and 90% of parents hope for a treat too! At The Candy Store we’re happy to give the Easter Bunny a hand by bringing in some of the most loved and cherished treats of the season. Stop in and see us as well as our beloved bunnies!
Labels: easter bunnies, german chocolate
posted by Katie @ 10:51 AM
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