Mrs. Hanna Krause's Homemade Candy in Paramus to close after 65 years

After 65 years and generations of chocolate makers, Mrs. Hanna Krause's Homemade Candy and the fabled gingerbread-like house off Route 17 South in Paramus will be closing its doors forever.

"Generations of hard work and love went into the legacy that will remain forever," wrote a family member on Facebook. "The decision did not come lightly and is heartbreaking for all."

The store will remain open until June 28, according to its website, for those looking for a last taste of the handmade treats or to take a stroll down memory lane.

Customers took to social media Wednesday evening to express their sadness over the impending closing, writing:

• "They have the best chocolate covered strawberries my mom use to work there..."

• "The best chocolate [I] ever tasted. It'll be missed"

• "Many chocolate lollipop orders for me and my family spanning over 16 years."

A family legacy

Ingrid and Karl Krause opened the Paramus location in 1959, serving up delicious chocolate treats the old-fashioned way.

“We basically make the candy the same way as in 1929," store owner Karen Ryan told The Record/NorthJersey.com in 2019. "Most people send it through machines and cook them. We do everything one by one.”

Ryan explained the secret was using machines that are almost a century old - "it’s a higher grade chocolate, and it’s thicker.”

The family's love affair with chocolate dates back to Ryan's grandfather Alfred Krause, who worked as an apprentice in Germany making candy in the early 1900s. After immigrating to the United States as teenager and meeting his wife, Hanna, the couple opened a gas station on Long Island. When a customer bought at least five gallons of gasoline, they received a free lollipop handmade by Hanna Krause.

The treats were a hit and eventually led to the couple leaving the gas station business during World War II rationing to open a coffee shop where they sold Hanna's cakes, ice cream and homemade candies.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hanna Krause's Candy store in Paramus NJ to close after 65 years