A Coon Valley candy maker has been named Western Wisconsin's Small Business of the Year. Valley Fudge & Candy received the honor Nov. 5 at the WI Small Business Summit, hosted by the UW-La Crosse Small Business Development Center.

The business is owned by Linda and Steve Schulte. It began in 2016, when Linda Schulte was selling homemade fudge at a local fall craft show.

It has grown into an operation with close to 20 employees that turns out roughly 6,000 pounds of fudge a week. Its products are sold in more than 2,500 stores across all 50 states.

The shop's path included rebuilding after 2018 flooding damaged its production space and retail store, then shifting toward online sales and virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vernon County economic development coordinator Larkin Breckel praised the Schultes for using local ingredients, working with regional partners and giving back through volunteering, sponsorships and donations.