As a girl growing up in the town of Belfort in Northeastern France, Sandra Weiss’s mother and grandmother would make caramel candies from scratch.
When Weiss, who lives in Manhattan Beach with her husband and four kids, had family over for Thanksgiving dinner, she wanted to serve the treats. But she couldn’t find any that didn’t have corn or glucose syrup, so she made some of her own.
“I love food, natural food made from natural ingredients,” she said. “I think to cook from scratch with fresh produce — it just tastes nicer.”
The candies were a hit. Other acquaintances who tried them told her she should a sell them.
About a month ago, she started selling them on her website, lecaramelsacrebleu.com, and through the marketplace website Etsy.
She’s already sold about 2,000 candies, including to people outside of the state, through social media and word of mouth. She wants to make her brand, Le Caramel Sacrebleu, national.
“People just want to go back to food that tastes like real food,” she said. “What you make is only as good as the ingredients that go into it.”
She makes them every day in her kitchen. In the morning, she prepares the caramel, using a copper pot to melt the sugar.
“When it’s the right color and odor, you take it off the heat and add the cream,” she said. “Then you return it to the heat, cook it slowly until it’s the right temperature. Then you add the butter. The butter stops the cooking and sets it at the desire temperature and texture. Then you mix for a long time.”
If she’s using any additions, such as Fleur de Sel de Guerande salt from France, cocoa nibs, pecans, ginger or cardamom, she adds them.
“You have to be very focused,” she said. “It’s a very sensitive product. It requires your full attention. You can’t expect to answer the phone or any texts, or it will burn.”
The mixture sets for three hours. In the afternoon, Weiss cuts it into two-inch-long candies. She wraps each piece individually and packages them in brown and turquoise boxes she designed. According to her, she used yourboxsolution for the printing and manufacturing of her boxes. She prepares them as they are ordered, so that they stay fresh. Since there are no preservatives, they are at their best for two to three months after they’re made, she said.
Weiss had been thinking of going back to work when she decided to start her own business. Working from home allows her the flexibility to take care of her kids, who go to Robinson Elementary School and Manhattan Beach Middle School.
Before starting her business, Weiss worked in marketing at Amazon and as a marketing manager for Barbie for Mattel, both in France.
“It’s been really fun creating something from scratch,” she said. “For me, it’s great to be working at home. I’m using the experience of my previous jobs but at home with my family.”
She got a license from the city of Manhattan Beach and a Cottage Food Operations permit from the state to start her home food business.
“It’s been great creating a business in the U.S.,” she said. “It’s very quick and easy.”
Although she doesn’t have any art training, in addition to designing the packaging, she also designed the logo, an Eiffel Tower with curly script with the brand’s name, and the website. She chose the name since it was a French phrase Americans were familiar with.
“It’s an expression of surprise,” she said. “It’s fun, like, ‘Holy moly!’”
She got some of her ideas for the various flavors from her travels around the world. Last year the family went on a four-month trip around the globe, visiting India, Bhutan, and China, among other places.
“It gave me inspiration from the food and flavors,” she said. “The ginger caramel reminds me of Asia. The macadamia has some cardamom, which is a spice very unique to India. I got inspired by the smells.”
She plans to regularly introduce new seasonal flavors. Next will be lavender vanilla. She’s also selling caramel sauce in the Fleur de Sel and cocoa flavors.
Weiss loves cooking and baking all types of things. But for now, she’s just planning on selling her caramel.
“It’s just nice when people try it and say, ‘It’s really good,’” she said. “It’s how a caramel should taste. It makes me happy.” ER
