Gertrude Hawk
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Hawk Chocolates is a chocolate
company based in Dunmore
, Pennsylvania
.
The company was started by Gertrude Jones Hawk in 1936. Hawk began her career at the age of 12 after the death of her father. She took a job in a candy
shop and later began making chocolates in the kitchen of her home in Scranton, Pennsylvania
. Following World War II
, her son Elmer Hawk invested his service pay in the fledgling business enabling the family to purchase mechanical chocolate making equipment. The family also used their products in fundraising sales through area churches and schools.
In 1959, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
took Gertrude's home for an Interstate 81
bridge
. The family bought a piece of land in Dunmore, Pennsylvania and built a factory there that opened in 1962. In addition to the factory, the building housed a full-service restaurant and a retail area. The restaurant was converted into a candy shop in 1973. In 1988, the company constructed the Gertrude Hawk Corporate Center. The company is now a $90 million annual business with four divisions. It employs over 1,000 people and operates 75 Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Chocolate Shops throughout Pennsylvania
, New Jersey
and New York
.
Gertrude Hawk manufactures Frango
s,
and inclusions for several companies such as Ben and Jerry's and Turkey Hill Dairy. In February 2008, the company produced a limited edition ice cream flavor with Turkey Hill called Gertrude Hawk Box of Chocolates which featured three different Gertrude Hawk produced chocolates in milk chocolate flavored ice cream. The company also supplies chocolates and confections to Frango
, The Hershey Company
, Nestle
and Fannie May .
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
company based in Dunmore
Dunmore, Pennsylvania
Dunmore is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, adjoining Scranton. Dunmore was settled in 1835 and incorporated in 1862. Extensive anthracite coal, brick, stone, and silk interests had led to a rapid increase in the population to 8,315 in 1890, 12,583 in 1900, 17,615 in 1910, 20,250 in...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
The company was started by Gertrude Jones Hawk in 1936. Hawk began her career at the age of 12 after the death of her father. She took a job in a candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
shop and later began making chocolates in the kitchen of her home in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, her son Elmer Hawk invested his service pay in the fledgling business enabling the family to purchase mechanical chocolate making equipment. The family also used their products in fundraising sales through area churches and schools.
In 1959, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Barry Schoch Presently, PennDOT supports over of state roads and highways, about 25,000...
took Gertrude's home for an Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
. The family bought a piece of land in Dunmore, Pennsylvania and built a factory there that opened in 1962. In addition to the factory, the building housed a full-service restaurant and a retail area. The restaurant was converted into a candy shop in 1973. In 1988, the company constructed the Gertrude Hawk Corporate Center. The company is now a $90 million annual business with four divisions. It employs over 1,000 people and operates 75 Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Chocolate Shops throughout Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Gertrude Hawk manufactures Frango
Frango
Frango mints are a brand of chocolate truffles first created for the Frederick & Nelson department stores. Traditionally flavored with mint and widely popularized by the Marshall Field and Company department store, they are now produced and distributed by Macy's department stores...
s,
and inclusions for several companies such as Ben and Jerry's and Turkey Hill Dairy. In February 2008, the company produced a limited edition ice cream flavor with Turkey Hill called Gertrude Hawk Box of Chocolates which featured three different Gertrude Hawk produced chocolates in milk chocolate flavored ice cream. The company also supplies chocolates and confections to Frango
Frango
Frango mints are a brand of chocolate truffles first created for the Frederick & Nelson department stores. Traditionally flavored with mint and widely popularized by the Marshall Field and Company department store, they are now produced and distributed by Macy's department stores...
, The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
, Nestle
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
and Fannie May .