Oliver's Candies

The award-winning Oliver’s Candies has been a Genesee County institution for generations. Stop by year-round to try some of their locally famous sponge candy or their celebrated glazed cashews or hostess squares. This sweet-smelling, fine quality candy shop is filled with all kinds of tasty treats and custom gifts including chocolate. All of their creations are hand-made. They even have their own ice cream parlor. Chalets are an uncommon sight in Western New York (being indigenous to Switzerland and all). So when you spot something like a big alpine lodge along the roadside in Batavia, you’ll know you’ve arrived at Oliver’s. This architectural tip o’ the cap is absolutely apropos. Oliver’s carries a fanatical flame for its milk chocolate mistress. All throughout the year, cocoa beans are sniffed, snubbed, or selected; then the lucky few are coaxed into small batches of melty choco-love. The end results are noir nuggets so fresh that supermarket specimens simply need not apply. Though the inside of Oliver’s is decidedly utilitarian, don’t underestimate the pleasure of the old factory experience. Fruits and caramels, creams and nuts—if it can be dipped, it adds to the rich symphony of smells. Yet somehow the air stays light—like the honeycomb center of the store’s famed sponge candy. If you’re not familiar with these little pillows of perfection (they’re a Western New York delicacy), try them here where they’ve been refining the recipe since 1932.