A Family Tradition Since 1916 –
Celebrating over 100 years of fine confections.

Buddy Squirrel's history began more than 100 years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when Joseph Helminiak and his wife Lottie created a confectionery company which was given the name that echoes the consistent freshness and highest quality of ingredients.

In 1916, the young Polish immigrants began manufacturing and selling their fine chocolates on the cobblestone streets of West Mitchell Street in what was to become one of Milwaukee's most popular shopping areas. The business grew as they added several new retail locations. With the increased number of stores and increased demand for their confections, Quality Candy moved to a new, larger kitchen on South 5th Street in 1952. Quality Candy remained at this location until 1985 when it became necessary to expand to a larger facility at 1801 E. Bolivar Avenue in St. Francis.

 

 

In the 1960's, Buddy Squirrel began to grow and thrive as a nut business. The company outgrew the 5th Street facility in 1977 and moved to the old Terminal Building on Erie Street. This 5,000 square foot building was expanded to 15,000 square feet in 1982.

In 1985, Buddy Squirrel merged all operations under a 45,000 square foot facility on East Bolivar Avenue, employing over 200 people during peak production times. In 1999, the two businesses merged. With the addition of a broker network representing 21 states, a new 15,000 square foot Distribution Center was added in 2001 to accommodate further growth.

We aspire to continue the tradition of producing the highest quality handmade candy and premium nuts as we continue to evolve in 2014.

 

 

Buddy Squirrel currently owns and operates 3 retail locations in the Milwaukee area. We recently completed an expansion to our warehouse, and our facility now houses 60,000 feet of production services. Our products are also sold across the country through specialty food and candy stores, and can be directly purchased from our web site. We appreciate your business and your loyalty.