ABOUT US
Anellabees Honey Candies originated as a mother-daughter passion project in 2017, when Danielle and her daughter, Anella, began testing hard candy recipes in their kitchen using an old confectionery press from the 1900s. The goal was simple: create a honey-based candy that everyone in the family would love, free of the unnecessary ingredients found in most confections.
Meet Anella, who shares a family name with her adventure-loving grandpapa, Aniello. Ever the explorer, Anella is a naturalist at heart and a mini beekeeper extraordinaire! She's been helping her parents look after their hives since the age of two and loves dreaming up new ways to care for her bees and share her fondness for honey and homemade candy with her family and friends. After all, Anella knows that there's nothing better than a treat made by bees, enjoyed with the ones you love.
OUR PROCESS
Truly a labor of love, our process begins by gently heating honey and organic sugar and slowly adding just a few select ingredients to make our hard candies, caramels, taffy, and other confections. We use antique molds to give our candies their signature shapes and carefully wrap each caramel using an 85-year old candy wrapping machine. Our favorite part of the process, of course, is taste-testing!
OUR HISTORY
Life has a way of coming full circle—Anella’s great-great-grandfather Nicandro worked as a confectioner in Belgium and Italy and carried his passion for candy-making to America, where in 1909 he opened a small general store just outside of Detroit, Michigan. Nicandro ran the store alongside his wife, Angela Maria, and neighbors knew their shop to be a sweet stop for delicious candy treats, ice cream, and a little bit of everything else. There’s no greater honor than connecting with such a unique bit of our family history and sharing our long-time love of hand-crafted candy with all of you.
OUR COMMUNITY
It takes a whole hive to keep Anellabees buzzing, and we wouldn’t be the same without all of the amazing makers, growers, and other creative partners who help us thrive. From hand-dipped candles to honey butter taffy, every collaboration is an opportunity to support craftsmanship in communities outside our own. We are passionate about bolstering small businesses and the families behind them, and we hope you’ll read more about the organizations, people, and places we support on our “How We Give Back” page HERE.
