29-04-2025
Coffee caramels made for mom during cancer treatment inspire Springdale business
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Springdale candy maker and business owner Nanci Mabry began making coffee caramels as a way to comfort her mother following a cancer diagnosis, a gesture that ultimately led to the founding of Ozark Valley Candy Co.
Long before the business took shape, Mabry and her mother had spent years making candy together, a tradition that laid the foundation for what would eventually become a business.
In 2018, after her mother was diagnosed with stage four liver, lung and bone cancer, Nanci Mabry moved her from Tulsa to Springdale to serve as her primary caregiver.
'She was a coffee addict,' said Mabry, owner of Ozark Valley Candy Co. 'But the medicine that they gave her for the cancer made her really, really sick if she drank coffee. So, she had to stop drinking coffee.'
In 2020, a friend of Mabry's taught her how to make coffee-flavored caramels, which she then began making for her mom to satisfy her coffee craving. She further refined her craft by studying candy-making at the University of Wisconsin.
Fayetteville teacher to be a part of deep-sea exploration voyage
'I lucked out because it's normally an in-person school, and because of COVID, I could do it online,' Mabry said, 'I spent one whole summer doing that, which was a lot of fun. Then, I just started making it.'
After tweaking the original recipe, Mabry said her mother was enjoying nearly 10 caramels a day. She began sharing the extras with friends, and before long, one of them suggested she turn her creation into a business.
In 2021, Ozark Valley Candy Co. was born.
'[My mother] passed in August of 2022,' Mabry said, 'So, she got to see the beginning stages and she would go with me to make deliveries and whatnot. She'd sit with me while I cooked. She was my sampler definitely.'
Now, these caramels are sold in a little over a dozen stores across Northwest Arkansas and one store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mabry also said how important it was to her to make these caramels without added preservatives.
'I know even with my mom that so many of the chemicals and toxins in our food and environment, I feel that that attributes to some of the cancers in our country,' Mabry said. 'If I could make something that she could eat that wasn't completely bad for her but gave her what she needed to for her coffee addiction, that was important to me.'
To learn more about the company, visit Ozark Valley Candy on Instagram.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
