Reprinted with permission from Diamond to Dollars, April 2016
Nassau Economic Development Board Newsletter
April 12, 2016 1:30 p.m.
Like most little girls, Anita Comisky enjoyed spending time with her mom and grandmother in the kitchen baking. Comisky loves to play with flavors and credits her grandmother with providing her the inspiration to try new tastes. Since launching Amelia Toffee in August of 2015, Comisky has elevated her grandmother’s original, old-fashioned recipe incorporating the unique flavors of bourbon, beer and coffee.
“The time is right for the specialty food market,” said Comisky. “People want something that is local and to have a real connection to not only the ingredients, but to the person who is making it. While our butter to sugar ratio is what makes our toffee so good, cooking with alcohol gives it a nice flavor.”
Amelia Toffee is made locally using mostly local producers including rum from the St. Augustine Distillery and a coffee extract from Amelia Bay Coffee, formulated specifically for Amelia Toffee. Comisky is also levering relationships from her time spent living in Denver, Colorado and recently inked an agreement with Great Divide Brewing Company’s Yeti beer for her On Tap toffee.
For any small business, finding the right channel of distribution is the key to initial success. Comisky accomplished just that when she partnered with local merchant, The Savory Market in Yulee, Florida. “Chocolate sales in August typically aren’t good, but we sold so much it blew our minds, exclaimed Comisky.” She noted that Amelia Toffee is one of The Savory Market’s top selling items.
Comisky is grateful for the support of local businesses. “We moved to Amelia Island two years ago and have found that everyone here tries to support one another,” added Comisky. The distinctive flavors of her buttery, smooth toffee can also be found locally at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, the Picnic Basket and the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.
Constantly looking for partners with whom she can incorporate new, unique flavors, Comisky worked with the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island salt shop using their pink sea salt to craft a specialty toffee sold exclusively in their shop. During the project, Comisky found that the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s top-selling salt is a ghost pepper salt. Thinking that would be a fun ingredient, she used the ghost pepper salt, mixed in a little Grand Marnier and created Grand Prix, a custom-made toffee for the Concours d’Elegance, a premier, world-class car show held every March on Amelia Island.
In addition to the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Comisky creates private label toffees for the Sawgrass Marriott and recently created a flavor using Crown Royal for their Cigars and Crown event.
Comisky enjoys creating seasonal flavors for Amelia Toffee. In the fall, she teamed up with Jacksonville, Florida-based Zeta Brewing for a pumpkin ale toffee. In celebration for Valentine’s Day, Comisky blended white chocolate Amaretto with fresh, dried raspberries to create Amoré Toffee.
Comisky vows to become known as a leading regional toffee and is well on her way to achieving her goal. Visit www.ameliatoffee.com to find a location near you.