The acquisition of Gorant by the Youngstown Chocolate group in 2023 began a new chapter for the legacy chocolate brand. Gorant Candies was founded in 1949 by brothers Sam and Charles Gorant, in Youngstown, Ohio. The first candies made by the Gorant brothers were sugar mints of various flavors and pastel colors. The brothers made them in their basement and sold them door-to-door. They would then go into downtown Youngstown and sell them to Strouss’ and McKelvey’s department stores. McKelvey’s would later become Higbee’s, which helped to introduce the candies to the Cleveland area.

Building on the success of their sugar mints, the two brothers expanded into the chocolate business. As the years passed, the popularity of Gorant Candies grew. They opened additional stores in areas surrounding Youngstown. In addition to their selection of quality chocolates and confections, the Gorant Candies & Yum Yum Tree stores offered their customers a selection of distinctive gifts and greeting cards.

In the early 2000’s, Gorant’s products were available in more than 500 corporate-owned American Greetings retail stores known as Carlton Cards and Yum Yum Tree. In 2023 Gorant was purchased by the Youngstown Chocolate group, owned by Mahoning Valley residents, Bergen Giordani and Nino Rubino.

The recipes that the Valley has enjoyed for years remain the same as production follows the original recipes created by the Gorant Brothers. The production facility has been right sized and modernized and is located at the flagship location. An additional storage facility is located in Youngstown. 

In 2025 the Dessert Bar opened at the Flagship location serving cocktails, appetizers, and of course, desserts!  

The Gorant menu of products include a variety of chocolates, including our boxed assortments, individual showcase pieces, chocolate molds, chocolate covered pretzels, and of course our signature Yum Yums® and many, many more. We use only the very best flavorings and ingredients to make our gourmet chocolates.