Our History
Schwietert’s Cones & Candy offers ice cream, candy and other confectionary products to customers of all ages. Schwietert’s originally started out as the Picnic Basket in Cannon Beach in 1985. The original founders were Wayne and Barbara Schwietert. Wayne along with Barbara decided out of circumstance and necessity to buy a business on the Oregon Coast.
Wayne had been a Forester for over 25 years, who retired early. Barbara was a homemaker, who was busy raising 4 children, 3 of which were teenagers. Looking to their future with optimism, they researched many business opportunities to supplement their income for family needs. They found a small 1000sq ft store for sale in Cannon Beach, which was exactly right for a Candy Store! They jumped in both feet, working 50-60 hours a week to make their dreams and goal a reality. Along with their children, this would become a passion of business success and community influence empowering employees with good ethics. Ultimately their personal satisfaction would be the result of this legacy left behind. Jeff was raised in the Business alongside his parents, who worked tirelessly to grow and expand the Business. Through their perseverance and dedication, the Business grew to become a mainstay of Families coming to the beach for generations.
As the years proceeded, their son Jeff grew into managing the family Business with the example his parents instilled in him the value of hard work and dedication. By the early 2000’s when Jeff left College, he was prepared to take over the family business.
Once he became the CEO of the company, he looked to expand the business into other coastal communities. Jeff opened the Rockaway Beach location 15 years ago, Manzanita 8 years ago, and Seaside 5 years ago. Finally, in 2017, he started actively pursuing opening yet another candy store, this time in Astoria. Astoria is an up-and-coming river town with a thriving culinary scene, that was lacking a candy store along with a secondary emphasis on souvenirs to appeal to this growing trend. Along with travel from Portland and Seattle, there is also a growing cruise ship presence that will only increase in years to come. We look to this to be one of our pillars of growth in the coming years.
This business has been established for over 35 years and with much success, and Jeff understands the market of being a small business in coastal towns. During the time he became CEO, he wanted to have a name and logo that would better incorporate all the fun that these storefronts bring to their communities and to travelers passing through. In 2014, store locations became Schwietert’s Cones & Candy as opposed to the previous Picnic Basket name. Through the years of running this business Jeff has realized that he has created a one stop shop for dessert items, and understands that this puts a unique twist on any competition. There is no other shop that does exactly what Schwietert’s does. Another way that Schwietert’s is unique in the market is the quality of product that is produced by the Schwietert’s Chocolatiers. Chocolate truffles and other chocolate dipped treats are just a few of the amazing products that are produced by the Schwietert’s team.
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We have locations in Seaside, Astoria, Cannon Beach, Rockaway Beach and Manzanita Oregon.
Schwietert’s Cones & Candy is not simply about the candy, the ice cream, the fudge, and all the other wonderful things we carry. It is about the rich history, it is about hard work, it is about our customers, it is about the experience. When you step into one of our locations, we desire you to remember what it was like to be a kid again. To forget your worries and troubles, and to, for even just a few moments, remember what it is like to simply have fun.
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We not only welcome you into our store, but we welcome you into our family.