The Sidewalk CEO podcast talks with Sarah Booe of Rebecca Ruth Chocolates in Frankfort, Kentucky. Sarah is the 4th generation of her family to work in this iconic small business known around the world for its bourbon chocolates.

• · Sarah talks about growing up around the business.
• · She is a 2020 graduate of the University of Kentucky
• · Started working in Rebecca Ruth’s office during COVID, as everything switched to online
• · She is now the Vice President of Rebecca Ruth
• · The company was founded in 1919 by Sarah’s great-grandmother, Ruth Hanley Boo,e and friend Rebecca Gooch
• · They began at the Frankfort Hotel during Prohibition, using the closed bar
• · Edna’s Table, a marble slab named for a longtime employee, survived a fire and will soon be part of Rebecca Ruth’s new tour experience
• · Sarah’s mother has recently opened Miss Risa’s Restaurant for lunch Monday through Saturday inside the Rebecca Ruth store at 629 Versailles Road in Frankfort
• · Another store is located on the other side of I-64 at 3295 Versailles Road
• · The main store and factory is located at 116 East 2nd Street in Frankfort
• · Sarah just developed a new candy, Bourbon Black Forest Truffle
• · Ruth invented the bourbon ball, inspired by a conversation with Eleanor Hume at Frankfort’s sesquicentennial, in 1938
• · Preparation for Christmas begins in July
• · They managed not to lay off anyone during COVID, even as foot traffic slowed drastically, because their online sales boomed
• · They still accept phone orders, mostly from loyal, longtime customers who have left KY
• · They employ around 35 people without a lot of turnover
• · Facebook is an essential tool for connecting with Frankfort locals
• · They aren’t using much technology throughout the business, and still write paper checks
• · They came through the recent flooding with only some water in their basement
• · Use several different Kentucky bourbons as they make bourbon balls for local distilleries like Buffalo Trace
• · One line operation, centered around the extruder that forms the candy dough or center into pieces, which are then chocolate-coated
• · One batch weighs 60 pounds
• · They try to keep suppliers as local as possible
• · Sarah has upgraded the business to Shopify
• · New tourism site will be 5000 square feet, located at the 2nd Street site, and will include historic equipment, vintage advertising, a history video, and a look into the factory
• · A new tourism experience is expected to open mid-June
• · Besides the 3 Frankfort stores, their candy can be found across KY
• · Traditional bourbon balls are the core of their business, but they do experiments and add new products

Rebecca Ruth Chocolates- Web Site

Rebecca Ruth Chocolates - Facebook

Rebecca Ruth Chocolates - Instagram