Webb’s Citrus Candy: Central Florida Favorite since 1928
What started as two women making tropical treats for their friends was made stalwart by the Taylor and Webb families.
As a kid growing up in South-Central Florida there was always great promise venturing north on US 27 toward the big city of Orlando. What wonders there were in the city full of theme parks and dinner shows! Passing Haines City and inching closer to I-4, you always knew your destination was nearby when the huge signed beaconed: “Citrus Candy Factory: Visitors Welcome” and “Goats Milk Fudge!”
Mom, dad, can we please stop??!! That plea often didn’t take a ton of convincing. There were wonderful, unique pleasures inside.
The business dates back to mid-to-late 1920s. Kathryn Stillman and Maude Blodgett — two women from Devlan Lake, Wisconsin — lived together and wintered in Davenport, Florida. Being enamored by the wide variety of citrus they found in the Sunshine State, the two developed their own recipes to transform the fruits (peels and all) into sweet delicacies. The challenge they conquered was how to remove the tartness — a secret they held close to the vest for many years!
The ladies first started making the sweets out of their home. They first treated friends and then began…
