[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 9, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING WEISER CLASSIC CANDY

 Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, Idaho's small businesses are the 
backbone of our economy and our communities. These small businesses not 
only employ our friends and neighbors but also provide invaluable goods 
and services that showcase Idaho's ingenuity and shared values. They 
are an intrinsic element of the Gem State and deserve to be celebrated.
  I am proud to launch my seventh annual Support Local Gems, a 
successful statewide initiative, on June 12, to encourage Idahoans to 
support the small businesses that make our State thrive. As a member 
and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor Weiser Classic Candy during 
Support Local Gems as one of Idaho's Small Businesses of the Month for 
June 2026.
  Founded in 1986 by Fawn Olsen, a local celebrity known for her fudge, 
Weiser Classic Candy has become an Idaho staple. The fudge is famous 
for good reason. Fawn, the original owner, worked with food scientists 
from the University of Idaho to develop and perfect her own line of 
recipes for the confections still sold today in the Weiser storefront.
  Patrick Nauman, who now owns Weiser Classic Candy, fondly remembers 
walking through Fawn's Classic Candies and dreaming of one day running 
his own candy shop. In 2007, those dreams came true when Patrick moved 
back home to Weiser and bought the store from Fawn.
  Quickly after taking the reins, Patrick launched a website and 
implemented ideas that have helped expand the company from seven stores 
to now having their candies available in more than 200 across all 50 
States. To ensure the business's Idaho roots remained front and center, 
Patrick hosted a community naming contest to rebrand Fawn's Classic 
Candies to Weiser Classic Candy.
  Staying true to his hometown and the Gem State, Patrick prioritizes 
Idaho ingredients. In each treat, customers are tasting milk from 
Darigold, cream from Reed's Dairy, apples from Symms Fruit Ranch, 
huckleberries from north Idaho, and sugar from Amalgamated Sugar. These 
Idaho products were placed in the spotlight earlier this year when 
Weiser Classic Candy was invited to send chocolates to the 
commissioning of the new USS Idaho. Thanks to their hard work, each 
crew member, their families, and attendees received Weiser's famous 
fudge.
  Patrick recognizes the significant impact a corner candy shop can 
have on a community. As part of his efforts to help other small 
business owners succeed, Patrick started the Weiser Classic Candy 
Entrepreneurial Scholarship. The initiative, which encourages the next 
generation to take the leap into entrepreneurship, has given out more 
than $20,000 in scholarships to high school students interested in 
attending programs that support small business development.
  Congratulations to Patrick Nauman and the entire Weiser Classic Candy 
team for being selected as an Idaho Small Business of the Month for 
June 2026. You are an outstanding example of what it means to be one of 
Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great State proud, and I look forward 
to your continued growth and success.

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