Chocolatiers
Arnold Borcher
Arnold founded Wisconsin Dairyland Fudge, while his good friend Charlie Van Wie started Swiss Maid Fudge in 1962. Fudge was a long stretch from Arnold's days in the armed forces, where he served in signal intelligence and helped decipher Japanese codes, but based on the results it's clear that he had a passion for chocolate. Along with a series of other joint ventures, both Charlie and Arnold held stock in the other’s fudge shop. A little known secret? Arnold possessed the delicious fudge recipe that Swiss Maid customers have always known and loved. In fact, Wisconsin Dairyland Fudge made and sold their prepared fudge mix to Swiss Maid Fudge to use in their fudge preparation. Today, both Wisconsin Dairyland Fudge and Swiss Maid Fudge operate in tandem under the ownership of Jane Heller, who bought out all interests and became president of the company. Swiss Maid still prepares its products with the same level of quality and care that Arnold took with his fudge in the company's early days, making fresh products without preservatives and allowing customers to see the chocolates being made right in the store. Arnold's favorite Swiss Maid product, milk chocolate nut fudge, is one of our best sellers!
Jane Heller
President of Swiss Maid Fudge, Jane started working here as a sales clerk when she was just 14 years old, and learned the business throughout her high school and college years. After graduating from college and getting married, she returned to Wisconsin Dells as manager and learned the baking secrets of Swiss Maid's delicious treats. You'll most commonly see Jane nibbling on a dark chocolate sweet or experimenting with new ingredients. In fact, she recently traveled to Canada to study truffle making under a prominent chocolatier, so be on the lookout for some delicious new recipes! According to Jane, "anything tastes better dipped in chocolate!"
Carley Heller
A third generation chocolatier born and raised right here in Wisconsin Dells, Carley, like her mother Jane, also began working at her family's candy store at age 14. While Swiss Maid's peanut butter cups are her indulgence of choice, she'll most often be found making brittles, crunches, toffee, and any one of our caramel corn varieties. Having grown up in a family of confectioners, Carley is no stranger to gourmet chocolate, and kindly volunteers her time as our in-house taste tester. If you haven't had a chance to meet Carley at our Swiss Maid Fudge store, you may recognize her from her brief stint as a Milwaukee Brewer's Italian Racing Sausage!