What is your name?
Maria Stolt
What is your title?
President and Owner
What is your business name?
Nantasket Sweets By Swedes INC.
What is your website URL?
Nantasket Sweets Website
What is your Instagram handle?
@nantasketsweets and @nantasketsweetsbyswedes (TikTok)
What is your LinkedIn URL?
Maria Stolt on LinkedIn
Where are you based? How did you end up there?
The Town of Hull, Nantasket Beach on the South Shore
Tell us more about your company! What do you do and what pushed you to start?
I have a candy store at Nantasket Beach selling Swedish candy and I make chocolate, fudge, chocolate turtles, caramels, and pralines. I want to introduce Americans to a healthier candy with more natural colors and flavors. I bake my chocolate in small batches and hand-dip my chocolate. Bringing some magic to children of all ages. I love my business 🍭
We became a TikTok viral sensation during 2024 and still are.
We now produce our own chocolate in the candy store and we have a commercial kitchen with a display window from the candy store.
I’m the only Swedish female candy store owner on the East Coast of the U.S., open since 2020.
I’m a wholesaler of both chocolate and Swedish candy products. Direct importer of Swedish candy to the USA.
The Swedish candy store was featured on CBS Morning Show live at the end of last year.
What is your definition of success? How do you know when you’ve reached it?
Create magic for others and engage with the community. It’s an ongoing journey.
Tell us about your most transformational moment as an entrepreneur?
When I started to make my chocolate and bake.
What was one of your biggest challenges in business?
Being a Swedish woman starting a business in the U.S. with an E2 Visa status and managing to still be in business since my start/opening on Christmas Eve 2020.
How do you handle the harder days? The struggles? Those moments when you feel like giving up?
My love from family and friends and my love for the U.S.
Tell us about your most proud moment in your career.
I feel very proud of our performance in my company in 2023. We are gaining customers and expanding, and we had the very best month ever in December 2023 with record sales.
Who is the woman behind your business? What does she like? How does she spend her free time? What does she value?
I like to entertain customers, bring magic, and create a beautiful environment for everyone both in my store and in my home. I value people who hustle and enjoy it.
What makes you stand out from others in your field? What do you do differently?
I do it my way, I get inspired by others, and I like to share the Swedish way of doing things and sometimes think differently.
Where can we keep up with you? What social media platforms do you use the most?
Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn