Photos by Joe Kline / The Bulletin Andrea Schussler has consistently had a hard time keeping up with demand for her company’s Get Crackin’ gourmet butter toffee.

With Christmas music playing in the background, Andrea Schussler is in the mood for toffee chocolate candymaking — a specialty for the holiday season. All her ingredients are neatly lined up on her kitchen counter. She’s ready for her day of candymaking. Each small batch is handcrafted and made with quality, natural ingredients.

“At first, I was just making this for friends and family during the Christmas season, and people kept telling me I should sell this stuff,” Schussler said with a laugh. “My sister was visiting me from Jackson Hole (Wyoming) at the time and this is sort of a secret family recipe. We decided right then we could make this a business. I know this sounds corny, but someone said: ‘Let’s get cracking.’ That’s how we came up with the name for our candy: Get Crackin’.”

Schussler said the next day they had a small business license and had found a commercial kitchen to start making their artisanal gourmet toffee chocolate candy, which has been tweaked and perfected over the years.

“It was crazy. We were successful right out of the gate. How many small businesses can say that?” Schussler said. “We played with different flavors like using jalapenos and roasted hazelnuts. It was a lot of fun. We were selling out at Newport Market and the Sunriver store.”

At first, Schussler had a great time. She loves to bake, but she grew weary of the cooking requirements.

“With cooking, you spend all this time prepping and spending hours creating this meal. A half hour later, it’s all gone,” Schussler said. “But with baking, you have it in the house for a little while longer.”

Schussler started her business when both her sons were still in elementary school. Over the years, Get Crackin’ became too much of a good thing — the company was having a hard time keeping up with demand.

“I came to a crossroads,” Schussler said. “Either I had to take it to the next level to keep up with demand or take it down a notch. I was so busy, especially during the holiday and summer seasons, that candymaking stopped being fun.”

Schussler said because each batch of candy is handcrafted there was no way to mechanize the process without sacrificing quality, and she wasn’t going to sacrifice quality.

“What you have to understand is all our ingredients are fresh and there are no preservatives, so you can’t stockpile this candy, and I can’t compromise its freshness,” Schussler said.

About the time Schussler hit these crossroads, real cacao chocolate, which she used for the candy, and pecan prices went through the roof. She realized she would have to increase her prices, too.

The merchants who sold Get Crackin’ told her that would be no problem. Schussler decided family time mattered more than her business going to the next level.

“I may resurrect the business full time again when my youngest son Garrett goes off to college next fall because we’ll be empty nesters, and I’ll have more time,” Schussler said.

Meanwhile, Schussler is filling a smaller amount of orders.

It takes patience to make candy, she said. It’s candy chemistry that can’t be rushed.

— Reporter: halpen1@aol.com