Logan Square’s Katherine Anne Confections, known for its drinking chocolate, caramel, and truffles, is opening a new location in Irving Park, located at 3653 W. Irving Park Rd.
The company’s second location will move into the former home of Crosstown Realty sometime next year, hopefully by February 2023, according to Block Club Chicago. Owner Katherine Duncan started serving her mouth-watering sweets at 2745 W. Armitage Avenue in 2006, along with other items, such as coffee and sandwiches. Now, Duncan is ready to expand after more than 15 years with the help of a $237,522 community development grant she received from the city earlier this month.
“Now that we’ve secured this grant, we’re also looking to buy a caramel-wrapping machine,” Duncan tells Block Club Chicago. “Last year, we wrapped over 200,000 caramels individually through the holiday season. We did it, and we got through it. But that machine would make us so much quicker and increase quality of life for our staff.”
When the new location opens, all of the company’s production will be moved there, allowing the 940 square-foot Logan Square location to become more of a cafe with the additional space. Another new aspect of production that will come with this expansion is the ability to better participate in farmer’s markets. This will create an even larger footprint for Katherine Anne Confections, which supplies more than 20 different retailers in Chicagoland and Ohio, including Whole Foods and the United Center.
“We’re so excited to set up our facility there. It’s going to be 1,900 square feet, and we’re going to do a lot of the same stuff we’re doing in Logan,” Duncan said. “It’s going to look a lot like our current space in that we’re going have production in the back and a cafe in the front.”
