Profile...3. Flavors of Taffy...4. John Zeno Louizes Bio...5. History of Taffy...6. Company History...7. Testimonials...8

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1 MEDIA KIT

2 CONTENT Profile...3 Flavors of Taffy...4 John Zeno Louizes Bio...5 History of Taffy...6 Company History...7 Testimonials...8

3 PROFILE Zeno s World s Most Famous Taffy boasts more flavors of taffy than any other confectioner in North America. Starting in 1948 Zeno s offered 12 flavors of taffy, fifty years later Zeno s offered 50; today, the number is over 100! The top-three best-selling flavors are Vanilla, Chocolate and Fruit Punch. In addition, there are flavors that would be considered unusual for candy including Sangria, Maple Bacon, Chili Pepper and Beer. Zeno s has a flavor to satisfy just about any palate, even those with uncommon appeal. There s no limit to the flavors for Zeno s. John s motto has always been, If you can think of it, we can make it. The taffy magic is done in Zeno s test kitchen/confectionary in Daytona Beach where new recipes are developed and perfected, and where the taffy happens at 400 pieces a minute. Coincidentally, over 100,000 pounds, (seven million pieces!) of the World s Most Famous Taffy was shipped to customers all over the world in 2013, including New Zealand, Japan and the U.S. soldiers, sailors and Marines in Afghanistan. The kitchen also makes all the goodies and fudge that go into Zeno s ice cream that is churned on the premises. Zeno s retail shops are located on two boardwalk favorites in Florida Zeno s Boardwalk Sweet Shop in Daytona Beach and Johns Pass Boardwalk at Madeira Beach on Florida s west coast. John Zeno Louizes is the third-generation owner, succeeding his father Zeno and great-uncle, Thomas Nougaras, who brought his skills and craft from Coney Island, New York, to Daytona Beach, Florida in Customers may order their favorite flavors online at worldsmostfamoustaffy.com. Zeno s World s Most Famous Taffy 1103 Main Street Daytona Beach, FL Johns Pass Madeira Beach, FL worldsmostfamoustaffy.com 3

4 THE WORLD S MOST FAMOUS TAFFY 1. Apple Fritter 2. Apple Pie a la Mode 3. Apricot 4. At the Movies Popcorn 5. Baked Alaska Banana 6. Bananas Foster 7. Banana Peanut Butter 8. Banana Split 9. BBQ Potato Chip 10. Beer 11. Belgian Waffle 12. Birthday Cake 13. Black Licorice 14. Black Walnut 15. Blueberry 16. Blueberry Cobbler 17. Blueberry Muffin 18. Blue Raspberry 19. Bubble Gum 20. Butter Rum 21. Candy Apple 22. Candy Corn 23. Cappuccino Chip 24. Caramel Apple 25. Caramel Cheesecake 26. Caramel Corn 27. Caramel Mocha Cappuccino 28. Caramel Swirl 29. Cherry 30. Cherry Cola 31. Cherry Limeade 32. Chili Pepper 33. Chocolate 34. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 35. Chocolate Covered Cherry 36. Chocolate Peanut Butter 37. Cinnamon 38. Cinnamon Bun 39. Coconut 40. Cookies & Cream 41. Cotton Candy 42. Cran Apple 43. Cran Raspberry 44. Creamsicle 45. Cream Soda 46. Double Fudge Brownie 47. Egg Nog 48. Fruit Punch 49. German Chocolate Cake 50. Grape 51. Guava 52. Honey 53. Irish Cream 54. Key Lime 55. Lemon Lime 56. Lemon Meringue 57. Macadamia Nut 58. Mango 59. Maple 60. Maple Bacon 61. Margarita 62. Mint Chocolate Chip 63. Mojito 64. Neapolitan 65. Orange 66. Passion Fruit 67. Peach 68. Peanut Butter 69. Peanut Butter and Jelly 70. Pear 71. Peppermint 72. Pina Colada 73. Pineapple 74. Pineapple Upside Down Cake 75. Pink Grapefruit 76. Pink Lemonade 77. Pistachio 78. Pomegranate 79. Praline 80. Pumpkin Pie 81. Raspberry Lemonade 82. Red Licorice 83. Red Tide 84. Red Velvet Cake 85. Rootbeer Float 86. Sangria 87. Sex on the Beach 88. S mores 89. Sour Apple 90. Spearmint 91. Strawberry 92. Strawberry Banana 93. Strawberry Cheesecake 94. Strawberry Daiquiri 95. Strawberry Lemonade 96. Sugar-Free Assortment 97. Swiss Cake Roll 98. Tangerine 99. Tiramisu 100. Vanilla 101. Watermelon 4

5 John Zeno Louizes, Owner/Chief Operating Officer John Zeno Louizes is the third-generation owner of Zeno s World s Most Famous Taffy, following in the footsteps of his father Zeno and his great-uncle Thomas Nougaras. Under John s direction, Zeno s World s Most Famous Taffy now boasts more flavors of taffy than any company in the world. Eventually we ll have twice that many, John said. It s great to have so many different flavors, and we encourage customers to sample whatever they want. They quickly realize our products are not like the hard, mass-produced taffy they had when they were kids. Ours is softer and always fresh, and our customers are amazed at how each flavor is spot-on. As business grew over the years at Zeno s Boardwalk Sweet Shop located in Daytona Beach, so did the need for a larger production facility. Until we moved into our test kitchen and confectionery (which is closed to the public), we were working out of a very small kitchen. It was only 125 square feet with no room to move. I was putting in hour days just to keep up with the demand, explained John. We started with a small hand-fed machine that produced about 110 pieces per minute. The machine we have today can make about four times that much in the same time frame, and there is much more room to work. Zeno s newer facility is just shy of 5,000 square feet, and there are plans to make a move very soon to a bigger location. While much of Zeno s business is done in their two shops (Daytona Beach and Madeira Beach), their candy is sold in candy stores all over the USA as John has set up a manufacturer and distribution network. In addition, online sales are also growing rapidly. Customers enjoy the ability to order their favorite flavors online at We shipped at least 100,000 pounds of taffy last year, and we re on pace to beat that this year, reports John. Zeno s has customers all over the world and has shipped taffy to far-flung places including New Zealand, Japan and to our troops in Afghanistan. In addition to the thousands of customers who visit his shop and order online, Zeno s also has as customers several of the country s most notable restaurateurs, including a chain owned by a well-known New York-based celebrity chef. The taffy is presented to patrons as a sweet savory, a simple something to enjoy on the way home after an evening out. Thanks to an inspiration by John s wife, Christina, Zeno s Boardwalk Sweet Shop is also famous for its 60-plus flavors of homemade ice cream and numerous other confections. Christina told me we should be making our own ice cream, and we are proud to offer such a high-quality product, John explained. She is heavily involved in the business, because there are no pre-packaged ingredients in our products. She makes all our goodies; the pieces of cheesecake, cookies and brownies that are mixed into our ice cream and other delights. If the goodies aren t baked in our kitchen, they don t go into our products. That s something you rarely find these days. The fourth generation is already beginning to make its presence known at the Daytona Beach store. John s oldest son Zeno (named after his grandfather) is six years old, and is already referring to it as his store. What s happier than a kid in a candy store? One who might one day own the store. John s youngest son CJ is only two years of age, and is already catching on fast. 5

6 The History of Salt Water Taffy, The Happiest Candy of All Take sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, butter, water, salt, and flavor extract, bring it to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, set to cool, and start pulling & folding, pulling & folding over and over again. The more it s pulled, the creamier the texture and more flavorful it becomes as it breathes in the magic ingredient called air. Since the mid 1800s, the taffy pull has been an American tradition in countless households, church outings, barn raisings, county and state fairs and other such happy occasions. Though much less common today, the taffy pull still draws kids into the kitchen to experience how simple ingredients and a little patience becomes a delectable treat. The difference between taffy and salt water taffy seems to be largely a difference in locale as to ingredients. Legend credits that in the late1880s, an Atlantic City, New Jersey candy shop that had been flooded by a storm sold its waterlogged candy stock billed as Salt Water Taffy; hence, a name that somehow stuck to the product and not the other way around. As the times would have it, and as resorts, entertainment pavilions and amusement parks sprouted up along the seaside around the country, Salt Water Taffy became the edible souvenir of the day and has remained so ever since. From The Willows in Salem Harbor, Massachusetts to the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Coney Island, New York to Half Moon Bay in California and on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, confectionery Salt Water Taffy was being made from coast to coast. It is highly unlikely you ll find salt water taffy being made in Denver, Colorado; you might find taffy, but not the salt water kind, of which there is no difference. Like real estate, it s location, location, location. In the northeast, taffy was a seasonal confection. Limited to late spring through fall, it was largely a matter of the prevailing temperature, as it would become too cold to pull taffy to a creamy smooth texture. The process happily coincided with the market, as the seaside attractions drew no business in winter, but throngs would come throughout the summer. Today, several of the early confectioners who made salt water taffy continue in operation, and a few have remained in family hands after several generations of operation. 6

7 The History of Established in 1948, Zeno s Boardwalk Sweet Shop is now in its third generation of family ownership, management, and operations. John Zeno Louizes has grown the family enterprise from the single storefront/kitchen at Daytona Beach, to a second Zeno s Boardwalk Sweet Shop on the west coast of Florida at John s Pass Boardwalk in Madeira Beach. John also opened a separate test kitchen/confectionary in Daytona Beach (not open to the public) where new recipes are developed and perfected, and where the taffy magic happens at 400 pieces a minute. Zeno s is a Daytona Beach institution, and pre-dates the speedway by a decade. The Louizes are one of the first families of Daytona Beach and a great part of a culture of fun, relaxation and excitement. Just catch the look on any kid walking into the shop; it s one Kodak moment after another. Zeno s story is significant on many levels; their products and their continued growth, the dedication to their craft and the spirit to constantly innovate is the very essence of the American Dream. In a day and age of corporate uniformity and pre-packaged sameness, Zeno s is a singular heirloom that will be passed to future generations. Taffy is not their only product. Zeno s also makes a wide assortment of chocolate and other confections. Meticulous as ever, John recalled that it took over 100 attempts to perfect the recipe for their vanilla fudge. Not to be overshadowed, Zeno s homemade ice cream and fresh-baked waffle cones are enormously popular; take one look at their Facebook page and you ll see the likes are abundant and universal. 7

8 What customers are saying: Sweet and simple review, just like this little spot on the Daytona Boardwalk. Great selection of fresh salt water taffy, there are so many flavors to try. Great tasting ice cream and sweets. Service with a smile. I d have to say I like this shop! I am a bit of a taffy snob. I have tried just about every kind out there, but Zeno s is far and away the best. I haven t found anything that matches the taste, texture and variety of Zeno s taffy. The number of flavors they have is incredible! It s amazing to walk into their store and see a whole wall filled with different kinds of taffy. I can t wrap my head around it. How do you make taffy taste like a PBJ sandwich? I actually felt like I was eating the whole sandwich. The cotton candy is delicious as well. Really though, get some of that PBJ flavor. They have so many flavors that I can t believe how each one tastes exactly like its name. I came in to get some salt water taffy. I have had it in New Jersey and Maryland and this by far the best I ever had. Great staff as well :) 8