Old Kentucky Chocolates

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Old Kentucky Chocolates, LLC. is a chocolate retail store founded by Don Hurt, owned and operated by Julia Kirkpatrick and Bill Hurt on Southland Drive in Lexington, Kentucky.

History[]

Don Hurt came into the candy-making business while working as a cook in the army in the late 1950s. He eventually specialized in baking for large groups, which led to his success after he was discharged^[1]

After leaving the army he purchased his first bakery Magee's Bakery in Frankfort, Kentucky. He started making candy in the back of his shop, starting with peanut brittle, eventually buying a chocolate-making machine when a local factory went out of business.

Locations[]

Don Hurt founded Old Kentucky Chocolates when he was 27, with a single store in 1964, and added two additional outlets - Lexington Center next to Rupp Arena, Hamburg Shopping Center, Lansdowne Shoppes, and Southland Drive.

Chocolate[]

Customers can choose from about 20 different varieties of chocolate, pulled creams, cakes and Derby mints; which are made with a formula Hurt purchased from Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Hurt came up with the idea of chocolate-covered potato chips, which did not succeed until he added salt.^[2] Now they are one of the store's most popular items, followed by chocolate covered strawberries and grapes. Old Kentucky only used Jim Beam Bourbon exclusively after Beam personally invited him on a tour of his distillery and asked him to use his bourbon.^[2] Old Kentucky sells its own products, and non-chocolate candies made by other companies, as well as gift sets and fundraising candy bars which he sells to schools and other various civic groups.

References[]