Every August, Caroline County Economic Development and Tourism head to the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference to represent Caroline County at this educational and networking conference. The event includes the Taste of Maryland Reception, where exhibitors offer tasting samples of all things Maryland. Caroline County partnered with Shore Sweet Treats & Gifts of Ridgley to offer samples of their locally-crafted, artisan nuts.
Caroline County Economic Development and Tourism Director Debbie Bowden and Business Coordinator Kendall Teague were excited by the opportunity to showcase a unique product made right here in Caroline.
“Caroline County is home to many small businesses and cottage industries run by innovators that offer niche, one-of-a-kind products,” says Debbie Bowden. “It was important to us to highlight the incredible products being crafted right here in Caroline.
Founded by Allyson Marine, Shore Sweet Treats & Gifts offers two different flavors of nuts – Old Bay and Cinnamon Sugar – in five different varieties, including pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews and peanuts. They also offer custom snack mixes, gourmet popcorn, fudge, cakes, pies, cupcakes and a variety of cookies.
Shore Sweet Treats & Gifts got their start six years ago at Christmas in Caroline, an annual holiday market hosted at the Caroline County 4-H Park. Their product was a huge hit, inspiring Allyson to attend more shows and markets and add more varieties to her offerings.
The business persevered through incredible challenges since its start, including the devastating loss of Allyson’s oldest son followed by the COVID pandemic, which shut down the vendor shows that were a major part of their business model. It took determination, grit, adaptability and teamwork to keep their business going.
“It’s a true family business,” says Allyson. “We all go into the commercial kitchen at Caroline Culinary Arts and make the product together.”
The Caroline County Economic Development and Tourism team brought three varieties to Taste of Maryland to Showcase: Crabby Cashews, Crabby Pecans, and Crabby Peanuts.
“Everyone was raving about the Old Bay flavored nuts we brought to the event,” says Kendall Teague. “Supporting our small businesses is one of our core missions at economic development, and we were excited to showcase Shore Sweet Treats & Gifts. Allyson was on board to fill our extra large order immediately, answered all of our questions, and helped us customize all the details, from determining the serving size and containers to all the signage we needed to post.”
As the Business Coordinator for Caroline County, Kendall regularly works with small businesses, lending support tailored to their needs. From help with business plans and site selection to assistance with financing, the economic development team offers a variety of resources to those looking to start, grow, or relocate their business to Caroline County.
Shore Sweet Treats & Gifts’ products can be found at Shore Gourmet, a public eatery and retail shop in downtown Denton featuring locally-crafted products. They also do custom orders and gifts. If you are interested in placing an order, please contact Allyson at shoresweettreats@gmail.com, 410-714-2104, or through their Facebook Page.
For more information on Caroline County Economic Development and Tourism and the services they provide, please contact info@carolinebusiness.com or call 410-479-4188.