GALERIE wholesale candies in Hebron is the culmination of
decades of innovative candy sales by founder and President Richard Ross.
Ross got his start in the 1970's purchasing candy for his mother's gift shop.
His career took the next step when at 19 years old, he became the second Jelly Belly Jelly Beans distributor in the U.S. Then, as a University of Cincinnati student, Ross
opened his own store in Cincinnati's Union Terminal and at the Westin Hotel,
selling the gourmet jelly beans.
Business skyrocketed. Ross soon opened four Jelly Bean Factory Stores and seven
gourmet chocolate and candy stores across the nation, including one on Madison
Avenue in New York City.
In 1989, Ross switched course by launching GALERIE, a wholesale and retail
candy and gift store that incorporates delectable candy and great packaging
design. The store's 270,000-square-foot corporate headquarters is in Northern
Kentucky, not far from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The
GALERIE headquarters houses a production area, design department,
distribution and outlet store open to the public.
More than 1,500 gift products are designed and distributed around major
holidays by GALERIE, including plush items and ceramics. The company also
produces licensed products for Hershey's, Peanuts and Star Wars.
GALERIE is also a company with a conscience, donating gift items and funds to
local Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area organizations such as the Freestore
Foodbank, United Way, Stop AIDS and Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: GALERIE web site