Our story
Built on Family.
Crafted by Hand.
From one young man learning to stir fudge on Mackinac Island to generations of chocolate makers in Frankenmuth.
The early 1960s
A young man searching for his place.
Our story begins with a young man searching for his place in the world during the early 1960s.
Fresh out of the University of Detroit, Gary “Mac” wondered what should come next. He accepted an opportunity stirring fudge at Murdick’s Fudge on Mackinac Island, where he spent three summers learning the craft. While he became an expert at stirring batch after batch of creamy fudge, he had never actually made an entire batch from start to finish himself.
When those summers ended, the Vietnam War was escalating and the draft loomed over young men across America. Mac scheduled an interview with the Air Force, but during that meeting the recruiter was called away after learning President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Shaken by the day’s events, Mac returned home and decided to leave his future to fate. Thankfully, the draft never came.
Mac making or stirring fudge on Mackinac Island in the early 1960s
A leap of faith
Legendary for all the wrong reasons.
Not long afterward, over a couple of beers with his good friend Mort, an idea was born.
The two decided to open their first fudge shop. There was just one small problem...
Neither of them had ever successfully made a full batch of fudge.
To avoid anyone witnessing their early experiments, they boarded up the shop windows while they worked. Those first batches were legendary—for all the wrong reasons. Mac often joked that you could either drink the fudge through a straw or build a house with it. Under the cover of darkness they would sneak the failed batches into the woods to hide the evidence.
Then one day everything changed.
A batch of Maple Fudge came together exactly as it should. It was smooth, creamy, and absolutely delicious. From that moment forward they knew they had something special, and the foundation for a family tradition had been laid.
Mac and Mort, their first shop, or an archival image of early fudge making
A new home in Frankenmuth
A name chosen for the next generation.
In 1976 the family vacationed in Frankenmuth and immediately fell in love with the community. Five years later, in 1981, Mac purchased the building that had long been known as Zak’s Bavarian Kandy Haus.
The name reflected his hope that one day his son, Zak, would continue the family business.
Just as important as the ingredients was the experience. Mac believed every customer who walked through the door should be treated like family. More than forty years later, that simple philosophy continues to define everything we do.
The original Zak’s Bavarian Kandy Haus storefront or the family in Frankenmuth around 1981
Local roots
Michigan sugar from the very beginning.
From the very beginning in Frankenmuth, we made a commitment to use Pioneer Sugar, produced just down the road from locally grown Michigan sugar beets. Every fall, towering mountains of freshly harvested sugar beets become a familiar sight across the region before they’re transformed into the sugar that has sweetened our candies for decades.
Supporting local farmers has never been a marketing slogan—it has simply been part of who we are. Choosing Michigan beet sugar means investing in our local communities while avoiding the environmental impact of shipping cane sugar from overseas. It’s one small decision that reflects a much larger philosophy: use real ingredients, support local agriculture, and make products we’re proud to serve our own families.
That partnership with Pioneer Sugar has remained an important part of our story, and we look forward to continuing it for generations to come.
Products made with Pioneer SugarMichigan sugar beet harvest, beet piles, local farmers, or the Pioneer Sugar factory
Zak & Mac’s Chocolate Haus
Honoring the past. Building what comes next.
In 2016, Zak found a meaningful way to honor his father.
Just as Mac had originally named the store with his son’s future in mind, Zak wanted the business to recognize its past as well. Zak’s Bavarian Kandy Haus officially became Zak & Mac’s Chocolate Haus—a tribute to the generations who built the company together.
Today, we continue handcrafting our products with the same attention to quality that began decades ago. While our selection has expanded far beyond fudge to include handcrafted chocolates, caramels, toffee, brittles, seasonal specialties, and innovative new creations, our values remain unchanged.
Every batch is still made with real butter, locally sourced Pioneer Sugar, and the belief that quality ingredients, local partnerships, and genuine hospitality never go out of style.
Zak and Mac together, multiple generations of the family, or today’s chocolate-making team