Former Carlsbad native turns fudge into sweet biz

There, the company continued to flourish and when the opportunity came, they sold it in 2009. Strickland said after the sale of Veriforce, she and Graham began to look for another business opportunity that was not related to the oil and gas industry.

With her love for chocolate, and Graham's expertise in compliance issues that are important to know when dealing with the Food and Drug Administration's rules and regulations, they purchased the small fudge manufacturing company in Montgomery, just outside Houston.

As in their last business venture, the business partners worked out what role they would play in growing the business.

Graham's day-to-day responsibilities include the management of all warehouse operations include shipping and receiving and ensuring that their fudge company exceeds all government quality standards and requirements.

Strickland combines her two passions, business and fudge, and handles the day-to-day operations that include accounting, packaging and research and development, which entails creating new flavors.

With the QVC exposure, Strickland said the next step for the fudge company will be to expand its online gifting and the corporate gifts market.

"We can put company logos on gift boxes and with the long shelf life of the product, we hope to build up that part of our business. We have gained the attention of the stores and now we want to gain the attention of corporations and the public through our online sales," she added.

Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/