The smell of caramelized sugar and roasted almonds fills the air as molten toffee is poured onto a smooth steel table.
What started as a spontaneous decision at a Scottish Highland Games festival has become a family business for Ashley Augster and Samantha Hedrick, who now run Brown’s English Toffee in their hometown of Glendora.
Augster and Hedrick discovered Brown’s English Toffee while attending the festival a few years ago. The previous owners were looking to retire, and after talking it over that night, the sisters returned the next day and decided to buy the business.
“Brown’s has been around since 1985,” Augster said. “We spent about two months with the previous owners learning everything so we could carry on Mrs. Brown’s original recipes.”
Brown’s began in the Midwest with Mrs. Brown, who sold her toffee at community markets. Over time, the business moved west, eventually reaching California. Augster and Hedrick are continuing those traditions, bringing the same recipes to Glendora.
Brown’s English Toffee is now located across the street from Citrus College on Foothill Boulevard and Barranca Street.
The sisters say it’s special to run the business in the town where they were raised.
“We grew up here,” Augster said. “A lot of our customers are people we grew up with. The support has meant so much.”
Inside the shop, everything is made by hand. The process starts with butter and sugar melting down in a pot, then cooking until it reaches just the right temperature. The toffee is poured out, cooled, coated in chocolate and almonds, and then cut into slabs.
“My favorite part is when we pour it out and smooth it,” Hedrick said. “It’s just so satisfying.”
Running a candy business isn’t always easy. Even slight changes in temperature and weather can affect the final product.
The process of the candy making varies by location and weather. The learning process of making the toffee in Southern California took some getting used to.
“Patience. Definitely patience,” Hedrick said. “Candy’s temperamental if the weather’s different, it cooks differently. It’s something we’re always learning from.”
While they’re still learning, both sisters say they enjoy the time spent working together and with their mom in the shop. They describe it as a way to bring their family closer while carrying on a long-standing tradition.
“It’s been really cool working with your mom and your sister,” Hedrick said. “It’s really fun.”
Brown’s English Toffee has remained a small, family-run business for decades and Augster and Hedrick plan to keep it that way.
