Summertime at Licorice International

Squeeze a little licorice into your summertime. Licorice is the ideal sweet treat for summertime because it doesn't melt and is always refreshing.

We're celebrating summer here at the Licorice International retail shop in Lincoln, Nebraska. If you're in the area, stop by for free samples.

For more photos, see our Facebook page.

Licorice Day Fun

A very special thank you to the many friends who visited the Licorice International retail store in Lincoln, Nebraska, to celebrate National Licorice Day on Tuesday, April 12th.

Nearly 100 licorice lovers enjoyed free licorice samples, Stash licorice spice tea, licorice-flavored coffee and pecan preserves.

As a special gift to our local customers, we offered a Groupon ($10 worth of product for $5.) Wow! We sold all 750 Groupons before 2 p.m. Thanks, licorice lovers!

Finally, a dear friend personally delivered a beautiful spring bouquet to the Licorice Ladies. (Thanks, Doug.)

Elizabeth with the flowers

Pictures of our Gingerbread Houses for the Contest

The Licorice International retail store in Lincoln Nebraska recently sponsored the first ever "Gingerbread House Contest with a Twist."  The twist? Contestants needed to use at least three types of candy purchased from Licorice International.  If you live in the Lincoln area, stop by to see the houses. We'll be having a special open house on Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., with free coffee and tea, when you will have a chance to vote for your favorite house. 

Don't live in the Lincoln area?  Enjoy the photos below.

Christmas Gift Ideas at Licorice International

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Licorice International Retail store, located at 803 Q Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. If you live in the area, or you're planning a visit, stop by, view our Christmas decorations, sample the world's best licorice, and check out all the gift ideas we have. While many of the items listed are available only in the retail store, you can order them by calling, 1-800-LICORICE (542-6742), and you can also browse for gourmet licorice and other specialty candies at the Licorice International website.

Check out some of the yummy treats:

Belgian Gourmet Chocolate Candy

Belgian Gourmet Chocolate Pretzels

Harbor Sweets Gourmet Chocolates: Classic Sweet Sloops

Gourmet Caramels from Bequet

Harbor Sweets Assorted Handmade Chocolates

Espresso Mix

Licorice International Retail Store Re-Opens

The Licorice International retail store will re-open on Friday, August 6, 2010, after being closed for a week due to damage in the building. We're happy to report that there was minimal damage to our store, and we will continue to provide great tasting gourmet licorice from around the world.

Licorice International Retail Store Sustains Minimal Damage, Plans to Reopen Soon

The road was closed in front of the store.

On July 29, 2010, the Haymarket Theatre building, where the Licorice International retail store is housed, sustained considerable damage when a support beam cracked under a roofing crew. A broken sprinkler pipe further damaged parts of the building. Fortunately no one was hurt, and the Licorice International Retail store sustained virtually no damage.

Today (August 4), employees returned to the building, as it has been determined to be safe. On-line orders are being shipped. We apologize for any delays.

Gravel has been removed.

Local folks have been stopping by and asking what's going on. We are happy to report that we plan to reopen the retail store as soon as we can. At this point we are just waiting for the final approval from the city. Watch the blog or our Facebook page for updates.

The Licorice International retail store will open soon.

Special Olympics Brings Thousands to Lincoln - and Licorice International

What a week! From July 17-24 Lincoln, Nebraska, hosted the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games. Thousands of athletes, family members, coaches, volunteers and fans participated in the event, which happens every four years in different U.S. cities. Lincoln is known for its kind hospitality and friendly people. When the visitors weren't busy with the games, they kept busy exploring Lincoln. Many discovered an amazing little store in the heart of Lincoln's Haymarket District - Licorice International, located at 8th and Q Streets.

This group from Missouri kept coming back and buying more.  Each time they sampled different kinds of licorice and walked out with a bagfull.

A woman from Florida is not a fan of licorice, but she bought an armload of black licorice for her father, a licorice lover. She also bought a package of Kenny's Pina Colada Licorice Candy Twists for herself.

This couple came from Michigan. Their daughter plays basketball in the Special Olympics. They bought Finnish Strawberry Bites and  RJ's Licorice Allsorts.

A group from Minnesota loved sampling the many kinds of licorice. These two were pleasantly suprised at how much they enjoyed the mildly salty taste of Salmiak Rocks Licorice from Holland. They ended up buying a package, along with several other tasty treats.

After they return home, they can continue to buy great gourmet licorice from the Licorice International Website (http://www.licoriceinternational.com/)

Surprises hide in Nebraska - Including Licorice International in Lincoln's Haymarket

When Jennifer Walker, a food and entertainment blogger, recently visited Lincoln, Nebraska, she found some nice suprises, including Lincoln's Historic Haymarket district, where she stumbled upon Licorice International, a store she just "had to take a look at."  Like most tourists, she couldn't believe there could be a whole store dedicated to licorice, but sure enough, there it was in the heart of the Heartland: more than 150 varieties of licorice from 13 different countries. She enjoyed tasting the Kookaburra Strawberry Twist from Australia, but really got excited when she spotted licorice shaped like monkeys. Here's how she described the experience:

A squeal might have escaped my lips. I was even a bit giddy at the possibility of tasting one (turns out most of the items are available to taste if you but ask). The ears and such are traditional black licorice but the yellow muzzle? It’s banana flavored! And with a texture that reminds you of circus peanuts in the best possible way. Even though the Dutch Ape Head licorice only came in 1 lb bags, I had to buy them if only for the novelty factor. Imagine my surprise when we got home and found them utterly addictive.

You can read the rest of her post here.

Lincoln Welcomes Special Olympics Athletes July 18-23 - Come Taste Some Licorice

Lincoln, Nebraska, will host the Special Olympics 2010 USA National Games, July 18-23, 2010. We're proud of all the athletes and their families. Welcome to Lincoln! We hope you enjoy your stay here.

While you're in town, be sure to stop by Licorice International, located in the Historic Haymarket District, at 803 Q Street, Suite 300 (right next to the From Nebraska store). (Click here for a map.) Our regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Stop in and see the wide variety of licorice and other treats we have for sale. Interested in trying a new kind of licorice or candy? Ask for a free sample. Our clerks are happy to help you. Check out the latest specials. Licorice International is a popular spot for visitors to Lincoln, and we hope you come and see us while you're in town.

Blogger eats her words after a visit to Lincoln, Nebraska (including a stop at Licorice International)

Avid blogger Liz von Achen (known for her humorous blog "Singing  Toes") previously blogged that she thought Nebraska smelled like cow dung. But after a day trip to Lincoln, she developed a new appreciation for Nebraska's "fertile aroma."

While strolling through Lincoln's Historic Haymarket in search of an authentic Nebraska hamburger, she noticed the sign for Licorice International and decided to stop and check out the retail store. Here's what she had to say about her visit:

Upon entering, I was warmly greeted by co-owner Elizabeth, who immediately offered tasty samplings of traditional red and black licorice pieces. She then gave a tour of the shop and invited me to sample as many gourmet licorice flavors as I’d like.

Licorice International Inc. offers more than 160 types of licorice from 14 countries, the largest selection of black licorice, gourmet licorice and European licorice available in the United States. Elizabeth described the company’s roots as a mail order business started by a NYC confectioner named Larry Ring. When Elizabeth and her partner Ardith purchased the company in 2002, they developed the http://www.licoriceinternational.com/ website, and began fulfilling orders from their homes. Growth of the business led them to rent a facility for processing internet and mail orders, which then led to its current 4,450 square foot retail shop in Lincoln’s historic Haymarket district.

I sampled and purchased several gourmet twist flavors among many; cinnamon, orange, green apple, grape. As well as soothing licorice spice tea, and some anise mints from France.

Upon hearing of my cross-country road trip and plans to blog, Elizabeth graciously offered to take a photo of me with my camera, explaining that if I sent my photo to their site, they would post it, and share a link. Elizabeth and Ardith also conferred and directed me on my burger-quest to Lazlo’s.

Later, I reflected upon my visit to the lovely licorice shop. I must say, I was somewhat taken aback by just how pleasant Elizabeth and Ardith were to meet. Their earnest kindness and hospitality seemed quite unnecessary; they had me at "free samples."

So did Liz ever find her burger?  What else did she see in Lincoln? You can read her entire blog post about her visit here.

Click here to return to the main blog page.

Haymarket Neighborhood Wins Award

The Licorice International retail store is located in Lincoln's historic Haymarket neighborhood, a destination spot for restaurants, unique shops and the local farmers' market. We Lincolnites know it's a pretty special place. It's a relaxed kind of place, but at the same time has a unique energy that can't be found anywhere else in town.

Now the area has received national recognition.  The American Planning Association announced recently that the Haymarket was named one of the 10 great neighborhoods for 2009, noting the city's commitment to preserving the historic buildings. The Haymarket is the first Nebraska neighborhood to make the list.  To read the entire article, click here.

Congratulations Haymarket!  It's a great place to call home.

Click here to return to the main blog page.

Visit to Farmers Market Includes Stop at Licorice International

Recently Gail Prather from Hastings, Nebraska, came to Lincoln to attend the weekly farmer's market.  She loved the many vendors at the market and enjoyed learning about the Historic Haymarket area, where the market is held.  A highlight of her trip was a stop at Licorice International's retail store. While not a part of the farmer's market, the store is located just around the corner and is a favorite destination for both local and out-of-town guests.

Here's what Gail had to say about Licorice International:

While we were in downtown Lincoln we decided to visit Licorice International. Oh, was that fun!


Licorice in every size, shape and flavor you could ever dream of from all over the world. We came home with a Black Licorice Bridge Mix and an Australian Licorice that was wonderful. We also sampled some others that were just as good. A very fun side trip.

Her post includes some great historical information about the Haymarket District (ever wonder where it got its name?).  You can read the entire post here.

Click here to return to the main blog page.

A special visit to Licorice International

Tom Neubauer from Milwauke, Wisconsin, recently visited the Licorice International retail store in Lincoln, Nebraska. Here's what he had to say:

On Saturday, the 21st , our family visited your store. I haven’t been able to find a replacement for my old favorite, Switzer’s, for a long while. Now I have a resource for the ages and a check list to boot. I selected the Finnska Ripples. Our daughter moved from our home in Milwaukee in 2008 to join the UN Press. Thanks for filling a hole in my stomach and my diet.

Olga Celebrates 80th Birthday at Licorice International

Pictured from left to right: Elizabeth, Olga and her son, and Ardith

While celebrating her 80th birthday, Olga and her family visited our store in Lincoln. Olga's daughter-in-law Jayne wrote: "Thank you so much for helping us celebrate Olga's birthday during our visit to your store on Jan 12th. It was a cold, blustery day to be out but we had fun once we got inside your store." Olga's favorite treat was the ever popular , Kenny's Peach Twists.

Click here to return to the main blog page.

Tell Us About Your Visit to Licorice International

Have you visited the Licorice International retail store in Lincoln, Nebraska? Located in the city's historic Haymarket district, the store has become a favorite destination, both for Nebraskans as well as visitors from across the United States.

We'd love to hear about your visit to our store. What kinds of licorice did you sample? What's your favorite? Did you meet the "Licorice Ladies"?

Don't be shy . . . we really want to hear from you.