About Us

Originally conceived by one man with a dream, Christus A Papas was a Greek immigrant from Macedonia with a sweet idea. Chris, born January 7, 1894, immigrated to the United States in 1909. After moving to Cincinnati and marrying his wife Lillian he started making candy and developing different recipes to call his own. The candy he was creating was to be sold at Cincinnati Music Hall during the show’s intermissions. Opera Cream was born and the rest is history.

Often regarded as a Cincinnati area original, Opera Cream, was sold to concert goers in the 1930s. “Opera Cream” was named because of the delectable candy that could only be compared to the richest Italian Opera. During the 1930s, it became a staple in the Cincinnati area. By 1935, our long history of making Opera Cream was just getting started, Chris opened Lily's Candies, a small candy, ice cream and soda shop. Named after his wife Lillian, the quaint shop was located on Ninth and Madison in Covington, KY. Chris, his wife, his son Alex and daughter Katherine operated the candy shop for many years. Lily's became a popular local spot. In 1951 Chris retired to Florida. His daughter Katherine kept the shop alive while his son Alex was busy dreaming up a new plan.

A Change of Pace

Alex Papas had candy making in his blood. At 12 years old he began driving the delivery truck for his father. As he grew he began making candy in the basement of Lily's using his fathers recipes. Alex served in the military during WWII and upon his return went right back to candy making before his Father retired to Florida. Alex had his sister take care of the operations at Lily's and built a manufacturing facility on Baker street in Covington, KY in 1956; only a few blocks away from Lily’s. At the new (and current) location he was able to make candy quickly and efficiently and tap into more markets. Alex grew the family business into a local staple. Eventually his sister Katherine wanted to retire and he took over operations of both facilities for a few years until he decided he was just going to manufacture his candy operations. In the midst of his military service and making candy Alex got married and had 5 children; 3 boys and 2 girls. In 1987 Alex was ready to retire after owning the company for 31 years.  His two sons were already working for him so the next successor's were a shoe in. Carl Papas and Chris Papas owned and operated Papas Candies from 1987 to 2018, running the business for 31 years just like their dad. During this time, they learned many lessons from their dad involving the upkeep of machines their dad had built and helped design. They kept the family tradition alive for another generation.

A Lasting Legacy

Papas Candies started with humble beginnings; one man with a dream. We have been a family owned and operated business for over eight decades through four generations. Our fourth generation owner, Nick Papas is very proud to have taken over the family business and keep the dream alive. He started after college cooking candy and was always eager to learn how things worked. After 7 years of being an employee of Papas Candies Nick was able to buy the business from Chris and Carl in 2018. Now, Nick and his cousins Zach and Carl Jr. are tasked with the daily operations of running a small business.

Nick hopes one day to pass the family business to his sons. For now, we are working hard every day making candy with the same recipes in small batches. Years of tradition and care are folded into every bite for you to enjoy.