Our story

For more than 140 years, Lammes Candies has been part of Texas and played a role in family get-togethers, birthdays, social occasions and of course celebrations. A box of silky-smooth Texas Chewie® Pecan Pralines at a tailgate party, at the dessert table or under the Christmas tree, a tray of delectable chocolate and pecan Longhorns shared at the office, at a picnic, or a tin of Sherbet Mints passed down the table at a holiday dinner. This is the story of how one family's candy shop on Congress Avenue became a Texas tradition.

A Poker Game and a Promise

The story actually begins in 1878, when William Wirt Lamme opened the Red Front Candy Factory located on the 800 block of Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, walking distance to the Texas State Capitol. Just a few years later, in 1885, in a moment of bad luck, William lost the entire business in a poker game. To the rescue came his son, David Turner Lamme, Sr., who traveled to Austin, repaid the $800 gambling debt and reclaimed the popular store as his own.

On July 10, 1885, David officially reopened the store as Lammes Candies. A few years later, the shop moved up the street to 919 Congress Avenue, where it would remain for the next six decades.

The Famous Texas Chewie®

In the early years, Lammes was best known for ice cream and the Gem, a delicious frozen fruit dessert made from whole milk, much like sherbet. During this time, it was common to see horse-drawn wagons rolling up Congress Avenue from the rail station carrying signs that read, "Another carload of ice-cream cartons for Lammes." When sugar was rationed during World War II, Lammes had to pause its ice cream and Gem production, and after the war neither regained its old popularity.

But it was a handmade, artisanal praline that would make the Lamme name most famous. After seven years of recipe testing, David Lamme, Sr. introduced the Texas Chewie Pecan Praline to his customers in 1892. The recipe was simple, made from the finest ingredients and has never changed: premium pecans, corn syrup, sugar, milk, butter, and salt. The first pralines were made with pecans gathered from trees along the Colorado River in Austin, and Lammes has used only Texas-grown pecans ever since.

At first, David didn't make pralines on a regular schedule as the process was long and tedious. Instead, devoted customers placed their orders with him in advance and once he had enough requests to fill a 25-pound batch, he and his confectioners would cook them and send handwritten notes letting everyone know their order was ready. Visitors to Austin clamored to be added to his list of preferred customers, and by the 1920s that demand had grown into a spectacular mail-order business (one of the first of its kind) and he began regular praline production to serve his loyal customers and the general public.

Firsts on Congress Avenue

David Lamme, Sr. was an innovator and a marketer as much as he was a candy maker. Lammes installed the first ammonia refrigeration unit in the Southwest and opened the first soda fountain in Texas. The shop's lamb logo, created so customers would know how to pronounce the family name, became the first neon sign in Austin, and the lamb has been an iconic symbol of Lammes Candies ever since.

Five Generations of Family

In 1945, David and his wife, Lily, passed the business to their children: David Lamme, Jr., Lena Lamme, and Evelyn Lamme Teich. In 1956, Lammes moved to its longtime home on Airport Boulevard, building a factory and retail store, marked by the iconic candy cane pole and neon lamb that generations of Austinites would come to know by heart.

In 1965, David Lamme Teich retired ice cream and Gem for good and moved the future of Lammes toward confections and specialty chocolates. It was a defining decision for Lammes Candies. With the new direction, Lammes began working on new and innovative recipes including combining premium pecans and chewy caramel with fine chocolate to create what became the famous Longhorn. Choc'Adillos followed, with caramel and whole roasted almonds covered in milk chocolate, and later the Cashew Critter completed the Texas trio. Over the years, the Lammes candy kitchen grew to more than 1,000 confections, including the Texas Chewie Pecan Praline, taffies, brittles, divinity, and the beloved Sherbet Mints.

Through every generation, the Lammes business stayed in the family as it navigated decades of innovation and change. After David Lamme Teich passed away in 2004, his children Pam, Bryan, and Lana carried the legacy forward as the fifth generation of Lamme candy makers.

A New Chapter and a Sweet Comeback

In the spring of 2026, after 141 years of operations, the Lammes Candies family announced that Lammes would close down its operations. Austinites and loyal customers of Lammes across Texas responded with an outpouring of stories, memories, and hope that the famous lamb on Airport Boulevard wouldn't go dark for good. Surely there must be another chapter left.

Just a few months after the announcement, Delightful Development Co., the Fort Worth-based duo of Craig Cavileer and Kayla Wilkie-Kinne, acquired Lammes Candies in partnership with the Lamme family. Craig and Kayla are best known for leading the revival of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District for more than a decade, and they are sure to bring the same respect for Texas history to their new role as stewards of Lammes Candies for the next generation.

The Lammes Candies family remains involved in our vision, and our commitment is simple: to make Lammes exactly the way you remember it. That means the same legacy recipes, Texas-grown pecans, premium chocolates and ingredients, handcrafted production and careful attention to quality that five generations built. We are also excited to bring new and innovative artisanal chocolates and candies to the next generation of Lammes lovers, in Texas and across America.

Lammes is baaack!
Here is to the next 140 years.

Our story

For more than 140 years, Lammes Candies has been part of Texas and played a role in family get-togethers, birthdays, social occasions and of course celebrations. A box of silky-smooth Texas Chewie® Pecan Pralines at a tailgate party, at the dessert table or under the Christmas tree, a tray of delectable chocolate and pecan Longhorns shared at the office, at a picnic, or a tin of Sherbet Mints passed down the table at a holiday dinner. This is the story of how one family's candy shop on Congress Avenue became a Texas tradition.

A Poker Game and a Promise

The story actually begins in 1878, when William Wirt Lamme opened the Red Front Candy Factory located on the 800 block of Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, walking distance to the Texas State Capitol. Just a few years later, in 1885, in a moment of bad luck, William lost the entire business in a poker game. To the rescue came his son, David Turner Lamme, Sr., who traveled to Austin, repaid the $800 gambling debt and reclaimed the popular store as his own.

On July 10, 1885, David officially reopened the store as Lammes Candies. A few years later, the shop moved up the street to 919 Congress Avenue, where it would remain for the next six decades.

The Famous Texas Chewie®

In the early years, Lammes was best known for ice cream and the Gem, a delicious frozen fruit dessert made from whole milk, much like sherbet. During this time, it was common to see horse-drawn wagons rolling up Congress Avenue from the rail station carrying signs that read, "Another carload of ice-cream cartons for Lammes." When sugar was rationed during World War II, Lammes had to pause its ice cream and Gem production, and after the war neither regained its old popularity.

But it was a handmade, artisanal praline that would make the Lamme name most famous. After seven years of recipe testing, David Lamme, Sr. introduced the Texas Chewie Pecan Praline to his customers in 1892. The recipe was simple, made from the finest ingredients and has never changed: premium pecans, corn syrup, sugar, milk, butter, and salt. The first pralines were made with pecans gathered from trees along the Colorado River in Austin, and Lammes has used only Texas-grown pecans ever since.

At first, David didn't make pralines on a regular schedule as the process was long and tedious. Instead, devoted customers placed their orders with him in advance and once he had enough requests to fill a 25-pound batch, he and his confectioners would cook them and send handwritten notes letting everyone know their order was ready. Visitors to Austin clamored to be added to his list of preferred customers, and by the 1920s that demand had grown into a spectacular mail-order business (one of the first of its kind) and he began regular praline production to serve his loyal customers and the general public.

Firsts on Congress Avenue

David Lamme, Sr. was an innovator and a marketer as much as he was a candy maker. Lammes installed the first ammonia refrigeration unit in the Southwest and opened the first soda fountain in Texas. The shop's lamb logo, created so customers would know how to pronounce the family name, became the first neon sign in Austin, and the lamb has been an iconic symbol of Lammes Candies ever since.

Five Generations of Family

In 1945, David and his wife, Lily, passed the business to their children: David Lamme, Jr., Lena Lamme, and Evelyn Lamme Teich. In 1956, Lammes moved to its longtime home on Airport Boulevard, building a factory and retail store, marked by the iconic candy cane pole and neon lamb that generations of Austinites would come to know by heart.

In 1965, David Lamme Teich retired ice cream and Gem for good and moved the future of Lammes toward confections and specialty chocolates. It was a defining decision for Lammes Candies. With the new direction, Lammes began working on new and innovative recipes including combining premium pecans and chewy caramel with fine chocolate to create what became the famous Longhorn. Choc'Adillos followed, with caramel and whole roasted almonds covered in milk chocolate, and later the Cashew Critter completed the Texas trio. Over the years, the Lammes candy kitchen grew to more than 1,000 confections, including the Texas Chewie Pecan Praline, taffies, brittles, divinity, and the beloved Sherbet Mints.

Through every generation, the Lammes business stayed in the family as it navigated decades of innovation and change. After David Lamme Teich passed away in 2004, his children Pam, Bryan, and Lana carried the legacy forward as the fifth generation of Lamme candy makers.

A New Chapter and a Sweet Comeback

In the spring of 2026, after 141 years of operations, the Lammes Candies family announced that Lammes would close down its operations. Austinites and loyal customers of Lammes across Texas responded with an outpouring of stories, memories, and hope that the famous lamb on Airport Boulevard wouldn't go dark for good. Surely there must be another chapter left.

Just a few months after the announcement, Delightful Development Co., the Fort Worth-based duo of Craig Cavileer and Kayla Wilkie-Kinne, acquired Lammes Candies in partnership with the Lamme family. Craig and Kayla are best known for leading the revival of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District for more than a decade, and they are sure to bring the same respect for Texas history to their new role as stewards of Lammes Candies for the next generation.

The Lammes Candies family remains involved in our vision, and our commitment is simple: to make Lammes exactly the way you remember it. That means the same legacy recipes, Texas-grown pecans, premium chocolates and ingredients, handcrafted production and careful attention to quality that five generations built. We are also excited to bring new and innovative artisanal chocolates and candies to the next generation of Lammes lovers, in Texas and across America.

Lammes is baaack!
Here is to the next 140 years.