Louis XIV Candy Shop at 163 State Street. Published by Curt Teich & Co., Chicago. Since the late 1800s, Chicago has been the "home sweet home" of a number of candy companies, making it known as the "candy capital of the world." Chicago made an ideal place for candy-making for a variety of reasons. The city’s location near the center of the U.S. made it a transportation hub, and its proximity to the Great Lakes made it easy to ship raw ingredients in and finished products out. Chicago also had a strong labor force made up largely of immigrants, who worked in candy factories or opened sweet shops using candy recipes from their homelands. Charles Gunther is believed to be the first person to produce and sell caramels in America. An immigrant from Germany, Gunther ran a successful candy factory and store, first on Clark Street and then later on State Street after he rebuilt his business following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. At the Columbian Exposition of 1893