How Candy.com Turned a $108,000 Investment Into a Multimillion-Dollar Success

In May 2002, veteran domain investor Rick Schwartz acquired Candy.com for $108,000. Seven years later, in 2009, he sold the domain in a publicly reported $3,000,000 deal to G&J Holdings, associated with cousins Greg Balestrieri and Joe Melville — the third generation of the family-owned Melville Candy Company in Massachusetts. The agreement was notable because it also included an ownership interest for Schwartz rather than a simple cash sale. Years later, Schwartz publicly reported receiving substantial additional proceeds when the company was sold. Because published descriptions of the precise equity percentage have varied over time, we present only the uncontested facts: a reported $3,000,000 domain sale plus an ownership stake that produced meaningful additional value.

A remarkable domain can become more than an address. It can become part of a company's identity, credibility, and long-term value.