She took a job in a candy shop and later began making chocolates in the kitchen of her home in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Following World War II, her son Elmer Hawk invested his service pay in the fledgling business enabling the family to purchase mechanical chocolate making equipment.

The family bought a piece of land in Dunmore, Pennsylvania and built a factory there that opened in 1962.

[1] Gertrude Hawk manufactures Frangos,[2][3] and inclusions for several companies such as Ben and Jerry's and Turkey Hill Dairy.

[1] In 2018, Gertrude Hawk, the company's founder, was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame.