Thomas Sweet is actually two Toms.

Tom Grim and Tom Block, long time friends from Buffalo, NY started Thomas Sweet in Princeton NJ in December of 1979.

Tom and Tom, while in college, set up a summer business making and selling fudge at local, county, and state fairs. It was quite successful and evolved into several chocolate stores in New York and eventually New Hope PA. With one Tom staying in New York and getting married and the other Tom moving to PA.

In 1979 they combined efforts again and opened a chocolate shop in Princeton NJ using a name suggested by Tom Block's sister Jamie, Thomas Sweet. At that store they made and sold fresh made chocolates and other confections.

Six months later at the urging of their Princeton University landlords, they took an additional store and started making and selling fresh made ice cream. They added a great twist to the enjoyment of ice cream. Several months prior to opening the ice cream store Tom Grim's father, the one and only Harold, found a mechanical contraption in upstate New York in someone's barn. He thought Tom should see it.

Off Tom went to check it out and he quickly saw what the machine could be adapted to do. He came back with it, fiddled with it, and then the Blend-In^® was born.