The Hey Sugar Story
I haven’t always been in the cotton candy biz...
In fact, I have had the privilege of being a stay at home mama for eleven years. l am so grateful, but it also hasn’t come without sacrifices and I always yearned to still have something “for me.” I tried many different things along the way, but nothing seemed to fit.
One day, while waiting in the school pickup line browsing Instagram (as us mamas do, am I right?) I read the phrase ‘natural cotton candy’. This intrigued me because my oldest daughter (out of five. That’s right I have big, all girl tribe!) has a MAJOR sweet tooth but I also try and keep the sweets to a minimum (try is the key word here, folks) The problem was, I couldn’t find any of this natural cotton candy in my area. So, on a whim I purchased a small cotton candy machine and set out to make it. From the start, I couldn’t help but think this would be the most fun side business EVER. But I didn’t want to rush into things. Using organic cane sugar and natural flavors and colors to make gourmet flavors, we made our very first batch. Here goes nothing!
HEY, THAT’S ME! >
My family tried it and raved about it, and someone suggested I sell it as stocking stuffers since it was the holiday season. On December 7, National Cotton Candy Day, I put up a post on social media. It was a hit! People were sharing our post and orders were flying in. We worked hard and learned so much in a short amount of time!
That spring I decided to take the product to local markets. I offered to book events and spin fresh cotton candy with a modern twist: a sleek modern cotton candy cart and real ingredients. The Hey Sugar calendar filled up and pretty soon each weekend was packed full of markets and events!
It was then, between the busyness, I realized Hey Sugar could be more than a side business. I could run it full time and hire a team of people to work markets and events. Maybe someone just where I was not too long ago needing a side gig with a flexible schedule to pay bills.
Just a little over one year later, Hey Sugar has grown into a team! We now have three modern cotton candy carts for events, slinging sugar at festivals, working two local farmers markets (Fulton Street Market and Muskegon Farmers Market) and running a small storefront in the quaint community of Lakeside in Muskegon, on the path to beautiful Lake Michigan.
Whether you pop into a market, stop into our little shop, book an event or were just gifted some of our fluff by a friend, please know that we can’t wait to meet as you celebrate sweeter!
Grateful for you!
Danielle
