Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Tadlock.
Hi Jessica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My husband actually is the reason I started making freeze dried candy. He came to me with the idea a few times, and finally, I said okay, let me do some research on this first. I’m the type of person that ALWAYS has to research everything before I dive in. When I decided to start, I was the only company/person in our area offering freeze dried candy, so I had a great opportunity in the market to bring it to our community in the Clinton area. So from there, I bought my first machine and quickly got another one, made social media pages and a website for online sales, and reached out to people in our local community, and it took off from there! I began with my online store, Sunflower-sweets.com, offering shipping or local pick-up and selling at a few markets. Then I started wholesaling my freeze dried candy to local stores in the area late last year. Currently, 4 local stores, including Hammer’s in Clinton, Halls, and Wartburg, and another store in LaFollette, carry my candy. I am also talking with a few more stores to continue expanding!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Overall it’s been fairly smooth. I was the only person offering freeze dried candy in our area when I began, so customers did pop up rather quickly, and I got another machine shortly afterward to help keep up with supply and demand! Before I even began though I researched the most popular freeze dried candies to know which were the best to offer and how to make them. I have had some trial and error along the way on a few candies to see if they worked or didn’t, but it’s all part of the process! On occasion I have taken customer requests for new candies to add or to try here and there and have also made adjustments over time to remove some of the less popular candies and kept what were the more preferred ones for my customer base. In the last few months, I have begun to focus more on the wholesale side of my business. However, I still offer candy on my online store, and I have loved building relationships with other local business owners in the community during that process!
As you know, we’re big fans of Sunflower Sweets. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
My business specializes in primarily freeze dried candy and occasionally offers other freeze dried sweets from time to time. I am a small business that is currently based out of Rocky Top, TN, and I offer my freeze dried candy online through my website, Sunflower-sweets.com, as well as in-store locally at Hammer’s in Clinton, Halls, and Wartburg and another store called Tennessee Mountain Mamas in LaFollette. I initially began with just my online store in 2022, offering shipping and local pick up, and then started my wholesale journey into local stores late last year. Owning my small business has learning curves, and more so than not many late nights making, bagging, labeling candy, and prepping for orders to go out. But I love it and have my husband’s help and fantastic support and occasionally our daughter helps too when it comes time to label all the candy bags! It’s been a fun journey so far, and I look forward to continuing to expand this year!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My husband definitely deserves some credit for my business! He is the one who initially brought the idea to me, and he has been my rock and my support every step of the way. If I get stressed or overwhelmed or try to decide on candies to add or remove from what I offer, he’s always willing to help me find a solution. When I have tables full of candy to be labeled, he is right there to help me label them and put them away, and if he is available when I need to deliver a wholesale order to a local store, he helps me make the deliveries. He has been a great support and cheers me on every step of the way, and I couldn’t be more appreciative to have him by my side and in my corner as my business has grown and hopefully continues to grow!
Contact Info:
- Website: Sunflower-sweets.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/sunfower_sweets_tn
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/sunflowersweetsTN
