The Charmant Hotel in La Crosse awarded a MICHELIN Key
Bringing big city-style treats to Sheboygan
November 11, 2024
WESTON – After freeze-drying candy and treats for nearly three years at her in-law’s maple syrup production facility in Abbotsford, Jennifer Loucks said it was finally time to open a storefront.
Loucks said she did just that early this year – opening Avenue117 Candy at 4111 Schofield Ave. in Weston.
“We were able to start with our freeze-dried candy out of the (maple syrup) facility, but it was time to find a storefront,” she said. “As we expanded, we realized we needed space. We physically live in the Weston area, whereas my husband works over in the Abbotsford area with his family, but it’s only 30 minutes away.”
Loucks said logistically – “it just made sense.”
“Our older kids can also help, and it’s simply closer to where we live,” she said. “This spot opened up for us, and it was perfect. We were able to put our food processing plant there and have a small storefront.”
What’s in a name?
Seeing the name of the store – Avenue117 – one might think the storefront’s address has an association with the number, but Loucks said that’s not the case.
“We came out with the name right away – Nov. 7 is our wedding anniversary,” she said. “We just added ‘Avenue’ because we wanted to keep it generic in case we ever wanted to change focus. We kept it so it wasn’t just candy, thinking maybe we could develop and grow the company as we needed to.”
‘TikTok, TikTok’
Loucks said she and her husband’s two children – one who just graduated from college a little more than a year ago and another who will graduate this December – inspired her to start Avenue117.
“Though, not in a traditional way,” she laughed. “They were in college at the time and said, ‘Mom, did you hear about this TikTok trend going on called freeze-dried candy?’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m not on TikTok.’”
After talking about this so-called TikTok trend, Loucks said she decided to seek out more information on the subject.
“Three years ago, people were (freeze-drying), but not in Wisconsin,” she said. “I sought out a place to find some freeze-dried candy, and then we realized there really wasn’t much in the state. We also found out Wisconsin has very strict licensing for it because the state wants you to be in a licensed facility because it’s a food product.”
Loucks said after more research, she realized they already had a food processing plant – the maple syrup facility – which was already licensed by the State of Wisconsin.
“We wanted to try it out and see how it went,” she said. “We were pretty small until late last year/earlier this year – we’ve exploded. We found it’s something people like and want. So basically, it was my kids pushing me to figure this out and TikTok… thank you, TikTok.”
The process
Loucks said sometimes people confuse freeze-drying with dehydrating.
“They’re different,” she said. “A regular dehydrator – that most people think of – pulls out the moisture in a product using heat. Generally, with freeze-drying, the product is frozen and then goes through a vacuum pressure to pull out those water or ice molecules to dry the item, whether it’s candy or regular food.”
Loucks said because candy has a high sugar content, the freeze-drying process causes it to “explode.”
“It doesn’t actually explode – we wouldn’t want that – but it expands into a crunchy treat,” she said. “Back in our childhood, ‘astronaut ice cream,’ if you remember that, was made by freeze-drying. The process maintains more of the nutrients in the item, and the structure doesn’t change much. When it’s dehydrated, those products shrivel up and become kind of leathery.”
Loucks said there are a couple of reasons people seem to love these types of candy/treats.
“When it’s freeze-dried, anything that’s chewy or gummy becomes crunchy,” she said. “People with dental work, teenagers with braces, older people with dental work, etc., can eat things they normally couldn’t or things they loved as children. I get a lot of older people who can’t eat Bit-O-Honey anymore because they can’t chew it if they have dental work. When it’s freeze-dried, it basically melts in your mouth.”
Another positive, Loucks said, is the enhanced taste freeze drying creates.
“The flavors become more enhanced because you don’t have that extra moisture in there – you just get the product,” she said. “With candy corn this time of year – it has that waxy texture – you either love it or hate it, but when it’s freeze-dried, it’s crunchy. I find people like candy corn when it’s freeze-dried better.”
Loucks said the shelf life of freeze-dried products “is comparable to normally produced candy.”
“We always say, ‘once you open it, consume it within a week or two because the air and the moisture can get in and cause it to either deflate or become soft,’” she said. “If the freeze-drying is done correctly and the product is sealed, it can safely last six months to a year.”
Loucks said all the products at Avenue117 are freeze-dried onsite.
“We do all of our candies, fruits, ice creams, etc. at our facility,” she said.
Loucks said freeze-dried Skittles, Gummy Worms, Nerd Clusters and Fruit Roll-Ups are some of the most popular items among customers.
Some candies, she said, have ingredients that prevent them from being freeze-dried.
“Licorice, Sour Patch Kids and Jelly Beans, for example, can’t be effectively freeze-dried,” she said. “It’s because of the amount of cornstarch in it that prevents the item from actually popping in the freeze-drying process.”
Loucks said if a candy, such as Skittles, is brought into the facility and freeze-dried, it can’t be sold as Skittles.
“You can’t do that – that’s a license infringement, so we have to change the names for everything,” she said. “For example, we can’t call them ‘Skittles,’ but we can call them ‘Skidaddles.’”
Future growth
Loucks said she doesn’t see the popularity of freeze-drying candy/treats slowing down any time soon.
“It’s not just candy,” she said. “We do many other things and want to eventually add more items for people who like to hike and want take-along foods. We’re not afraid to jump in and try new things. We’ve done freeze-dried chickpeas, some cheeses and pickles.”
Loucks said Avenue117 products are in eight different stores throughout the region.
“We also do a lot of events, which helps get our name out there,” she said.
Loucks said shipping freeze-dried candy “can be tricky.”
“We do ship, but it’s fragile,” she said. “There are some items you have to be really careful with, like anything gummy because it gets a texture like puffed Cheetos. You really have to pack it well. Skittles are hard enough and can be shipped without an issue.”
More details on Avenue117 can be found at avenue117candy.com, on its Facebook page – and you guessed it, TikTok.
