Jolted, LLC - not your typical sugar rush

Jolted, which is located at 714 Main St. in Suring, offers a variety of freeze-dried candy options. Submitted Photo

Staff

April 18, 2024

SURING – A snowstorm earlier this month that knocked out power for several homes and businesses in Northeast Wisconsin, Laura Hackey (Piso) said, served as a perfect example of the benefit of freeze-dried foods.

“Many of us were without power for days,” she said.

As food service manager and chief operating officer at Jolted, LLC – a freeze-dried food/candy and coffee shop located in Suring – Hackey said it’s her mission to educate the community on the many benefits of freeze drying, not just for the unique experience it provides with various candy treats, but the sustainability options that are available as well.

A grounded foundation
Growing up, Hackey said she had the best of both worlds – living in the city, but visiting the country often with her family – specifically the Suring area.

“There was a little general store called Andy Hall’s and it had glass display cases with the penny candy,” she said. “When we got to go to Andy Hall – boy, was that a treat. That was a fond childhood memory of mine.”

Hackey said it has been her mission to create similar experiences for the families of Suring today.

“I always wanted to create something for the kids and the Suring community,” she said. “It was once a thriving community with a skating rink, a moviehouse and a general store – the whole nine yards. Now with the highway – it’s a typical little forgotten town.”

Nowadays, Hackey said, community members who want a “little treat, a little goodie” have to drive to the bigger cities for them.

“It shouldn’t be like that,” she said. “We work hard. We’re all blue-collar folks trying to do our thing, and we also like to have a little treat.”

As a horticulturist, Hackey said much of her life has been spent with her hands in the dirt – successfully running multiple greenhouses over the years.

“I focus on pollinator restoration and homesteading – hence where the freeze-dried items come in,” she said.

Suring, Hackey said, is a large gardening community – “lots of fruits, vegetables, overages, jams, wine, we do all of that.”

“I wanted to offer (freeze drying as an option for the community), and in turn provide better snacks – freeze-dried fruit, freeze-dried vegetables,” she said.

Laura Hackey said freeze drying extends the shelf life, nutrient preservation and retention and enhancement of original taste/texture of foods. Submitted Photo

The benefits of freeze drying, Hackey said, include extended shelf life, nutrient preservation and retention and enhancement of original taste/texture.

Freeze-dried food, she said, can be used for quick meal prep, healthy snacks, convenience, outdoor recreation and emergency preparedness.

Pretty much anything, except for oils and alcohol, Hackey said, can be freeze-dried.

“Any of it, all of it, whatever I can get my hands on, I am going to try to freeze dry,” she said. “Of course, I’m going to focus on the meal prep. I’m going to try and take everything I possibly can and preserve it. I also do herbs and seeds as well.”

Though freeze-drying has been around for centuries, Hackey said shops like Jolted are new, which has made licensing tricky.

“We had to go through some extensive health department regulations because they don’t know what to do with us because we are so new,” she said.

Jolted, Hackey said, is a fully licensed kitchen with the ability to work with pretty much any food.

“The only thing we can’t do right now is what’s called temperature-controlled food – so things like dairy – we are a (few) weeks out from having that license,” she said.

The shop currently has two large-sized freeze dryers, with hopes, Hackey said, of obtaining more in the future.

“I hope to expand into bigger, better machines,” she said.

This, Hackey said, would help accomplish another mission of Jolted – offering freeze-drying services to members of the community.

“They can bring in their fruits or vegetables overages, I would run them through the freeze dryers, charge them a nominal cost and let them package it themselves,” she said. “That is one of the big goals.”

Something for everyone
Branching out into freeze-dried candies, Hackey said, is the “Catch 22.”

“That is what gets them into the store,” she said.

Freeze-drying candy, Hackey said, changes the molecular structure of certain sugars.

“What happens in the process is the sugars are structurally manipulated during what’s called ‘sublimation,'” she said. “It turns something chewy into a light and airy cotton-candy-like texture – providing a new, unique twist to your favorite candies.”

From Skittles and Jolly Ranchers to peanut brittle and Milk Duds, Hackey said the freeze-drying process creates something completely different for folks to enjoy.

Hard candies, she said, turn into light puffs of flavor that melt in your mouth; while taffy turns into mouth-watering creamy delights; and gummy candies blow up into balloon-like creatures and become light and crunchy.

“(They) taste amazing and retain 97% of the original item’s flavor,” she said.

The shop’s name, Hackey said, was inspired by the experience one has when eating a piece of freeze-dried candy.

“For example, the saltwater taffy that used to be chewy in your mouth now has a creamy texture that literally melts in your mouth and then the flavor hits you,” she said. “So whether it is grape, cherry, watermelon – the flavor hits you and hits you hard, like ‘oh my goodness.’ That is Jolted.”

Freeze drying candy, Laura Hackey said, changes the molecular structure of certain sugars. Submitted Photo

By flash-freezing candies in their original state, Hackey said, “it enhances the natural flavor.”

In terms of freeze drying, Hackey said candy takes the least amount of time because the amount of moisture in it is limited.

“Candy runs take anywhere between three, six and 12 hours,” she said. “Gummies take the longest because of their density.”
For some products, including those with modified corn starch, Hackey said she isn’t able to freeze dry because “we can’t get through that with freeze drying.”

The food science behind freeze drying, she said, is intense, but quite user-friendly.

“Once you sit down and do a little research, it’s a common-sense matter – the higher the moisture content, the longer it is going to take to freeze dry,” she said.

Up until this point, Hackey said the food that took the longest to freeze dry was pineapple slices in coconut water.

“It took me 40 hours,” she said. “The nice thing about it is the machine does all the work. I prep the items, program the machine, fill the trays and the machine does the rest.”

Though multiple product sales are “neck and neck,” Hackey said Skittles, taffy and fruit are the most popular items amongst customers.

“Skittles typically come out on top (sales-wise) because they are most popular with the kids,” she said. “The older generation you’re looking at the taffy.”

The coffee aspect of the business, she said, is a bonus.

“We all need something,” she said. “Parents who bring their kids in for the candies and whatnot – they deserve a place where they can get an $8 coffee for a $4 price, 10 minutes from home, not an hour from home.”

A welcome addition
Hackey said the support Jolted has already received from the Suring community has been “overwhelming.”

“Nobody knows what the heck this is all about,” she said.

Though the process is time-consuming, it isn’t costly, which Hackey said allows her to price products affordably.

“I’m out to make a living, not a killing – that’s the way I look at it,” she said.

Spending most of her life in the realm of horticulture, Hackey said one of the main goals of Jolted is educating folks, especially the younger generation, on the benefits of freeze-drying foods.

Jolted also offers a variety of coffee drinks – including the pictured White Chocolate Raspberry Cold Brew. Submitted Photo

“What we leave behind is what matters most – whether that is a tree or a thought,” she said.

Though the candy and coffee available at Jolted is “the treat,” Hackey said the knowledge she can share with the community in regards to the benefits of freeze-dried foods is what’s most important to her.

The shop (714 Main St.) – which opened its doors in mid-February – is currently open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

“We also flex with the community – which means if there is a Senior Night or a Veterans Night – we’ll open up for the community,” Hackey said. “I opened up for some of the city workers (when many lost power during the snowstorm earlier this month) to provide coffee and a place to warm up.”

Hackey said she hopes to open the shop one more day during the week at some point – once she gets into the groove of things.

“I’m still managing my greenhouse and the store, as well as (producing all of its) inventory,” she said. “It’s just me and my best friend (Jennifer Bayer) currently working at the shop. We’re going well so far.”

Some of Jolted’s products are also available at Old Glory Candy in Shawano – which Hackey said is the shop’s first wholesale customer.