Innovation in the candy world happens very slowly. Because national brands produce candy on such a large scale, making test batches to test new products often results in a lot of waste.
Enter an Omaha candy science lab.
Sprinkk brings modern candy science and approachable manufacturing to the game, lowering the hurdles to science, innovation, and contract-manufacturing. But this Omaha candy lab has also started creating its own products, including a Husker-themed gummy that could be the next big thing in Omaha candy.
“I’m really excited about the nuances of what can be created with simple ingredients like sugar, glucose, syrup, and water,” Sprinkk founder Tessa Porter, said. “And how variations in those can create a wide variety of different products, from hard candy to chewy candy to fudge.”
Sprinkk’s Professional Candy Services
As a longtime candy science veteran who’s worked at massive companies like Hershey’s and Ferrara, Porter knows the pain points and obstacles they face. Her team can work with large brands to activate on ideas and test new concepts, then produce them at a small scale to ensure the consistency and taste of the new candy is suitable. Among the brands Sprinkk has worked with:
“I think we’ve created a space for people to bring their ideas and turn them into something physical,” Porter said. “I always talk about moments of joy that we create here. There’s a moment when we first create a prototype for a client that they’ve been thinking about something for a while and we create their first physical prototype. They can see the idea out of their head into their hands. There’s a moment that’s just really exciting right then.
“Also when we scale into production and we see it run at hundreds of pounds at a time, that moment is really joyful. And then just seeing it on the shelf. We’re really proud that we’ve created the infrastructure for other people’s joy to come to life.”
Though Sprinkk specializes in gummies, it’s also helped develop hard candy, fruit chews, mints, caramels, taffy, gummy vitamins, and more.
Sprinkk Candy Available in Omaha
Much as the Sprinkk team helps other brands realize their sweet dreams, this Omaha candy lab also produces its own products. Gummy sales have grown 11.8% in the past five years (outpacing chocolate), and Sprinkk has leaned into the trend with Norma’s Snacks. These fruit snacks utilize locally-sourced ingredients like elderberry, ginger, honey, and whole fruit to create unique flavors outside of the traditional strawberry, cherry, and green apple. Candy flavors Strawberry Rhubarb, Peach White Mulberry, and Strawberry Rhubarb can be found all over Omaha.
Porter is also excited about Brik, a new sleep gummy that uses a natural, plant-based peptide to help customers fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up refreshed.
But what has Porter the most excited is Sprinkk’s line of Husker Gummies. Sprinkk partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to develop a line of gummies specifically for Husker fans. Crafted into the shapes of Lil’ Red, the signature Husker “N”, and more, Sprinkk uses natural flavors and no synthetic dyes to develop Husker Gummies in these flavors:
-
Cherry
-
Strawberry
-
Raspberry
-
Watermelon
-
Lemon
-
Orange
“It’s very cool to see friends and family go and purchase these products and try them out and give us their feedback,” Porter said. “Just like for our clients and bringing their ideas to life, seeing something that started as a thought of ours to bring it into a physical product and share that with people.”
Omaha’s Candy Pros are Just Getting Started
Porter launched Sprinkk in 2019 and has already seen great growth in just a few years. What started as a rented church kitchen in her hometown has expanded to a 3000 square foot dedicated candy development lab in Omaha and a manufacturing facility in Albion.
Porter and her team are excited to not only continue to help clients grow, innovate, and test new products, but also create signature sweet treats of their own.
