Caffeinated Candies
While pulling an all-nighter studying for his MBA at Babson College, Jason Kensey (an avowed non-coffee drinker) went to purchase his usual jolt—a highly caffeinated, high-sugar soda—only to find the vending machine broken.
Kensey got something else: an idea for a business making bite-size candies packed with caffeine. Until 2000, Kensey back-burnered the idea while he worked at Kellogg for two years.
Over the subsequent three and half years, Kensey invested $150,000 of his own savings and hired a confection and flavor company to formulate a product. He even mixed up a few batches in his own kitchen.
His Vroom Foods launched online in 2004, selling Foosh Energy Mints, Buzz Bites Chocolate, and Mint Energy Chews for $3.99 a tin.
The Costa Mesa (Calif.) company has grown to three employees, and its “seriously caffeinated candies” are now sold in stores and gumball-like machines in 4,000 locations in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Sales last year jumped to $1.3 million, and Kensey says Vroom is profitable.
Photo by Vroom Foods, Inc..
Angela on February 12th, 2009 10:40 am
It’s an interesting idea but I wonder how they taste. Doesn’t caffeine taste bitter? Hopefully they were able to offset the bitterness so it wouldn’t taste too bad.
This morning was one of those days that I could have used one of those candies to get moving!
Jaclyn on February 12th, 2009 10:44 am
This is a fabulous idea…there are so many times in my past where these candies would have come in handy. that is actually how i got hooked on extremely strong coffee, it was my senior year of high school and i was craming like no other for my finals. these candies would have been way more beneficial then. however, i do worry about smaller children being able to get their hands on them…it’s like those energy drink’s that you have to be a certain age to purchase…does this company have the same concept so that small children don’t get a hold of them?
jaeda on February 12th, 2009 8:10 pm
[...] candies with caffeine?…how amazing i already try some of them her in our town..
You must really try it too, all do not this candy that they are plugging in this site but i think it will taste similar to this candy too!…
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