“I wasn’t even really intending to start a business,” Tilghman said. Other families started noticing their snacks. They’re more like the texture of popcorn.” The family loves the freeze-dried banana chips, she said. She and her husband, Chris, have two kids. Kaitlyn Tilghman of Harrisburg also bought her freeze dryer this summer with the plan of making healthy snacks for her family. Burkett said he had to quit his job at POET to keep up. His commercial-size freeze dryer can do five trays at a time, and it’s basically running 24/7. That was a disaster.”īurkett said it takes a couple of hours on average to freeze-dry a batch of candy. “There’s plenty of trial-and-error with this stuff. Caramel Apple Pops found their way onto the inventory list after a customer requested them. … The Trolli gummy worms almost turn into a Cheetos texture with a little chewy center.”īurkett’s does customized candy packages for special events and will make a specific candy if someone has a special request. It has a crunchy texture, and the flavor is way more potent. The Jolly Ranchers get like golf ball size,” Burkett said. “Skittles and Jolly Ranchers are the big products that everybody goes crazy over. The couple also will be busy in the coming weeks with holiday-themed vendor shows.Ĭustomers will find bags of freeze-dried Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Caramel Apple Pops, Trolli gummy treats and more. Other retailers also carry a few treats, including The Gas Barrel nearby, Westside Glass Emporium on Marion Road and a flower shop owned by a friend in Hawarden, Iowa. Last week, Burkett’s Freeze Dried Treats opened as a store-within-a-store in Watecha Bowl at 2305 W. “Everything else has been a blur really.” “He’s like, ‘You guys got to do this,’” Burkett said of selling the freeze-dried candy. They took samples to their friend Lawrence West, who owns the restaurant Watecha Bowl. “She said, ‘You can do all this crazy stuff with candy.’ We tried it, and we thought it was awesome.” Marquez-Burkett saw videos online about freeze-drying candy and told her husband about it. “We were just going to go on the healthy side and freeze-dry fruits and vegetables,” Burkett said. Justin Burkett and his wife, Monic Marquez-Burkett, bought their freeze dryer as part of a health kick. While they all started as hobbies, one has shifted into a store-within-a-store, a second is keeping busy with special orders through Facebook, and the third has led to a venture with Stensland Family Farms. The freeze-dried treats craze is reaching the Sioux Falls area with a variety of homegrown businesses.

Freeze dryer candy