Before founding their own business, Gwenn Groedel and Suzy Stone were high school classmates and college roommates.
The women founded Sugr Pop Candy two years ago, but worked together as boutique event planners before getting into the candy business.
Their lifelong friendship lends to creating the product they deliver to customers as they work together by hand to create the bags and trays of candy.
Stone described the business as “an elevated gifting and mobile experience that features Swedish and European candies.”
Groedel and Stone create curated candy bags and trays, selecting each candy piece by piece, choosing flavors, colors and shapes that are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.
Swedish candy is known for its distinctive textures and often cleaner ingredient lists, according to Stone.
The women saw Swedish candy while traveling to destinations such as Miami and New York City and wanted to make it available in the Cleveland area.
“We recognized the experience people who love Swedish candy have,” Groedel, a Pepper Pike resident, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “It is not just about eating the candy, it is the experience of picking out each piece of candy.”
Most of the bags and trays the women create are for celebrations such as graduations and weddings or corporate events.
Some bags and trays are made in advance but pick-and-mix carts allow customers to build their own.
“Every blend is designed to taste as good as it looks: fruity, sour, fizzy and chewy, with something new to discover in every handful,” Stone, a Moreland Hills resident, told the CJN. “People see a tray and immediately want to know what everything is. Then they start tasting, finding favorites and telling someone else which piece to try. That’s the fun of it.”
Sugr Pop also offers kosher and gluten-free candy options.
“We make elaborate designs that are eye-catching,” Stone said. “We work to appeal to all of the senses.”
Stone grew up in a Jewish household and raised her children at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, now known as Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood.
“The temple holds a special place in our family, and celebrating Jewish traditions together remains deeply important to us,” she said.
Groedel raised her children while attending Park Synagogue in Pepper Pike.
Customers can order directly from Sugr Pop at sugrpopcandy.com. The candy is also available at Mulholland & Sachs in Woodmere and Sanity in Chagrin Falls.
Sugr Pop Candy also has pop-ups at various locations in Northeast Ohio where customers can build their bags and trays from candy carts.
These are announced on the company’s Website and Instagram. Follow @sugrpopcandy on Instagram for the event calendar.
Groedel and Stone are graduates of Cleveland Heights High School and the University of South Florida.
Anthony Corvo is a freelance journalist.