Out-of-this-world planet lollipops made in Clarendon Hills
May 6, 2014 (CLARENDON HILLS, Ill.) (WLS) -- It's the dream of almost every business person: you start a small business and it suddenly becomes a worldwide success. But that's what happened to two sisters in Clarendon Hills.
Vintage Confections in Clarendon Hills is the perfect example of a small in home business turning into a worldwide blockbuster. Sisters Cheryl Kelly and Heather Carr started selling homemade candies out of Heather's kitchen in 2008. Now, in their modern shop they sell all sorts of candies, but the real sweet smell of success here is in the kitchen that runs almost 24 hours a day. This is where they make their planet lollipops, and they are out of this world.
"The Planet Lollipops are a 10-piece set of lollipops with images of the planets inside. They went viral in September of 2012 and we haven't stopped making them ever since," said Kelly.
Just take a close look at our solar sugar system. All the planets are somehow buried deep inside the lollipops. It looks like something created by a giant candy company, but no, it all happens right here.
"They are 100% handmade. Everything from start to finish is made in small batches. All by hand. It's a completely hand process from beginning to end," said Carr.
No assembly lines here, it's all just individual workers making specialized candies from start to finish. And speaking of finish, a blow torch puts the shine on our worlds.
Yes, they are very good! And the image stays until the very last lick. But there's one other thing you might want to know about.
"We're very famous in China. About 95 percent of our business is Asian customers. Candy is a popular gift to give in China," said Kelly.
And these lollipops are not cheap. For the 10-flavored set, it's $23.50. But the Chinese apparently like "Made in America."
Vintage Confections
