G&G's Sweet Treats offers tasty freeze-dried candies in Howell

HOWELL — Fowlerville resident Shari Brown loves her grandchildren so much, she started a business making freeze-dried candies, marshmallows and fruit for them.

Brown launched the business from home this summer as a way to keep her grandchildren busy. When they returned to school, Brown was left with significant demand for her freeze-dried sweets from a growing and enthusiastic customer base. So, she opened G&G’s Sweet Treats in September at Tanger Outlets in Howell.

The store is open 12-7 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, and sells a full range of freeze-dried candies at $7 each or three for $20. According to Brown’s daughter and part-time helper Kristi Redford, G&G’s bestsellers are candies made from Skittles and Nerds. Other treats for sale include oatmeal pies, caramel apple bombs, gummies, ice cream sandwiches and more.

Brown added a commercial kitchen in the back of her store, which allows her to sell products wholesale as required by the state. The kitchen includes two commercial freeze dryers. Independent retailers in Howell and Pinckney are already selling her freeze-dried products, and Brown believes wholesaling opportunities could lead to significant expansion.

“Once we get through the holidays, that’s when I really want to see how we can expand,” Brown said. “Demand could really increase from that.”

Chocolate is one of several types of candies that can’t be freeze dried, because the process will cause it to melt. Candies made with modified corn starch or peanut butter don’t work either, because the process essentially removes any moisture or water. G&G’s current list of available candies take anywhere from 3 to over 24 hours to make. Once done, they need to be transferred to airtight packages as quickly as possible.

Redford, her husband and their children help at the store on the weekends, along with Brown’s boyfriend.

“It’s been an adventure,” Redford said with a smile. She also works full-time as a branch manager at the Bank of Ann Arbor. “We all have other jobs but it’s fun to see this taking off.”

Brown said the process of finding new items comes down to trial and error. When they find a product that works, they add it to their list of roughly 25 products.

“We’ll get an idea in our heads and then try it out,” Brown said. “Sometimes it works. Other times it doesn’t. You just never know.”

Most of G&G’s customers came from word of mouth, social media, and an active event schedule, where Brown and other family members sell candies in and around Livingston County at various events. That includes the Howell Melon Festival, the Fowlerville Summer Concert Series and the Michigan State Fair in Novi.

Brown is no stranger to Tanger Outlets. She was the manager of The Children’s Place there for roughly 30 years. After the store closed, Brown commuted to Auburn Hills for about two years before returning to Tanger Outlets, where she's now the store manager at Jockey. Redford chuckles when asked about the amount of time she's spent at Tanger.

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“My first job was here at the food court back when the mall had one,” Redford said. “I’ve been coming here my whole life ... but we’re committed to make this business work as a family and helping her as much as we can.”

Call the shop at 517-861-9231 to learn more.

— M. Alan Scott is a freelance writer for The Livingston Daily. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: G&G's Sweet Treats offers tasty freeze-dried candies in Howell