Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark and Michele Ciccone.
Hi Mark and Michele, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It has not been easy. When Covid hit, we were all wondering what was going to happen. How would we navigate through this illness? We were unsure about our food, our jobs, our health, our company, our life, everything was affected. We wanted to make sure we had enough food for however long we would be shut down. We started freeze-drying everything. Then, eggs went from being very easy to find to being hard to get and very pricey. We freeze-dried a lot of eggs. So many eggs that we were giving them away.
After the health department denied us, my wife and I decided to rethink our possibilities. We took a year off to regroup and decide what we really wanted to do.
It seemed that candy was our only option. We started doing festivals and vendor events. We really hit the spring and fall festivals hard last year. We decided that it was either make it work or shut it down. My wife took the summer off to start learning as much as possible because I was now working a full-time job. She took over all the operations, and I did all the maintenance, billing, and sealed bags when I got home from work. Once we had both of us working the mobile kitchen, we started getting really busy. By the time Christmas came around, we were both working 16-hour days. It was stressful, and it was so much fun. We were finally getting somewhere with our business after years and years of trying.
This is our 3rd year, and we growing fast. We’re in the process of building a bigger kitchen on our property. We are looking forward to a bright future in freeze-dried candy.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not; we hit a lot of snags. Originally, we were going to open a mobile kitchen. Our goal was to freeze-dry all types of foods and sell individually freeze-dried foods and meal kits. We started during Covid to preserve food for long term storage. We went to the health department to find out what was needed. We took samples of our foods to show what we were doing. The health dept worked with us for 6 months or so to put together an HCAAP plan (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). This plan included cleaning and sanitizing, waste management, temperature monitoring, pest control, all things needed to ensure your foods are safe for consumption. But once it got to the state level it was completely rejected because the state didn’t have any guidelines for freeze dried foods.
After a year of trying to get certified, it was time to reassess our goals. We had put a lot of money into a mobile kitchen and freeze dryers. We needed to do something. We prayed for guidance and wisdom. We had to rely on our faith to place us where we needed to be. We decide to do only the foods the state allowed. This is how we got into the candy business. We had to somehow make it work.
Once we started freeze-drying candy, it became fun and funny to watch people’s faces when they tried it. It’s such a joy to watch their faces light up in amazement when they taste our candy. We love our customers and are thankful they trusted us.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a locally owned freeze-dried candy business. We specialize in the uniqueness of crispy, crunchy snacks that are easy to consume on the go. You grab a bag of your favorite candy, open it, take out a piece or two, zip or close the top, and store it for later. You don’t have to fold the bag or twist the top closed to keep it fresh. You zip it and store it.
We also specialize in parties and events. We serve our candies at weddings, showers, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, you name, we can serve it. Events are so much fun, and we love to watch our customers enjoy a candy we’ve made specifically for them.
Our brand is somewhat different than just candy. We offer the service of our freeze dryers. If you need something freeze dried, we allow you into our commercial kitchen to freeze dry your own food. The machines have a timer on them. The customer knows when the timer is set, and they can watch it to make sure it has gone the length of time needed without being tampered with at any point throughout the process.
Our brand/logo is simple. We use black, white, and gray. Our logo is of a guy out enjoying the outdoors with a warm drink. It’s just him and his tent. That’s how we approach things. Let’s keep it simple.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
My parents separated when I was very young. My mom and dad were both in the service industry. Mom remarried a military officer, and we moved around a lot. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that we moved to NC. Both my mom and dad were here, just in different areas of the state. After high school, I joined the Army and was shipped out of state. After many years of moving, I settled back in NC. I’ve learned from moving a lot how to make friends. I make friends easily. Change happens, and change can be good.
I’ve always been a talker and a people person. I’ve owned other companies in the past, but none that bring me as much joy as this one. I finally get to talk without getting into trouble! I meet people from all walks of life and from all areas.
I met my wife here in NC. We married at the botanical gardens in Bailey, NC. My wife is not as talkative. She likes to work behind the scenes. We balance each other out with my talking and her listening.
Pricing:
- All of our candy is $9.00 – $10.00 per bag
Contact Info:
- Website: www.preppereatsllc.com
- Facebook: PrepperEats
Image Credits
Maria Maribel
