Love at First Bite
Discover the Magic of Freeze-Dried
Treats at C & C Freeze
By Brandy York
The Ashland Beacon
Freeze-dried snacks- they're not just for space missions. Thanks to a couple of local ladies, the opportunity to enjoy this treat in our area has become even easier!
This freeze-dried dream was born in March 2023 while on vacation in Tennessee. Ruby Chapman came across some freeze-dried candy, like that which she had seen on TikTok, and was excited to try it for the first time; it was love at first bite! Ruby knew then that she had to get the sweet treats back home for her friends to experience, but how? That's when Ruby pitched the idea to her longtime friend Charlie Cunningham to try their hand at making their own freeze-dried candy to consume. The ladies' husbands were also in agreement and were eager to support their wives with the process. Thus began the dawning of what is now known as C & C Freeze.
So, what exactly is freeze-dried candy? According to an article from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Freeze-drying is a process in which water is sublimated by the direct transition of water from solid (ice) to vapor, thus omitting the liquid state, and then desorbing water from the “dry” layer.” In other words, your chewy candies are left airy, light, and crunchy without robbing any of their goodness and flavor!
Chapman and Cunningham wasted no time setting off on their freeze-dried journey. The next month, they bought their first machine and quickly began working on perfecting their creation. Chapman laughed as she explained how they perfected the candy by “trial and error and that there was definitely a lot of error to get it right.” She explained that it took about another month to get the candy just how they wanted it in order to present it to the community for purchase. Their first stop was the Hillbilly Flea Market, in Russell Kentucky, where the candy quickly became a hit.
Before they knew what happened they became lovingly known by many as “the crazy candy ladies.” By June, C & C Freeze had earned enough money in sales to buy a second machine. With the acquisition of a second machine, they knew they would be capable of producing the product on a much larger scale than before and didn't want to be limited to where this amazing craft could be sold. To make this happen, they would need to establish a commercial kitchen and undergo state inspection. Following a successful inspection, C & C Freeze became a state certified wholesale manufacturer and was on their way to distributing their candy on a whole new level! The sweets were soon found in five Super Quick stores throughout Greenup County, where it continues to be sold today!
That's when Chapman and Cunningham realized they would benefit from buying a third machine, and that their dream of a freeze-dried candy business was now a reality and flourishing. When asked about top-selling flavors, Chapman says “customers seem to always go for the Skittles (also known as Colorama) or the Nerds clusters (also known as Geek Balls).” Chapman shared that her favorite flavor was the Bit-O-Honey, despite it being the most difficult to produce in freeze-dried form.
The flavors (and hearts for customer satisfaction) are big but the business remains small with Chapman and her husband Anthony along with Cunningham and her husband Bob as the exclusive labor behind the operation. Together their goal as a business is to open a physical store where their customers can easily buy the freeze-dried candies they love as well as other products of interest such as custom shirts, coffee mugs, tumblers, wristlets, key chains, and much more.
“We have worked endlessly on our store since May, and we are excited to announce the grand opening date of the C & C Freeze store will be Saturday July 20, 2024.” shared Chapman. This new little haven of freeze-dried delicacies will be located at 1406 Meade Street in Flatwoods. For more information you can reach Chapman and Cunningham by phone at 606.388.2215. Buy the candy, brush your teeth, and support local business!
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