About Jacqueline

I am a candy maker but did not intend on becoming one. I attended the University of Central Florida and studied Micro and Molecular Biology with a focus on Biochemistry and Qualitative Biological Methods.

It's funny how having children change can your focus. I remained in consulting and helped a chain of local Michigan stores create a product line tailored to this region’s needs. Part of that work was creating and testing novel products, and it reminded me of working in a lab like I used to in college. It was in 2023 that I also started making candy professionally. My son went to a school with special needs children and the teacher requested only candy without red dye 40 for Valentines Day. We couldn’t find any-but I had connections to manufacturers across the world, so I got to work and created the first hard candy made with all natural colors. It was actually very difficult even the manufacturers of the natural dye were unsure of how to use it for hard candy. I used all my knowledge from biochemistry to create these lovely simple candies with sugar from sugar beets and colors from turmeric and spirulina. 

The candy company was born and became Michigan Candyland. We were honored by Start Garden as were chosen to be part of Demo Day 100 in 2023 and 2024. My company was also given an opportunity from SCORE Midwest as a semifinalist for top new business in the region. We were also part of the first Christkindl Market in 2023. We are very grateful to be featured on Visit GR with the delicious sugar plums and handmade natural candy. 

I am so lucky to be able to utilize the skills and knowledge gained from the past and continue to grow Michigan Candyland. We are growing rapidly on as more people learn about the ingredients in their food. We want to make beautifully natural candy that everyone can eat.