Local entrepreneur opens business specializing in sweet and sour candies

POCATELLO — A young local man with a passion for food and business has found success in his new candy making endeavor.

Ashton Abel is a Pocatello entrepreneur who started Sweet and Sour Dunks Caramel Apple Candies when he was a senior in high school. His candies are double sided candies with caramel on one side and green apple on the other.

"I've always wanted to start my own business," he said. "I've always liked cooking and making candy."

Abel's candies are bite-sized. Abel has made homemade candy for years, including sour hard candy and sour taffy as well as fizzy variations.

At the start of his senior year, he was looking for molds to use to shape his candies. He eventually found a sample mold that was the perfect size.

"I am working on getting some custom molds to make the process a little faster," he said. "After I figured that out, I started researching and looking for markets around town."

Dunks Candy officially started selling back in December of 2023 at craft fairs and later at farmers markets. The first craft show his candies were featured at, Abel was able to sell out all of his candy.

"I was doing really well," he said. "That was really great and they were popular."

In addition to his success at craft shows and farmers markets, Abel has also created his own website where people would be able to order online. This website has also been successful.

"I have that up and running," he said. "Now I'm looking to get into a commercial kitchen."

Abel has been able to make $15,000 in sales during his first year in business.

"Last year I did a semester at ISU and got a business certificate," he said. "This past year or so I've been doing all the fairs and markets and getting orders on the website."

Abel said his favorite part about operating his business is seeing his customers' reactions when they get their candy. He also likes watching them leave positive reviews about his products.

"That's been the most exciting thing for me," he said. "It's great to see all these customers come back and ordering more."

The main flavor of Dunks Candy is green apple, but there are a few others such as raspberry, watermelon and lemon. Abel said he enjoys creating the new flavors and giving them to customers.

"There's a few others that are also popular," Abel said. "I love building the business from the ground up."

More information about Dunks Candy can be found online at dunkscandy.com .