The Kid Who Reinvented Candy (The True Story of Alina Morse)

When Alina Morse was seven years old, a bank teller offered her a lollipop. Most kids would have taken it without a second thought. Alina had a different idea. She wondered why someone couldn’t make a lollipop that was actually good for your teeth. So she started researching ingredients, testing recipes, and turning her family’s kitchen into a candy laboratory. Before long, her tooth-friendly treats were being sold in stores across the country and Alina was building a multimillion-dollar candy company. This is the true story of Alina Morse.

SOURCE LIST:

1. Forbes, October 2016. Source for the bank-lollipop origin, Alina repeatedly pitching the idea to her father, research with dentists, early ingredients, the burned first batch, isomalt discovery, manufacturing trials, Whole Foods pitch, initial order, and early company growth.
2. Entrepreneur, August 2018. Source for Alina balancing school, dance, and business; the Kroger advertising meeting; her sister Lola’s involvement; Zollipops’ employees and headquarters; and the company’s growth into thousands of stores.
3. Inside Edition, 2019. Source for Alina’s kitchen-table experiments, work with dental professionals, two years of product testing, her initial $3,750 investment and family match, Whole Foods pitch at age nine, and experience growing up while running the company.
4. Zolli Candy, “Our Story.” Source for the bank encounter at age seven, the development and 2014 launch of Zollipops, Lola’s role in creating the product’s name, subsequent Zolli products, and the Million Smiles Initiative.
5. Walmart Open Call / Zollipops, January 2018. Source for 12-year-old Alina’s selection through Walmart’s Open Call program and the rollout of Zollipops and Zaffi Taffy into approximately 4,000 Walmart stores.
6. Million Smiles Initiative. Source for Zolli Candy’s oral-health education program, school outreach, and mission to help children learn about dental health.