Our mission is to make snack and confectionary manufacturing as sweet as the output.

This Nebraska based start-up was founded by veteran confectionary and food scientist Tessa Porter, who is driven by her conviction that it is possible to reduce hurdles for new products and businesses through smarter process design and access to small scale manufacturing.

Every project is tackled with Tessa’s well-known ability to kindly and, most importantly, calmly sort through the chaos of innovation to create delectable magic.

Long before she stepped into a lab or measured the temperature of liquid sugar, Tessa knew she loved the feeling she got from creating new things. Whether that was Velveeta tape to close her burrito when she was a kid, or the time she spent establishing her work ethic while experimenting as a brick layer… she realized there was a special magic to the problem solving it takes to turn an idea into something tangible. Turns out, she prefers tasty things to construction!

This sprinkle-fueled superpower became well-honed while Tessa served as the Ferrara Candy Company Head of Innovation and Technology.  At Ferrara, she led the growth and integration of R&D teams through acquisitions, launched numerous new product formulations across multiple technical platforms, and built a world class team that will continue to develop award winning products for years to come. 

Additionally, Tessa has managed contract manufacturing for Glanbia Performance Nutrition, worked as a scientist co-op at The Hershey Company, and consulted for a variety of small and mid- sized food and beverage companies.

Tessa serves on the Board of Directors for The Confectionery Foundation, is a 2019 NCA Future Leader, and active on the American Association of Candy Technologists Education Committee. She has a Masters in food science and sugar crystallization from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In her free time, you’ll find her in a yoga studio, hanging out with her family, or chasing the wind around the world to go kite-surfing.