Fraser Doherty was just 14 years old when he first started his own business. After being taught how to make jam by his grandmother, Doherty came up with a way to make jam using only fruit. Doherty continued to develop his jam and eventually sold it under the name SuperJam.  At the age of 16 he presented his company to Waitrose, a major supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. Becoming a supplier to Waitrose made him the youngest ever supplier to a major supermarket chain. SuperJam has since sold millions of jars of jam all around the world. In addition to its commercial success, SuperJam has invested in multiple charitable projects ranging from care for the elderly, to community beekeeping projects. Doherty has received commendation from high ranking individuals such as the British Prime Minister, and Prince Charles.

Doherty’s story shows that something simple like jam can be turned into a successful business venture. His passion and hard work lead to something that has affected many lives through the charitable work of his company. A simple idea that started in his grandmother’s kitchen, was nurtured into the company it is today.

Fraser Doherty is a young entrepreneur who has found his niche in making jams from his grandmother’s recipes and selling them for profit. When he was 14, he decided to start making and selling his grandmothers recipes and improved upon them by discovering how to make his jams 100% out of fruit. At 16, he presented his company by the name of SuperJam. Soon his orders became more than he could fulfill so he decided to rent out a factory for a few days each month in order to produce his monthly quota. Soon enough he was making close to $750,000 in sales and had shelf space in 184 different stores. Since 2007 when his company was founded, it has proven to keep growing not only in the UK but also all over Europe. Fraser is also a well-accomplished author and is the co-founder of Beer52, the world’s largest craft beer club. Fraser exemplifies the ability to listen to the market and provide them with what they want, whether it be through his jams or craft beer, Fraser has an eye for spotting an emerging market opportunity. He also has shown a great sense of commitment to his cause by choosing to drop out of school and pursue his businesses full time.

Ice cream is fantastic. There’s no questioning that. But what is the biggest problem facing ice cream consumers around the world? Melted ice cream! Ice cream melts so quickly on a hot summer day and millions of people struggle to deal with the mess. Children get absolutely covered in their ice cream and parents all over have to clean their kids’ hands, face, or maybe even feet. Two young high school entrepreneurs saw this problem, acted on it, and created “The Drip Drop.”

Sam Nassif and Oliver Greenwald joined forces in fifth grade to enter their idea into an invention competition. Their solution to dripping ice cream was simple: create an edible ring that slides up the ice cream cone and catches the running ice cream. The young entrepreneurs hit a major milestone in 2016 with Barbara Corcoran investing $50,000 into their company. After working on prototyping and manufacturing in 2017, they now set their sights on getting their product into stores with the help of a Kickstarter campaign.

Sam and Oliver began with empathy. They saw a mother using tons of napkins to clean her messy child and remembered the times they’ve dealt with melting ice cream. This was a simple problem with no solution. The two acquired a patent and are now on their way to helping people enjoy the greatest dessert of all time: ice cream.

Alina Morse, Founder and CEO of Zollipops

Alina Morse and her brand Zollipops may just be the next big name in the candy industry. This 13 year old and 6 other full time employees have worked to grow this little girl’s idea into a multi-million dollar company. Located Northwest of Detroit, Zollipops has been whipping up tasty sugar free lollipops since 2012. Alina first had the idea for a sugar free lollipop business when she was told she could not have a lollipop while leaving the bank because it would rot her teeth.

This prompted the then seven-year old to ask if there was any way to enjoy a lollipop without jeopardizing her dental health. With this question in mind, her father and she went to the kitchen, concocting various sugar free lollipop recipes in their oven. After further developing their product and bringing it to mass production, Alina and her father set up a meeting with the popular retailer Wholefoods. Wholefoods loved the idea and began to carry their product.

Soon enough, Zollipops expanded online using Amazon as a way to get their product to an even wider audience. This summer it was reported that Zollipops was Amazon’s second highest selling sugar free hard candy and its overall bestselling lollipop. With such success, they decided to pitch their product to Kroger. They too loved it, and have decided to begin to carry their product. Zollipops has a projected sales revenue of $5-6 million this coming year, a large figure for a company started by a little girl.

What is most amazing about Alina is her fearlessness in chasing an idea. Unafraid of failure she has taken a simple idea and shaken up a sleeping industry. Capitalizing on a market of health conscious consumers, Alina has given people the option to have both a sweet snack and a healthy mouth. This ingenuity and childish creativity is what gives Alina the edge in her market. Proving that with dedication and the right idea, anything is possible no matter how old you are.