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.
I am really amazed that such a young individual became so successful. There are definitely some characteristic trait that I can learn about from her.
Wow! I remember being told not to eat lollipops because they are bad for your dental health, but I never thought about creating sugar-free ones. I am impressed with how ambitious and fearless this little girl was!
Alina picked the right time to introduce the Zollipop with the current uptrend in healthy eating. Developing a tasty, sugar-free lollipop is quite an accomplishment considering how candy’s central element is sugar. Zollipop’s growth is also remarkable! It’s interesting to see how just a brief moment in time inspired a multi-million dollar company.
It is amazing how young she was when she came up with this great idea. It really shows that sometimes the simplest solutions, often overlooked but adults, are the best business ideas.
I love this invention because candy is literally my favorite thing to eat at any given moment. So, having candy but sugar free and tasty is awesome because i can eat the candy and not worry about my teeth dying. It is also cray for someone to be so young and already have so much money from making lollipops.
She identified an issue (at a very young age) and came up with a solution. This proves that no matter your age, a good idea and some dedication can go a long way. Some of the best business ideas started as simple solutions to problems.
I really like how such a simple idea turned into such a profitable business. I especially like how her parents were so supportive of her idea and helped her pursue her dreams.