Candy Puff Girls
Here at Hattie Jane’s Creamery, we love partnering with other entrepreneurs to bring our unique flavors to life. One of the most beloved flavors, especially by our young ice cream fans, is the Unicorn Cotton Candy. It starts with a cotton candy ice cream base, and we add in swirls of charm marshmallows, sprinkles, and extra cotton candy to boot. That cotton candy is made by a locally operated business run by three sisters known as the Candy Puff Girls, and they just so happen to also work at Hattie Jane’s. Meet the Cotton Candy Queens: three sisters with work ethic and hearts as big as the Tennessee sky. Jade, Lexi, and Elizabeth Schmitz, the dynamic trio behind Candy Puff Girls, have been enhancing Hattie Jane’s Creamery and spreading joy one fluffy cloud at a time.
But their story doesn’t start with cotton candy dreams and sugar-spun fantasies. Born and raised in the heart of Kansas, these young entrepreneurs learned the art of sweetness and hard work from their mama - Hattie Jane’s and partner Rhonda Schmitz. These young ladies have simply grown up around the sweet life.
When the opportunity arose to outsource new cotton candy, our entrepreneurial ladies came together in the best way and jumped on the chance to embark on a new adventure. Partnering locally and within the family is kind of our area of expertise. Now, every unicorn parfait or cotton candy topping comes with a side of their signature spun sugar magic. Join us as we take a peek behind the curtain and get to know the faces behind the fairy floss. From their childhood dreams to their aspirations for the future, each member of the Candy Puff Girls team has a story to tell – and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Elizabeth (Izzy B for short) is the youngest out of the three and just spent her sweet 16 at Disney World, her happy place. Izzy lights up when she's in her favorite spot, the kitchen, where she can always be found trying out new recipes. Mashed potatoes for any family gathering is her specialty! Her position at Hattie Jane’s is also to help with production and bake brownies. At Candy Puff, her role is called the packager. She explains that the packager is when the spinner has spun the cotton candy; she then takes it and packs it into the tub to hand off to the sealer. Izzy has also learned how to make invoices for all the stores, and she handles payments for all the sales. “Having Candy Puff teaches me about business, and I'm really glad that our cotton candy is in our Unicorn Cotton Candy ice cream, which is my favorite flavor,” Izzy says.
Lexi is the sassy and spunky middle child who brings a great attitude and a smile to anything she does. Lexi has always been a talented artist who loves art projects of all kinds and brings creative ideas to the cotton candy company trifecta. Watching movies and going to Disney with her sisters is her favorite thing to do when not working. Being homeschooled provides the opportunity for the girls to work, make money for their future, all while completing schoolwork easily from home with their own hours. She loves being able to work and spin live for farmers markets and festivals. Her role as Master Spinner is to spin all the cotton candy from big poofs to little poofs; she can spin it all. “I love the business because it taught me how to manage money, and it also helped pay for my car. I am very happy to say our cotton candy is in the Unicorn ice cream and parfait.” Lexi beams about her role with the company and the topping of one of our most popular products and ice cream flavors.
Jade is the oldest out of the three and balances out all the personalities wonderfully. Jade is studying to be a nurse at Columbia State and we believe she will be so successful in that line of work due to her natural gift of taking care of people. She just recently visited Brazil and loves to learn about plants and how to grow your own proper vegetation. “I always like to say that you cannot be mad or sad in an ice cream shop,” Jade chimes, and she's not wrong. Her role within the company is the sealer, which is important because it makes the cotton candy last longer and doesn’t dehydrate and shrink. “I also make sure that the seal is tamper evident to make it safer for the person who eats it. It gives everyone confidence when purchasing one of our tubs. I love he cotton candy business because it puts a smile on people's faces, just like our ice cream!” Jade loves being able to soak up so much entrepreneurial information at a young age and use it to her advantage.
So there you have it, folks – our three incredible cotton candy spinners at Hattie Jane’s Creamery. If you haven’t had a chance to meet them yet, come down and say howdy! We promise you’ll leave with a belly full of sweetness and a heart full of Southern hospitality.
