From a storefront she personally describes as “'Yo! MTV Raps meets a Paris Metro station,” Portland, Oregon baker-about-town Jami Curl crafts candy both nostalgic and whimsical – like the candy you loved way back when. Remember the joy of stepping off that big yellow school bus and fixing yourself an after-school snack? Quin Candy’s sweets are like that, but for grown-ups with sophisticated palates.
Jami might be a successful business owner and expert candy creator, but in a way, Jami never really grew up. At least, her sweet tooth stuck around, and with it a childlike enthusiasm for all things candy. She started training in college, where she hawked baked goods to her professors and classmates (we assume they were so good, no one thought to accuse her of bribery). She went on to found Portland sweets staple Saint Cupcake, spending eight years establishing a veritable cupcake empire before moving on to her new, Willy Wonka-esque endeavor.
Jami now focuses on lollipops (traditional and “bakery-inspired”), gummies, marshmallows and other hard candies. She only uses real fruit, which she roasts first to capture the full range of its sweetness, and lots of natural, “straight-up sustainable” ingredients. The idea isn’t to wow you with wacky flavors, but rather to make much-better renditions of heartstring-tugging classics.
Remember Starbursts? So good. But: waxy, sticky, papery. Full of corn syrup and food coloring. Quin’s Dreams Come Chew Candies are smooth, made with fresh strawberry, tangerine, cherry and lemon, freshly churned butter and hand wrapped. Totally dreamy.
And future meets past in a colorful clash of equally vibrant flavors, like in her three gumdrops: Strawberry-Lemon (made with actual lemon zest and real strawberries!), Blackberry Tangerine (made from real blackberries and tangerine zest) and Smoked Cola (made with hand-smoked sugar – yes!). The gumdrops are all rolled in a fine sugar coating that dissolves sweetly away as soon as you pop them in your Mouth. Childhood in candy form.
Do you believe in magic? This adorable Candy Is Magic box epitomizes Quin’s nostalgic charm. It’s packed with 24 of their all natural, best-selling candies that are sure to satisfy a sweet tooth – buttery smooth Salty Sweet Caramels, fruity fresh Dream Come Chews and dark and chocolatey Twizzlie Chews.
All Quin’s treats are pure taste bud transportation: to the West Coast and to the placeless time of childhood memories.
We’ll just eat some more candy and put off paying those bills ‘til later.