September 28/29, 2021
MADE IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA PAID CONTENT
PAGE 3 culinary love — chocolate. Sugar-free chocolate sea salt caramels are a perennial favorite. “I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I learned how to make candy from one of my neighbors when I was growing up,” said Trenda. “As an adult, I travelled to Quebec on a business trip. While I was there, I toured a chocolate factory and museum. I loved watching the chocolatiers at work.” After returning home, Trenda took an online course to become a certified chocolatier. She 121 W. Main St., Owatonna tested out her class 507-451-3396 creations on friends and Hours: family, and started sell- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ing her con- Monday-Friday fections at All sugar-free candies craft shows shortly after and sweetener blends are graduaavailable for purchase online tion. As that at curlygirlzcandy.com. business grew, she quit her job to focus full-time on candy-making — ultimately opening Curly Girlz.
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Curly Girlz products aren’t just sugar-free, they’re low carb, keto-friendly and delicious.. (Photo courtesy of Curly Girlz)
Sugar-free? Yes, please!
Curly Girlz Candy makes healthier sweets that everyone can enjoy By BRIDGET KRANZ
T
his is not your mother’s sugar-free candy. In Paula Even Trenda’s case, it’s not her grandmother’s sugarfree candy. Trenda is the founder and owner of Curly Girlz Candy in Owatonna — specializing in sugar-free sweets that you’d never know were sugar-free, as well as keto-friendly and low carb. “My grandmother ate sugar-free candy when I was growing up, and it tasted awful,” said Trenda. “When I started making candy fulltime in 2014, it felt like there still weren’t a lot of great options on the market.”
“I worked with nutritionists, studying different types of sweeteners that were healthier and more natural,” said Trenda. “As better options became available, we started relying less on sugar alcohols. We settled on a formula and since then, we’ve made our own sweetener blend.”
Local ingredients, national acclaim While all of the products offered online are sugar-free, keto-friendly and low carb, Trenda also continues to make some seasonal sugared goods to sell in the store. Those include limited edition specialty items for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. She makes caramel apples herself every autumn — turning to local
Caramels and chocolates and toffees — oh, my!
Since opening Curly Girlz in 2014, Trenda has continuously expanded her range of home-made chocolates and candies -- with a growing emphasis on sugar-free options. In 2016, she launched sugarfree caramels. As of last year, over Trenda began experimenting 95% of Curly Girlz’s production is with making her own sugarsugar free. The business has grown free candy after getting frequent at the same time. Trenda relocated Curly Girlz’s owner Paula Even Trenda requests from customers. At the from Medford to a larger space in time, most sugar-free manufactur- was named Minnesota’s 2020 Small Busi- Owatonna in 2017, and has since exness Person of the Year by the U.S. Small ers replaced sugar with maltitol panded within her building on Main Business Administration. (Photo courtesy — a sugar alcohol that still raises of Curly Girlz) Street. blood sugar and can cause stomIn addition to sugar-free caraach upset as well. Even though mels, Curly Girlz makes a variety of maltitol was the norm, Trenda knew she wanted to do sugar-free brittles and toffees — from almond- to coffeethings differently. flavored. And Trenda also continues to create her first
Curly Girlz also makes limited edition specialty items for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. (Photo courtesy of Curly Girlz)
growers for the apples. Year-round, Curly Girlz sources as many ingredients as possible from southern Minnesota farmers. Local ingredients include the apples, premium butter, and even hemp hearts — another healthconscious touch to Curly Girlz’s sweet treats. “We use raw hemp hearts in our hemp brittle. Hemp hearts are incredibly heart-healthy, and they help give our brittle a unique flavor,” said Trenda. “It has a nice fall flavor. With cinnamon and vanilla, it almost tastes like a candied granola.” Curly Girlz’ unique business model has earned the CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
