Sugar-free? Yes, please! Curly Girlz Candy makes healthier sweets that everyone can enjoy

Curly Girlz products aren’t just sugar-free, they’re low carb, keto-friendly and delicious.. (Photo courtesy of Curly Girlz)

Curly Girlz’s owner Paula Even Trenda was named Minnesota’s 2020 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. (Photo courtesy of Curly Girlz) Curly Girlz also makes limited edition specialty items for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. (Photo courtesy of Curly Girlz)

Sugar-free? Yes, please!

Curly Girlz Candy makes healthier sweets that everyone can enjoy

By BRIDGET KRANZ

This 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.”

Trenda began experimenting with making her own sugarfree candy after getting frequent requests from customers. At the time, most sugar-free manufacturers replaced sugar with maltitol — a sugar alcohol that still raises blood sugar and can cause stomach upset as well. Even though maltitol was the norm, Trenda knew she wanted to do things differently.

“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.”

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 95% of Curly Girlz’s production is sugar free. The business has grown at the same time. Trenda relocated from Medford to a larger space in Owatonna in 2017, and has since expanded within her building on Main Street. In addition to sugar-free caramels, Curly Girlz makes a variety of sugar-free brittles and toffees — from almond- to coffeeflavored. And Trenda also continues to create her first 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 tested out her class creations on friends and family, and started selling her confections at craft shows shortly after graduation. As that business grew, she quit her job to focus full-time on candy-making — ultimately opening Curly Girlz.

IF YOU GO 121 W. Main St., Owatonna 507-451-3396 Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday All sugar-free candies and sweetener blends are available for purchase online at curlygirlzcandy.com.

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

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