Lynn Hesson has been known to put a little extra crackle in a chocolate now and again. Or ice cream. Or yogurt. Or how about a popping candy that will turn your tongue blue and put a gigantic pucker on your face.
Hesson is the founder and president of PoppingFUN Inc., a Neenah-based company that manufacturers carbonated crystals for a variety of applications in the food industry. The company has contributed to formulations that do all of those things and more.
The candy, called Shock, was PoppingFUN’s own brand label. The company also does a significant volume of business as a private label provider for other brands — internationally as well as in the United States — both as a provider of bulk crystals and assisting with specific formulations.
The popping crystals consist of pressurized CO2 embedded either sugar-based or isomalt-based material. The company has also found a niche in the health supplement market.
PoppingFUN was recently nominated for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin” contest and recently hosted a film crew from the fyi network’s “Food Factory.”
