Alina Morse: Zolli Candy

In today’s market, most candy is not healthy. Preservatives, coloring dye, artificial flavors- the list seems to go on and on. For Alina Morse, eating candy meant being unhealthy. One day at the age of 7, Alina and her father went to the bank and after finishing the errand was offered a lollipop by the bank teller. Even at the age of 7, Alina had enough sense to refuse the treat, albeit reluctant. From that moment on, the idea of creating candy that was delicious, but also healthy, was always on Alina’s mind. This idea led Alina to start making at home in order to find alternatives to the unhealthy options in the market. It wasn’t long before retailers and supermarkets started noticing, including a pitch to healthy superstore ‘Whole Foods’. From this point onwards there was no stopping the business. Now the ‘Zolli’ brand has taken off and takes large amounts of Alina’s time, even while studying finance at the University of Michigan. Balancing the study/work life is not always easy according to Alina: ““I work a 60-hour week,” Alina Morse said. “Not including school.” Despite the busy schedule, Zolli is truly an example of how finding a niche problem can lead to serious, profitable results.