BOONE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — A University of Kentucky student's candy business has gone from local to the most magical place on Earth.
Aubrie Sink, founder of 'Freezin' with Aubrie,' now sells her freeze-dried treats at Walt Disney World gift shops.
"It's outside Space Mountain and Mission Space," Sink said.
The road to Disney started with word of mouth and a series of wholesale partnerships closer to home.
"My first ever place that I wholesale to was the Cincinnati Zoo, and then I went to Jungle Jim's and King's Island, so still in the local area, and then I ended up (in) King's Island, word of mouth, they told Cedar Point," Sink said.
The business, based in Florence, Kentucky, ships products across 32 states. But it didn't start with freeze-dried candy.
"So I actually started off with Jammin' with Aubrie because I started my business with homemade jam and apple butter when I was 12 years old, and then that's how I expanded it and I saved my money from doing that to buy a freeze dryer," Sink said.
The Walt Disney World deal came together through a family connection at a trade show.
"My aunt, she's my sales and marketing director. She met with the buyer for the space theme stuff at Disney Parks, and she met with them at one of our trade shows, talked to them, and they were pretty interested in the idea because for one I'm a teen founded business," Sink said.
Sink's ambitions don't stop at Walt Disney World. She has her sights set on expanding the brand even further.
"Also even expand to like the Disney Cruise Lines, that would be a lot of fun. I would really like that. And then I also do dirty sodas, so my end goal for that is to get like a dirty soda food truck," Sink said.
