This past summer was a busy one for Byron and Susan Dyess.
After the Lenexa couple picked up freeze-drying candy as a hobby last year, they started trying their hand at selling it at local festivals and markets (including an entire season at the Merriam Farmers’ Market this year).
Then when Byron lost his job in IT earlier this spring, the husband-and-wife duo decided it was time to “ramp up” their hobby into something bigger and more permanent.
That brought them to the Oak Park Mall — the new home to their concept, “Pop a Snack”, which opened in the Overland Park shopping center in August.
Pop A Snack operates at 11149 W. 95th St.
- Pop A Snack operates out of a kiosk on the lower level of the mall, near the south entrance to Dillard’s.
- Products are both made and sold at the Pop A Snack kiosk.
- Pop A Snack operates from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Pop A Snack offers freeze-dried candy, other treats
Customers can find a wide variety of candy at Pop A Snack, from Skittles and caramel melts to marshmallows and puffy peanut brittle.
For those with less of a sweet tooth, Pop A Snack offers other freeze-dried items like berries and vegetables like okra and green beans, as well as dog treats.
“We have a lot of customers that are like, ‘I’ve never seen this much variety,’” Susan said.
Freeze-dried snacks are made through a process called “sublimation”, in which the ice around the candy or food item is turned into a vapor on a heated tray. This typically turns chewy snacks like gummy worms into crunchy ones.
“It takes candy anywhere from four to six hours, depending on what the candy is,” Byron said. “Fruit takes about 48 hours, because it has a lot of moisture, and ice cream processes in about 12 hours.”
The couple plans to grow Pop A Snack eventually
Susan and Byron Dyess have plans for Pop A Snack beyond their Oak Park Mall kiosk (and their Merriam Farmers’ Market stall, from which they plan to continue selling).
Eventually, they hope to partner with other local businesses like coffee shops and grocery stores to offer Pop A Snack products to more customers — potentially as soon as after this holiday season.
“We’re still ramping up product and trying to see trends on what sells and what doesn’t,” Susan said.
For now, though, Susan said it’s been enjoyable getting to chat with all the passersby in the mall and meeting a new batch of customers.
In fact, some of Pop A Snack’s former market regulars have already tracked them down at their new permanent digs.
“I really love being able to meet so many people in the community,” she said. “This is our first time we’ve ever owned a business, so this is all new to us.”
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