Food & Drink, Profiles

The Sugar Cube delights Calgary’s sweet tooth

The Sugar Cube is the newest addition to Calgary’s street food scene and it’s stirring up quite a sweet buzz. Alyssa Tilston and Justin Enns, the creators of The Sugar Cube, came up with the idea for a candy truck when they were on a trip to Disney World in the Fall of 2012. “We had seen how kids and adults would light up when visiting the parks and we especially noticed how crazy everyone would get over the Disney candy and treats,” says Tilston. “We knew that we wanted to start something fun in Calgary that would get people excited.”

Enns and Tilston started coming up with different ideas, but one thing remained certain – they wanted their candy store to be different. “Justin and I knew that we didn’t just want to open a traditional brick and mortar store; we wanted to try something new and change the way that people get their sugar fix!” says Tilston. “Thus, the idea of bringing candy to the people directly, as opposed to them having to go to the store, developed into the creation of the Candy Truck.”

The big, sparkly purple truck will arrive in Calgary on May 25th to feed the city’s sweet tooth. “The Sugar Cube is more than just a candy truck,” says Tilston. “We actually have a couple of other primary business lines and definitely do catering. You can currently book us to bring our candy truck to your event. We can design and put together candy bars for events, and we can do custom event favours for those who want their guests to take home some sweet little packages.”

Enns and Tilston are also working with a software developer to create individual or corporation sign-up for candy subscriptions. This means that they will deliver a candy basket, filled with different types of unique and traditional candy, to subscribers on a monthly basis. They also want to deliver candy baskets and candy grams, which sound perfect for gift-giving and for special occasions.

The goal behind The Sugar Cube is simple – to put smiles on the faces of people of all ages and to do it in a way that shakes up the traditional candy store experience. “The goal is to be focused on providing candy to events all across Calgary and to give people a unique experience that they will remember for years to come,” says Enns. “Ultimately, we hope to change what is a fairly traditional industry.”

The candy stock on the truck will always be changing and evolving. “If you are interested in something that you might not see on the truck, be sure to ask us,” says Tilston. “We may actually have it on hand!” Currently, The Sugar Cube has over 50 types of bulk candy, old-school packaged candy, unique sodas, and not so ordinary chocolate bars. “Soon we will be adding a cotton candy machine to our truck as well! So stay tuned for that,” says Enns.

The residents of Calgary may not have been aware that they were yearning for a candy truck, but they have responded extremely well now that it has arrived. “We are currently only using Social Media networks and word-of-mouth marketing to spread the excitement for The Sugar Cube, and so far it has worked very well,” says Tilston. “The support has been overwhelming, with people sending in candy requests, ideas for expansion (already!), and events that they think we would be a perfect fit for.” The Sugar Cube has also felt the love from the Calgary Food Truck community. “The network of Calgary Food Trucks has been extremely supportive of us, giving us advice and helping us to spread the word. Since we don’t really compete with any of the food trucks directly, it has been fairly easy for us to make connections.”

Calgarians can expect The Sugar Cube to be present all summer long. “We plan to have The Sugar Cube out at least a couple of times a week for the first little while,” says Tilston. “It really depends on the people; if they keep coming and requesting us at events and specific locations, then we will gladly be out more often!” The Sugar Cube currently has a contract with Deerfoot Meadows, so the truck will be out there once or twice a week. “We also have some corporate Stampede parties lined up, and some public events & marathons in the works so it should be a fantastic summer!”

If this has got your sweet tooth aching, you can check out The Sugar Cube at its launch, this Saturday, May 25th at Deerfot Meadows. “We will have our truck set up in the parking lot by Petland and will be hanging out there from 11am to 2pm,” says Tilston. “It’s going to be a casual party, with music, contests, and tons of candy! We look forward to meeting everyone and cannot wait to hear what Calgarians think of our new venture.” The Sugar Cube will also be at The Lilac Festival on 4th street, on Sunday, May 26th.

To follow the latest news from The Sugar Cube, be sure to follow them on Twitter (@SugarCubeYYC) or Like them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SugarCubeYYC).

If you’d like more information on event services or would like to book The Sugar Cube for your event (this would be so awesome for a birthday party, right?) email Alyssa at alyssa@sugarcubeyyc.com or give her a call at 403.835.5543.

Krista is a writer for The Spectator Tribune. Follow her on Twitter @KristaWiebe

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