Apparently Northlanders have a sweet tooth, because Minnesota Marshmallow has seen tremendous growth in just three years in business.

Amy Sirois owns the business and runs it with her family. They’re proud to be both veteran- and woman-owned.

“We make all of our marshmallows from scratch. It’s about a 10-hour process start to finish,” Sirois said. “Over the past three years, we now have about 70+ different flavors.”

With flavors like Arctic Mint Brownie, Caramel Apple, Birthday Cake, and 60+ more, she suggests dropping them in your coffee, topping your hot cocoa, making a gourmet s’more, or even melting one over a brownie.

It’s a creative outlet as well as a small business. But Sirois never dreamed this is where life would take her.

“Coming out of high school, I really wanted to own my own restaurant,” she said. “But I had already signed up for the Air Force and I don’t know anything about owning restaurants at that point in my life.”

One of her dreams for the restaurant was to have an area where people could make s’mores. Eventually, a friend pushed her to stop talking about it and start making it happen.

She learned to make marshmallows on YouTube and tried them out on the people at the Air Force base. Now, she’s making them anywhere from 5-7 days a week and selling them wholesale or at events. Her mom and three employees help in the kitchen. Sometimes her husband and friends hop in too.

The most rewarding part is watching people try them.

“You know, when you first start, you’ll have family or friends and they tell you, ‘Oh, that’s really good,'” Sirois said. “But then when you have a total stranger actually get a reaction out of them and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, that is really good.’ And you’re like, oh, OK. Cool.”

Strangers tell the truth. She says even people who say they don’t like marshmallows seem to enjoy hers.

“I’ve always wanted to create this as something fun where everyone can get together and sit around a fire and it just is one of those sweet treats that brings everyone together,” she said.

Find details on where to try and buy them on mnmallow.com.