Alina Morse

Alina Morse (born May 8, 2005) is an American entrepreneur, the CEO of Zolli Candy, which she founded when she was ten years old. Her company sells the candy she developed: sugar free lollipops called Zollipops, hard candy called Zolli Drops, and taffy called Zaffi Taffy. The candy is sold online and in about 25,000 stores in the United States and internationally, totaling US$6 million in sales in 2018. She was the youngest person to be on the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, and she was twice invited to the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama. In addition to being the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company, Morse attends Michigan State University and dances competitively.

Personal life Morse lives with her parents and younger sister Lola in Wolverine Lake, Michigan.

Morse attends Walled Lake Central High School in Commerce Township, Michigan and dances competitively in ballet, hip-hop, and jazz dance.

Total 2018 Zolli Candy sales at retail reached US$6 million while Morse was 13 years old. As of 2019 Zolli Candy was on shelves in 25,000 stores, including the United States and internationally in China, Korea, France, and the United Kingdom.

Company history Morse has wanted to be a CEO since she was three years old. She started keeping ideas for business inventions in an idea binder from the age of four.

The idea for Zollipops, the sugar-free lollipops that are the company's flagship product, originated in 2012. Morse, seven years old, was at a bank with her father, when she was offered a lollipop that her father stopped her from eating, saying that it would rot her teeth. Morse began thinking about making a lollipop that would not. Morse and her father traveled to different commercial manufacturing plants throughout Michigan to find one with the equipment they needed. They eventually proposed their product to Whole Foods Market. It was Zollipops' first retail placement, and it was a success. Online sales began soon after Whole Foods, via Amazon, making up approximately a quarter of total sales.

Products

The Zolli candies are made with natural sweeteners including xylitol and erythritol instead of sugar. Some studies, including some in the International Journal of Dentistry, have found these sweeteners reduce dental plaque and oral bacteria. The candies include Zollipops lollipops, Zolli Drops hard candy, and Zaffi Taffy taffy, in seven flavors: cherry, grape, orange, peppermint, pineapple, raspberry, and strawberry.

Million Smiles Initiative In February 2015, in support of the American Dental Association National Children's Dental Health Month campaign, Morse and her company launched a "100,000 Smiles" campaign to give away 100,000 Zollipops for free to dentists and schools and donate 10 percent of Zolli Candy profits to schools for oral health education. By 2016, this became the "250,000 Smiles" campaign to give away 250,000 Zollipops and 10% of Zollipops profits. In 2018, to celebrate Zollipops being sold through Walmart, Morse announced the program was being expanded to "One Million Smiles", promising to give away 1,000,000 lollipops.

Recognition Morse has been the company spokesperson since presenting to Whole Foods Market for its launch in 2014. Her appearances were a powerful marketing tool, and with time her answers became less scripted. in a 2017 edition of Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Fox Business, National Public Radio, She was listed in the 2019 Success Magazine "30 under 30", and the InStyle Magazine "Badass 50 Women" lists. Zolli Candy was recognized by the 2019 Michigan "50 Companies to Watch" small business program and was listed as #635 on the "2019 Inc. 5000: The Most Successful Companies in America" list.