On Sept. 8, Jackie Morin visited NC State to share her journey in business and how cotton candy has changed her life. Morin is a co-founder of Wonderpuff LLC, a cotton candy shop in the Triangle, and hopes to share ideas of self-love through her shop.
During her visit for the event, Cotton Candy Can Save the World, Morin discussed major influences in her life, including pop culture, society and family. She said these influences heavily impacted her business and adulthood, as well as her mission to share self-love.
“I was introduced to a cotton candy machine 10 years ago,” Morin said. “I had dropped out of school, my family was experiencing homelessness, and after a while, fear, anxiety and depression set in.”
During this time, Morin decided to volunteer with children in need and was searching for a way to help the children smile. She then saw a cotton candy machine, learned how to use it and had an awakening.
“I realized it turns nothing into something, which is extremely powerful because it’s what we’ve been doing since the beginning of time,” Morin said. “Everyone was so happy just from cotton candy, and I decided this could be my life.”
After moving to North Carolina, Morin and her husband decided to start a business oriented around cotton candy. The two bought a cotton candy machine with their wedding money, built a cart over several months and created their business from that.
“In the first two years, our goal was to get our business out there, so we gave away a lot of free stuff,” Morin said. “I connected with other small businesses in the Triangle, and eventually people started to reach out about having us at their weddings, birthday parties and other events.”
After going to events and having a few trial and error sessions, Wonderpuff LLC has continued to grow and now resides permanently in Boxyard RTP, a vendor marketplace in Research Triangle Park.
“Wonderpuff LLC is a cotton candy story that encompasses love and magic,” said Kelsey Dufresne, graduate extension assistant of the Makerspace and Ph.D. student at NC State. “They also share vegan and organic cotton candy while advocating for social justice.”
Morin said her goal is to make sure everyone prioritizes mental health and hopes to use her store to create a space where people can do just that.
“We want everyone to know it is okay to be human,” Morin said. “Our store is very bright, and we want to create a space for everyone to share their sadness and grief, and undo generational trauma. We need more empathy and gentleness, and we hope to create an environment for that here at Wonderpuff.”
