FOOD & DRINK

TARA BOSCH, 25

FOUNDER, SMARTSWEETS

Tara Bosch turned a kitchen experiment into a $55 million revenue candy brand. A former sugar addict, Bosch had daily chats with her grandmother over bags of sweets. She loved the ritual, but hated the way candy made her feel. “I started thinking, ‘I want to feel good about candy, so why can’t I?’” She bought a gummy bear mold and tested recipes using plant-based fibers and plantbased sweeteners to replace corn syrup and sugar. The British Columbia native sold the gummies from her car and cold-emailed Canadian retailers, eventually selling to grocers and health food stores. A 2017 TV appearance on Fox Business caught the attention of Whole Foods, leading to full U.S. distribution with the retail giant. Today her lines of no-added-sugar candy sell in more than 18,000 stores across North America. “The focus so far is reinventing the candy aisle,” Bosch says. “Now we are asking, ‘What else can we kick sugaroutof?’” —Chloe Sorvino, Kristin Stoller

JUDGES: RANDALL LANE, CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER, FORBES MEDIA; BRIAN RUDOLPH, COFOUNDER, BANZA (UNDER 30 CLASS OF 2016); LEE SCHRAGER, FOUNDER, SOUTH BEACH & NEW YORK WINE AND FOOD FESTIVALS; CHRISTINA TOSI, CHEF/FOUNDER, MILK BAR. TARA BOSCH WEARS A YEON BLACK MESH LONG-SLEEVE TOP AND GRAY BUSTIER, OFFICINA BERNARDI SILVER HOOP EARRINGS AND A LIVEN CO. OPEN X DIAMOND RING.