Christine Messina is an Austin, Texas-based business owner who guides The Candy Jar at the Hill Country Galleria, a popular stop for sweets lovers of all ages. Among the bulk offerings Christine Messina offers Austin customers are Jelly Bellies, as well as Haribo and Trolli gummies. Known for its pioneering Gold Bear, Haribo was founded in 1920 in Bonn, Germany. The brand takes its name from an abbreviation of the founder Hans Riegel’s name and the city in which the company emerged. Having maintained a US sales operation since 1982, the company is preeminent in the gummy bear segment and has also achieved recognition as the country’s fastest growing confectionery enterprise. Reflecting the worldwide popularity of its products, which include gummy cola, frogs, Smurfs, peaches, and rattlesnakes, Haribo recently announced its plan to build a factory in Wisconsin.To be completed in 2020, the $242 million factory will add 400 American jobs and produce quality gummies that live up to the standards of excellence set in place by the German operation.
Christine Messina is the owner of The Candy Jar, a candy boutique located in the Hill Country Galleria in Austin, Texas. Originally from Coral Springs, Florida, Christine Messina pursued a degree in marketing from the University of Texas. The Candy Jar offers a wide variety of sweets to its patrons including artisan chocolates, retro treats, confections, and other delicacies. And on a hot day, customers can visit The Candy Jar for a delicious, New Orleans-style snowball.New Orleans-style snowballs are much more than the typical, run of the mill snow cones. A snow cone is usually made with chunky, coarse, crushed ice. A snowball, on the other hand, is made of lightly shaved ice, giving it a fluffy, snow-like texture. Before the invention of electric ice shaving machines in the 1930s, the ice in snowballs was shaved by hand. Another feature of snowballs is the specialty homemade syrups and flavors that each stand develops. Instead of a myriad of preservative laden sugary syrups, most snowball stands use pure cane sugar, natural flavorings, and water to make their snowballs unique. Some stands use fruit juice, and others infuse ice cream or sweetened condensed milk into their snowballs. One stand even offers a popcorn flavored version to its customers.
