Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Amy Sirois and I have been making handcrafted Gourmet Marshmallows for 5 years now! I originally started my business in my home as a fun side hobby! Now, I run the company with my husband, Michael, and we own 2 Marshmallow trailers, one for weddings and one is a custom built gourmet deep-fried marshmallow trailer, we have a great online presence with our website and social media, and we not only do private events and large festivals, but we also have over 30+ wholesale accounts across Minnesota and Wisconsin!
What has been your favorite moment since creating your art/business?
My favorite moments since starting my business has been watching people’s reactions to trying my marshmallows for the first time! I’ve created over 75 recipes from scratch, so I always have fun new and exciting flavors to try year-round!
What will you be bringing to the Gift & Art Expo for attendees to purchase?
We are coming back again for the 2026 Minneapolis Gift and Art expo where we will be giving the twin cities a chance to taste our amazing made from scratch, handcrafted gourmet marshmallows! We will be bringing over 15 flavors for customers to pick from and create their very own variety packs with up to 6 different flavors and a total of 18 marshmallows!
Have you always been passionate about art and design?
Surprisingly, I didn’t grow up being a lover of marshmallows and usually only enjoyed the tiny dehydrated ones in my hot cocoa or toasted over the fire and enjoyed as a s’more until the s’more got boring!
Why did you start working in this field?
I was sitting by the fire with a friend and simply said, “I wish there was more than just Vanilla Marshmallows. I really wish there was a Juicy-Lucy kind of marshmallows that has tons of flavor packed right in it so it all gets toasted at once.” She replied, “You’re not allowed to talk about this anymore until you start making them”. And, the rest is history!
What made you take this leap into being your own boss?
When I started, it all began by establishing a Facebook Page to advertise Marshmallows that I had made that week and if anyone was interested in buying them. Unexpectedly, the idea took off like wildfire and next thing I knew, I was averaging about 4 hours of sleep every night for weeks.. no months.. as I tried to keep up with the orders! I was riding an adrenaline rush that this crazy thing I created was really taking off! I had so much success in only 8 months, I wondered what would be possible if I had all day/week to make these and didn’t have to go to my 7-5 job anymore. Well, I politely asked to step down and said, I need to know if I have something here, if I don’t, I’ll come back and work my way back up again. Here I am, 5 years later and still loving what I do!
Have you had any major failures? If so, what were some important insights gained?
Yes! Of course! As an entrepreneur, you HAVE to look at failures like you look at a variable in a science project. Sometimes when you try something, it just doesn’t work, and you need to try a different way.
When I started my business on Facebook, I was having so much success that I didn’t want to take on the pressure of a website and more orders. However, I was getting recognized faster than I thought. Which also meant by my competition. By the time I was ready to” rip the band aid off” and make a website, a competitor had already bought the right to my company domain (in less than 3 months of being in business mind you) and even directed traffic straight to their website using my business name! That stung. So, instead, I put on my creative hat, picked a new name instead of rebranding or trying to reach out to the other company and it may have even worked out better that way! Our website name is nice and short and we took the high road and pushed forward!
What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer?
Being an entrepreneur is not for the weak, but DON’T give up!
What motivates you to create?
I like to give credit to my over-active sweet tooth! There is rarely something sweet that I don’t love and therefore, creating all sweet ideas into marshmallow form is simply my super-power! It keeps customers checking back all-year round and it feeds my creative side from getting bored and complacent in the kitchen day after day!
How does the city you live in influence your work?
Living in Duluth, we are surrounded by the great outdoors in Northern Minnesota! Some of our favorite times with family and friends are spent around the campfire. Therefore, it’s been my passion to bring s’more love by creating new flavors and adding even more excitement to time around the bonfire!
What sets your designs apart from others?
Absolutely our flavors, texture, and freshness! We have tried many competitors and there are none like ours! We pack so much flavor and goodness into ours, it’s hard not to fall in love! We have flavors that are rippled with caramel, fudge, peanut butter, cookies, toasted coconut and SO much more!
What is your favorite item that you sell?
I happen to love some of my extremely complex flavors such as our Uffda Marshmallow! As soon as you take a bite, your tastebuds will scream “Uff-da that’s good”! This Amazing marshmallow is our homemade vanilla marshmallow made with delicious toasted coconut, layers of sweet caramel and fudge, and topped with Caramel Delight Cookies and more toasted Coconut!
What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
That we always stand by great ingredients and a fresh product that hasn’t been sitting on the store shelves for 8-12+ months! We keep our shelf life short so everyone can enjoy a fresh made product!
Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
Yes! Some of our Christmas time favorite flavors are Santa’s Sugar Cookie, Hot Cocoa, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Boozy Bailey’s, Chai Spice, Cinnamon Vanilla and many other phenomenal marshmallow flavors!
What is the latest thing you have been working on?
With tremendous excitement, this year we got to launch our new mobile dessert trailer! It has been a big secret for almost two years now as we’ve been waiting to make the dream come true! Now, we are over the moon euphoric getting to hear everyone’s reactions to trying the first EVER deep-fried gourmet marshmallows!!!
@MinnesotaMarshmallow on TikTok