It was an idea whose origins came from social media. 

Dinah Sanchez saw on TikTok where the sweet novelty of freeze-dried candy was garnering a considerable amount of attention and viewer numbers. She was intrigued by the concept of candy in freeze dried form. How does it taste? What is its texture? A further look around revealed there was almost none of this sort of product in the Rio Grande Valley. 

After ordering a few packages of such candy and giving it a taste and sharing some with her sister, Sarai, and mother, Juanita, the three women who had never been in business decided to dabble in it. They moved forward to invest in the equipment that achieves the delicate balance of freezing candy at extremely low temperatures and then subjecting it to a vacuum mechanism. The end result is water evaporating from ice to vapor. 

A Freeze-Dried Fusion

Being in the Valley, the mother-and-daughters team set out to infuse South Texas culture into their creations. There’s paletas of freeze-dried mango enchilada and freeze-dried sandia enchilada flavors. Bite-size multi-color treats of enchilada crunch are also available. The regional flavors sit side by side at the Sanchez’s Donna store with traditional choices like freeze-dried candy corn, Jolly Puffs derived from Jolly Ranchers and Double M Crunches that were once M&M candies. 

Out to community markets in Alamo. Weslaco and Harlingen, they initially went with their clear plastic pouches of freeze-dried treats. The customer reception from the start was favorable. It led Sarai Sanchez to up the family’s ambitions and make a suggestion to her mother and sister. Take the next step and establish a store front. 

“Why don’t we bring people to us?” she asked recently from the RGV Sweets N Treats store on North Salinas Boulevard in Donna. 

They have done just that while continuing to go to the markets where they got their start.

Outer Space Feast

“Feast like the astronauts!”

That’s the unofficial but often-stated motto of RGV Sweets N Treats. Freeze-dried food has long been a staple for men and women going into space because of its durability and ability to survive challenging elements. Candy that is freeze dried contains the same amount of nutrients as regular candy. So generally, you’re not going on a health kick when biting down on Double M Crunches versus regular M&Ms.

Freeze-dried candy is better for your teeth, especially for people wearing braces, and it can last up to an astounding 25 years in the right conditions. There’s also the fun element of the crunchy nature of freeze-dried candy for those who enjoy that texture in their sweets.

“It’s a unique way to enjoy candy,” Sarai Sanchez said. “People come in and taste samples and you see the smiles on their faces. That’s why we do it, really, to bring some additional sweetness to the Rio Grande Valley and bring smiles to their faces.”

Reaching Out, Branching Out

Eighty percent of RGV Sweets sales are in-store purchases and 20 percent are online sales. The Sanchez’s Donna-based business has shipped products to all 50 U.S. states and far-flung destinations like Alaska and Puerto Rico. They have learned the ways and strategies of social media. 

“We get the public involved,” Sarai said. “We ask them questions about what they like and get them involved in voting with polls we run to see what interests them.”

Dinah Sanchez says she is often amazed by the thousands of views and reactions a simple video will get and the eagerness of social media viewers to participate in expressing their opinions on a range of topics.

“The whole aspect of social media was scary at first for us,” Sarai said. “It’s something we had to learn how to use and utilize.”

Family Affair

“It takes a village,” Sarai Sanchez said of operating the family’s business in Donna. 

Sarai and her younger sister Dinah are immersed in nursing school at South Texas College in McAllen, so mother Juanita is often at the store during regular weekday business hours. She greets customers while also explaining the freeze-dried concept and flavors. It’s a process, Juanita said, making the product at their home in Alamo, the packaging and sorting and shipping abroad, and meeting people who come to their Donna store to try a different way to enjoy candy.

“That’s the biggest thing we’ve enjoyed being in business,” Sarai Sanchez said. “Just meeting so many different people, our customers and other people involved in running and owning their own small businesses. It’s amazing how much creativity there is out there in the Valley.”

One of them is at 108 N. Salinas Boulevard in Donna, with more information available at rgvsweetsntreats.com.