An Audubon family thought they were launching a short-term side hustle. Two years later, their handmade lollipops are landing on retail shelves, backed by community support, long holiday lines, and a family operation that has quietly turned ambition into momentum.
The timing could not have been better.
From a simple idea to a family operation
In Audubon, big businesses rarely start with big speeches. They usually begin at the kitchen table.
That was the case for Lillie’s Lollipops, founded by Lillie Hansen while she was still a teenager. The original plan was modest, almost casual.
Six months. A few batches. Enough money to help pay for an acting and modeling trip to California.
Instead, the business stuck.
Community response surprised the family. Orders kept coming. Farmers market crowds grew. Holiday demand snowballed. What started as a short-term idea slowly turned into a full family operation.
Lillie now calls it less a pipe dream and more a shared commitment.
A business powered by relatives, not hires
The Hansen family does not just support the business. They run it.
Lillie leads the creative side, developing flavors and shaping the brand. Her mother, Timmie, manages operations, keeping production organized and licensed. Her brother, Landon, heads sales, handling outreach and retailer relationships.
Even younger sister Lacey plays a role, helping with quality control.
It is not symbolic help. It is daily work.
Every lollipop passes through family hands, from pouring to packaging. That structure keeps costs down but also keeps standards personal.
One short sentence explains the dynamic.
If it is not good enough for family, it does not ship.
Handmade, dye-free, and intentionally simple
What sets Lillie’s Lollipops apart is not scale. It is restraint.
The candies are handmade and hand-poured. They are dye-free, with short ingredient lists that avoid artificial colors. The approach fits a growing demand for simpler treats, especially among parents scanning labels carefully.
Lillie describes the process plainly.
No shortcuts. No fillers. Just basic ingredients and time.
That simplicity has become part of the brand’s appeal. Shoppers at farmers markets often stop first out of curiosity and return because the product tastes clean and familiar.
In a crowded candy market, clarity stands out.
More than 80 flavors and growing
Despite the focus on simplicity, variety has not suffered.
Lillie’s Lollipops now offers more than 80 flavors, along with a growing line of gummies. Classics like root beer and watermelon sit alongside playful options such as cotton candy and birthday cake.
Seasonal flavors rotate in and out, keeping repeat customers interested. Holiday assortments have become especially popular, driving gift sales during December.
Flavor development remains hands-on.
New ideas are tested in small batches, shared with regular customers, and refined based on feedback. Some disappear quietly. Others become staples.
That loop keeps the product list fresh without overextending production.
From farmers markets to retail shelves
For much of its early life, the business lived at farmers markets. Those settings offered direct feedback, low overhead, and strong community exposure.
But growth required a shift.
Last month, Lillie’s Lollipops received its commercial license, opening the door to retail partnerships. That milestone marked a turning point.
Within weeks, the family hit a goal Timmie had set earlier in the year: placement in 10 local retailers by the end of 2025.
They reached it.
The transition was not automatic. Retail demanded consistency, labeling compliance, and reliable supply volumes. Those hurdles forced the family to formalize systems that had previously lived in notebooks and conversations.
The process was demanding, but it worked.
A holiday rush that tested the model
The holiday season put everything to the test.
Orders surged. Production schedules tightened. Inventory management became a daily puzzle. For a small family operation, December can expose weaknesses quickly.
Instead, the system held.
Farmers market sales remained strong while retail orders rolled in. Gift packs moved fast. Repeat customers stocked up.
There were long days, late nights, and more than a few sticky countertops.
Still, no outside staff were added. The family leaned in harder, not wider.
That choice preserved margins and control, even as volume climbed.
Why this story resonates locally
Audubon is not a place known for startup hype. That may be why this business has drawn such attention.
Residents recognize themselves in the story. A young founder. Parents setting boundaries. A sibling stepping into sales. A community showing up early and often.
The success feels shared.
Local retailers benefit from carrying a homegrown product. Shoppers like knowing who made what they are buying. The connection runs deeper than branding.
One sentence sums up the appeal.
This feels like something Audubon helped build.
Balancing college plans and a growing brand
Lillie is currently home from Colorado, where she plans to attend college. The future will require balance.
Running a growing business while studying out of state raises questions about logistics and leadership. The family is already planning around that reality.
Production will remain in Audubon. Operations will stay centralized. Digital tools will handle coordination when Lillie is away.
There is no rush to scale beyond what the family can manage.
Growth, they say, will stay intentional.
What comes next without rushing ahead
Expansion plans remain cautious.
Retail partnerships may increase gradually. New flavors will continue to roll out in small batches. Gummies will get more attention as demand grows.
The family has resisted outside investment and rapid scaling. They want to protect quality and flexibility, even if it means growing slower.
That patience reflects how the business started.
It was never meant to be a sprint.
A reminder of how small businesses still break through
In a retail landscape dominated by large brands and online giants, stories like this can feel rare.
Yet they still happen.
They happen when products are simple, support is local, and expectations stay grounded. They happen when families treat work as shared responsibility, not just ambition.
Lillie’s Lollipops did not launch with a business plan polished by consultants. It launched with a goal, a deadline, and a willingness to try.
