Meet M2 Confections
Do you have a story behind your company name?
Our name is actually pretty simple! My husband and I have the last name Mathews, so it’s just the power of two M’s making candies!
Tell us, how did you get your start?
I originally learned the basics of chocolates in culinary school over a decade ago. Even before that, I was always making candy and chocolates as gifts for my extended family- my mom has plenty of stories about chocolate on her ceiling, cabinets and counters. There was something really alluring in the creativity of chocolate making; even though I have a restaurant chef background, I wanted to learn more. I worked in New York for a celebrated chocolatier and absorbed everything I could. I was able to do a lot of flavor creation and started to develop my creative voice. Once we moved to Denver, I was able to expand my restaurant skills, all of which help inform our direction for the business.
That is awesome! Do you have a favorite part of the maker process?
I love the aspect of creating! Food is so much fun to play with, and the interconnectedness of science, flavor and memory makes discovering new flavor combinations that much more enjoyable. My favorite time of the whole year is early Autumn- I start planning and testing my winter and holiday goodies, which means there are plenty of goodies to taste test!
That would be my favorite part for sure! Can you tell us what a typical day is like in the studio for you?
Typical is a bit hard to describe, as I’m sure every small business owner knows- but the day always starts with coffee! There’s a semi-official structure to the day, but by about an hour into most days, the schedule gets blown apart. In general, every day is handling custom orders, getting ready for events, holidays, emails, talking to vendors, coordinating with customers, managing finances, planning for future events and item rollouts, and then the actual production and packaging of items. All of this while checking all of our various sales platforms to make sure we’re getting products out to customers!
Sporting multiple hats! What inspires you to create?
Part of my philosophy when it comes to creation is to take flavors and desserts that inspire nostalgia and turn them into unique and approachable chocolates. Tapping into food memories is one of the things chefs strive for every day we make food. The act of making someone feel through our food is the definition of our artistic expression.
Very cool. Do you have a favorite item you have made?
That is a nearly impossible question to answer! I love so many different items for so many different reasons…I think our s’mores kits are so unique and delicious, and I feel like there are very few people who can do what we do with our kits. I’m a big snacker, so when it comes to sheer snackability, anything with our peanut butter crunch filling is so delicious and easy to munch on (I’m never too disappointed if I have a piece or two of our peanut butter whirls crack). Overall, our bon bons are the real representation of the full breadth of our creative direction, and they give us the most room to play around and enjoy unique flavor combinations.
What will you be bringing to Jackalope Arvada?
We will be bringing as much chocolate as we can hope to not melt, as well as some classic and unique candies that pack flavor punches! We have pectin jelly candies, various flavored bon bons and our s’mores kits, made with hand cast chocolate bars, fresh marshmallows and house-made graham crackers. We also hope to bring an assortment of other brand new items if we can manage it!
What do you love most about Arvada?
Arvada has been very good to us, both the city itself and the vendors and friends we’ve made in the city! We’ve been welcomed with open arms by so many of the shops in the town, and we hope to have earned that trust and kindness. I love that Arvada is such a welcoming community to everyone, and supports small businesses of all sizes!
What did you miss most about in person events now that events are picking back up again?
Mostly just being able to connect with our community! It’s very hard to communicate our intentions with our products without being able to present them ourselves, and I think that people appreciate when the maker can actually tell them why they are unique and worth buying. I also missed getting to hang out with our vendor friend community. It’s always nice to be surrounded by people who are going through the same trials you are, and everyone is always so supportive (especially the Jackalope community!)
That makes us smile! Anything special you would like to add?
We’re opening our first retail and physical location in Westminster this August! We are so excited to finally move out of our commissary kitchen and into our very own space so we can continue to grow and innovate. We are hoping to expand our current truffle, candy bar and gift offerings, as well as introduce a few brand new (to us!) programs, including small batch ice cream and custom sundae kits! Keep an eye out on our social media to see what we’re up to, including when our grand opening will be!
YUM! We can’t wait to see you in person this August 5th & 6th for Jackalope Arvada!
Where to see more of M2 Confections:
Website | https://m2confections.com
Instagram | @m2_confections