About Crunch Pop Candy
We're a small freeze-drying shop in Miami Springs, South Florida. It's run by Johnnie Banachi, a chef who has cooked here for years and sat through a lot of hurricane seasons — the boarded windows, the long lines at the store, the freezer full of food you're hoping doesn't spoil. That's the background all of this comes out of.
What we make right now
Two things. Freeze-dried candy — our Sour Rainbow Crunchers are the ones people keep coming back for — and freeze-dried fruit: strawberries, bananas, peaches. Everything is done in small batches, and we run the dryer for your order rather than for a shelf.
We're moving over to a made-to-order way of working. If you want something we don't stock — Jolly Ranchers, marshmallow puffs, whatever you saw on TikTok last week — tell us and we'll try it. You pay for a whole batch and you get the whole batch. If we don't think it'll come out well, we'll say so before you spend anything.
Where this is going
The candy and the fruit are the first step. They pay for the equipment and, honestly, they're how we learn the process — what dries well, how long it takes, how to package it so it stays crisp in Florida humidity.
The bigger goal is Field & Pantry, a custom freeze-drying service for South Florida families. You bring the food you already cook, grow, catch, or buy in bulk, and we preserve it for you — the arroz con pollo, the mango off your tree, the fish from last weekend, the stuff your family actually eats. Shelf-stable, light, ready when you need it.
Why it matters here
Down here, being ready isn't a hobby. Storms knock out power, freezers fail, and a pantry full of food nobody likes doesn't help anyone. We'd rather help a family put away meals they'll be glad to eat, and cut down on the produce and leftovers that get thrown out in the meantime.
None of this is about fear or stockpiling for the end of the world. It's the same thing your grandmother was doing when she canned tomatoes — taking care of your household, and having enough on hand to help a neighbor.
Come try it
Grab something that's ready to ship, or tell us what you'd like us to make.