Candy, friends: sweet success

Sometimes all it takes for success is a love for toffee and two friends who can help point you in the right direction and who always have your back. In 2010 Jena Perez started a candy store called SweetBricks with her family in the Gaslamp Quarter, but about that time her father passed away and a fire caused a devastating loss. Perez moved from San Diego to get away from it all, but still had the desire to try again someday. And that’s where her high school friends Yvonne Guerrero and Desiree Glade come in. In 2014, Guerrero and Glade quit their jobs and encouraged Perez to come back to San Diego and start up SweetBricks once again. The trio partnered up and soon after the girls started selling their handcrafted toffee online. Four months later they opened a storefront in the heart of East Village. The love for this toffee continues to grow in popularity thanks to the variety of flavors, but also because the girls put their heart, soul and friendship into every sweet bite.

Q: Explain what each of you brings to the team?

Jena: I’m usually in charge of creative projects, marketing, design, etc.

Yvonne: I’d say I’m the most organized, so they let me handle the money.

Desiree: I’m dabbling and helping out with a lot of things, but I’m mainly in the kitchen making the candy.

Jena: Desiree is the toffee master!

Q: Which is the most popular flavor and why?

Jena: Cookies n Cream is our most popular flavor. I think people just love the combination of classic buttery toffee and cookies. It’s also the sweetest. The three of us agree that Peanut Butter is the best (PB&J Toffee coming soon).

Q: If you girls weren’t making candy, what would you be doing as careers?

Jena: My background is in graphic design, so I would probably be stuck behind a desk doing design or marketing.

Yvonne: I would probably still be in the Navy, I loved it.

Desiree: Ideally I would be doing something in the sciences.

Q: Why do you love doing business in San Diego?

Yvonne: San Diego is such a great city and huge for tourism, it’s great being able to meet the people in our city as well as everyone visiting.

Desiree: There are so many awesome people and opportunities available.

Jena: What’s not to love - especially being in East Village. It’s great to meet and collaborate with other business owners, and feel like you are part of something awesome that is happening in SD.

Q: If you were a superhero, who would it be and why?

Jena: Batman. He doesn’t need super powers, he’s just a badass.

Desiree: Wonder Woman, that outfit is rocking.

Yvonne: Nachooooooooooooo (Libre), because he has magic eagle powers.

Q: Fun hobbies you girls have outside of making toffee?

Jena: Is eating a hobby?

Yvonne: What she said...

Desiree: Eating is definitely a hobby.

Jena: This is starting to sound like a Tinder profile. #rightswipe

Amber Mesker is an entertainment and lifestyle reporter for DiscoverSD. She loves providing readers updates on Hollywood gossip, San Diego fashion and cool weekend events. You can follow Amber and laugh at her fun, crazy life at @ambermesker

Source: DiscoverSD