Two proven production techniques, which sweets work best, and why there’s still massive opportunity — plus the booming freeze dried coffee market.
A lot of people who reach out to us at WAVE are simply interested in freeze drying. They don’t have a product yet — they just love the technology and want to know: what should I dry? What’s the business?
Two of the most exciting opportunities right now are freeze dried candy and freeze dried specialty coffee. Both are accessible to newcomers, require relatively modest investment, and have strong consumer demand. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
Freeze dried candy has been one of the biggest trends in the freeze drying world over the past few years. The appeal is obvious: vacuum causes certain candies to puff up dramatically, creating a crunchy, airy texture that’s completely different from the original — and people love it.
The most famous example, freeze dried Skittles, has become so popular that Skittles themselves now produce an official version, available in supermarkets across the United States and the UK.
So is the opportunity over? Far from it. While the Skittles trend may be maturing in English-speaking markets, there is still enormous untapped potential in two areas: local and artisanal specialties that mass producers don’t cover, and international markets where freeze dried candy is still virtually unknown.
In many European countries — Italy, Spain, Germany, and others — freeze dried candy is not yet widely known. The same goes for the Middle East and most of Asia. If you’re based in or have access to these markets, you’re looking at a ground-floor opportunity with proven consumer appeal from other regions.
There are two main production methods, each with its own advantages. The right choice depends on your volume, equipment, and the type of candy you’re working with.
Place your candy directly into the freeze dryer, heat the shelves to the target temperature, and pull a vacuum. The reduced pressure causes moisture inside the candy to expand, puffing it up into the characteristic freeze dried texture.
Heat the candy in a conventional oven to a much higher temperature first, then quickly transfer the hot sweets into the freeze dryer and immediately pull vacuum. The combination of high internal temperature and sudden pressure drop creates rapid, dramatic puffing.
The fast method is gaining popularity because it dramatically reduces production time — from hours to under an hour. This means higher throughput and more batches per day, which directly impacts your profitability.
Here’s an important reality check: not every candy will puff up the way you expect. Different sugars behave differently under vacuum conditions, so experimentation is essential before committing to a product line.
Start with small test batches of 10–15 different candy types before investing in bulk ingredients. Document your temperature, vacuum level, and timing for each — this becomes your recipe book and competitive advantage.
| Candy Type | Puffing Behavior | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Gummy candies (Skittles, gummy bears) | Excellent puffing, dramatic expansion | Easy |
| Taffy / salt water taffy | Great expansion, light and crunchy | Easy |
| Marshmallows | Huge expansion, very light | Easy |
| Caramel-based candies | Moderate puffing, chewy-to-crunchy | Medium |
| Chocolate-coated candies | Uneven results, fat content issues | Hard |
| Hard candies (lollipops) | Minimal expansion, can shatter | Hard |
| Local / artisanal sweets | Varies — test required | Experiment |
The biggest business opportunity lies in local specialties. Every region has unique confections that haven’t been freeze dried yet. These niche products let you avoid direct competition with major brands and command premium pricing.
Coffee freeze drying is one of the oldest applications of the technology — Nescafé has been doing it for decades. But the game has changed completely. Today, specialty coffee roasters, baristas, and small chains are producing their own freeze dried coffee, and consumers are willing to pay a significant premium for quality.
The basic process is straightforward: brew your coffee, pour it onto trays, freeze it, then freeze dry at temperatures between 30°C and 60°C. The exact temperature affects flavor profile — this is where your recipe development comes in, and it’s what differentiates a commodity product from a premium one.
The single most important technical factor in freeze drying coffee is TDS — Total Dissolved Solids. This measures how much actual coffee material is dissolved in your liquid before drying.
Your coffee concentrate needs a TDS of at least 10–15% (meaning 10–15% of the liquid is dissolved coffee solids). Below this threshold, you’ll spend a full day or more drying and end up with very little product — a terrible business proposition. The higher your TDS, the better your yield and the stronger your flavor.
How do you achieve high TDS? Brew concentrated. Use a higher coffee-to-water ratio than you would for drinking. Some producers use espresso-strength concentrates, others use cold brew at high ratios. Experiment to find what gives you the flavor profile and yield you want.
The economics of freeze dried specialty coffee are compelling. Premium freeze dried coffee commands $0.50 to over $1.00 per gram at retail — significantly more than conventional instant coffee. A single batch in a commercial freeze dryer can produce several hundred dollars worth of product.
Combined with relatively low input costs (quality beans and energy), freeze dried specialty coffee offers margins that make it attractive even at small scale. And unlike candy, there’s less competition from major brands in the premium segment — consumers are actively seeking artisanal alternatives to mass-market instant coffee.
WAVE builds commercial freeze dryers custom-tailored to your production needs — from small artisanal operations to industrial-scale facilities.
Explore Our Freeze DryersNot every sweet will work. Different sugars behave differently under vacuum, so some candies won’t puff up as expected. Gummy candies, taffy, and marshmallows generally work well, while
chocolate-heavy and hard candies can be more challenging. Always start with small test batches.
With the standard method (70–80°C under vacuum), expect 3–4 hours. With the fast pre-heating method — where you heat candy in an oven to 150–180°C first, then transfer to the freeze dryer — you can achieve results in about 45 minutes.
Yes. While brands like Skittles now produce their own version, huge opportunities remain in local specialties, creative combinations, and international markets (much of Europe, Middle East, Asia) where freeze dried candy is still relatively unknown.
Specialty freeze dried coffee sells for $0.50 to over $1.00 per gram. Key to profitability is
maintaining a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) of at least 15% in your coffee concentrate before drying, which ensures good yield and rich flavor.
At minimum, you need a freeze dryer with vacuum capability and heated shelves. For the fast candy method, you’ll also need a conventional oven. For coffee, a quality brewing setup and a refractometer to measure TDS are recommended.
Tigernuts from GhanaTigernuts are used in rural areas mainly as animal feed, while in Europe they are known as an ingredient in Chufa or Horchata. Our customers grind and extract milk from the Tigernuts, using a simple mixer for production. After this, the tigermilk is dried in our machine. The resulting powder is an efficient and high-quality way to produce tigermilk, lasting for years and easy to ship.
Traditionally, the nuts are shipped to Spain, for example, where from 1kg of nuts, about 7 liters of drink is produced. The remains of the nuts are discarded, and a significant portion of the finished product is also wasted, as it lasts only about 24 hours. Financially, the farmer earns 1 EUR per kg of nuts, while customers pay between 25 and 120 EUR for 7 liters of fresh Horchata in Europe.
When produced in Ghana, the situation changes significantly. The price for the powder, if traditionally dried, is about 20 EUR, and up to 70 EUR if freeze-dried. The cost of the material remains at 1 EUR, but now, about 90% of the material can still be used as fertilizer or animal feed. The cost of freeze-drying 1 kg of material is about another 1 EUR. Farmers could sell to wholesalers or directly to customers via Etsy, Instagram, etc., shipping directly and potentially increasing their revenue by up to 2500% compared to selling the nuts directly.
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