Crackheads Candy

Crackheads and Osmanium Press

September 24th, 2008Schneider Associated Most Memorable New Products of 2008

October 16th, 2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Big dreams from beans"

May 2008, The Pioneer Press

May 23rd, 2008 The Onion, "All Candy Expo 2008: Like kids in some kind of a store"

May 19th, 2008 Minutes to Millions Segment on CNBC's Donnie Deutsch's, "The Big Idea" with Kevin Nealon

2 judges gave it a yes! Website poll loved it!

2008 M Magazine

Review Energydrinkreview.com Crackheads Product Review

February 13th, 2008 Wall St. Journal Article, "Stimulus Plan: Pack it Full of Caffeine"

November 12th, 2007 Medical College of Wisconsin, Spotlight on Science series, "From Idea Conception to Market: How Crackheads Candy Grew in Wisconsin"

March 21st, 2007 OnMilwaukee.com, "Crackheads spell success for local entrepreneur"

April 30th, 2007 Chemical Engineering News, "All About Vices"

2007 Shepard Express

2007 Confectioner

2007 Distribution Channels

Crackheads in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Today an article came out about caffeine in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Food Section. The article illustrates how caffeine works and some of the downfalls of the caffeinated options available today such as high sugar content drinks and caffeine over-consumption.

Crackheads was also listed in the article for its caffeine content, but it is interesting to note that Crackheads and Crackheads2 have little sugar and allow portion control so you can ingest just the right amount of caffeine for you. In addition you have all gourmet ingredients and a delicious flavor, Go Team!

NEWS ARTICLE

Reviews and News from All Candy Expo

Hello Everyone,

We exhibited our warez at the All Candy Expo this year and it was an excellent time indeed. If you are unaware of what this show is, it is essentially an all you can eat candy festival filled with fun, sugar, gut rot, and a touch of kookiness. Here are some product reviews and news on Crackheads:

Channel 9 Chicago, WGN-TV Morning Show 7:00am May 20th, 2009

Chicago Sun Times May 18th, 2009

Energy Fiend Review

Sun Times Review

Urban Honking Blog Review

Chocolate Obsession Blog Review

Journal Sentinel Newspaper Article on Osmanium October 16th, 2008

Here is an article on Osmanium that appeared in the October 16th, 2008 newspaper.

View Article Here

Big dreams from beans By KRISTINE HANSEN Special to the Journal Sentinel Posted: Oct. 16, 2008

Who he is:

John Osmanski

What he does:

Owns Osmanium, which makes chocolate-covered espresso beans

John Osmanski's boutique candy empire got its first jolt during an all-night video game session at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, before he was even a student there.

"I essentially made a big pancake of chocolate and coffee," he said.

Osmanski, 27, is the founder and owner of Osmanium, a Milwaukee company that produces chocolate-covered espresso beans under the names Jitter Beans, Crackheads and Crackheads2.

He still loves to snack on the chocolates, which are sold in 1.3-ounce boxes at local stores, including Outpost Natural Foods Co-op, Beans & Barley and Koppa's Farwell Foods.

"If you don't love it, what's the purpose?" he said.

Who he is: John Osmanski

What he does: Owns Osmanium, which makes chocolate-covered espresso beans

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Crackheads is what Osmanski and his MSOE classmates - he graduated in 2006, with a degree in biomedical engineering - called people who tried to function without a morning cup of coffee.

One box of Crackheads2 / Jitterbeans chocolate-covered espresso beans, he says, is equal to the caffeine in six cups of coffee, 7 1/2 energy drinks or 11 cans of cola.

Since starting his company in 2004, Osmanski has expanded it from a handcrafted operation to a large-scale company.

While he used to make the chocolates on a double-boiler in his kitchen ("just to see if anyone would like them") and print the boxes at a local Kinko's, today he employs a team in Madison to assemble the boxes, and the chocolates are made at a plant elsewhere in the Midwest.

In September, Osmanski signed a deal with another company to make and sell customized vending machines (dispensing a handful of his chocolates for 50 cents) to universities, hospitals, stores and other businesses.

So far, the venture has sold a couple hundred of the machines.

"I don't know if this would happen if I were in, say, Texas," Osmanski said. "I like this city a lot. The traditional way of business does apply, but there's so many other methods. You can use your friends and family as a test market, for instance."

It's all a far cry from his first business, a skateboard shop in Wales that he sold after a year to concentrate on college.

"Everything is happening all at once," he said.