Ten years ago this November, Elisabeth Vezzani and Leslie Lyon started their candy box gifting company, Sugarwish, out of a spare room in Lyon's Denver home. Now, the duo is marking their anniversary with the opening of two 35,000-square-foot fulfillment centers.
Since Sugarwish's beginning, Vezzani and Lyon have shifted their focus toward corporate gifting and partnered with some of the nation's largest corporations. They've expanded their offerings beyond candy in the past two years and experienced a boom in business during the Covid-19 pandemic, as companies sought new ways to engage with remote workers.
Their rapid growth landed Sugarwish as No. 262 this year on Inc. Magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private ventures in the United States. The company's revenue increased 2,030% from 2018 to 2021, according to Inc. Its staff has also grown — from nine in 2016 to 49 now.
"Our last couple of years have just been crazy," Vezzani told Colorado Inno. "We really have exploded."
Sugarwish is in the process of moving its headquarters from Indian Creek to a new office space and fulfillment center in the HighField Business Park in Englewood. The company is also opening another fulfillment center in Taylor, Michigan, in an effort to reduce shipping times.
Vezzani and Lyon are planning a 10-year anniversary party for Sugarwish employees at the start of November, and they're taking the opportunity to reflect on how far the business has come.
"We're really taking time to appreciate where we started and where we are," Vezzani said.
Vezzani conceived the idea for Sugarwish when she was working in business development and frequently sending gift cards to clients. At the time, she wished she could find something more fun and memorable to send, she said. Vezzani came up with the concept of Sugarwish, through which receivers can choose their own gift.
To send a gift through Sugarwish, users go to the company's platform, select the gift category and size, and then pay for the gift, along with shipping costs. Receivers are notified about the gift and prompted to choose their items.
When Vezzani and Lyon started Sugarwish, they offered different types of candy and envisioned creating the experience of a virtual candy store.
"When I send it to you, you pick what you want, and it's a fun experience even before you receive the actual gift," Vezzani said. "You can pick what you want without worrying about shipping or taxes or the checkout."
The company stuck with candy for its first five years, and then added popcorn and cookies. Last year, it added coffee, tea, dog treats and various types of trail mixes.
Sugarwish also began offering wine in 2021 after the company acquired Vinebox, a San Francisco-based startup that sent curated samples of wine to customers and provided virtual tastings. Vinebox was granted a patent for its single-serve cylindrical wine vials. Sugarwish now has the rights to send those vials, which still include the Vinebox branding.
Last year, more than one gift was sent through Sugarwish every minute on average, the company said. Its new items have accounted for about 40% of overall revenue.
"All of a sudden, you could send all different types of things through our gifting platform," Vezzani said. "That's where our growth just took off."
Before the end of the year, Sugarwish is planning to launch more options, including full bottles of wine, cocktail mixes and hot cocoa, as well as a lifestyle line of flowers and candles.
Vezzani and Lyon decided to add more products because of feedback they received from the companies that use Sugarwish's corporate gifting platform. Sugarwish started out in 2012 by focusing on individual gift-givers and receivers but shifted strategy in 2015 and launched its corporate platform. That platform now accounts for 85% of its total sales, Vezzani said.
Sugarwish is used by major corporations, such as Microsoft, Google, General Electric and Southwest Airlines. At the request of Microsoft, Sugarwish's biggest customer, the company recently developed WishLinks, an option in which corporations can send their own links for Sugarwish gifts to be claimed by employees or clients.
During the pandemic, some companies turned to Sugarwish as a way to connect with employees, Vezzani said. Employers would send popcorn, wine or other treats to workers to enjoy during virtual meetings or events.
"People found us sooner than they maybe would have," Vezzani said. "It just pushed our growth forward."
While Sugarwish is moving into its new spaces and celebrating its 10-year anniversary, it's also preparing for the holidays — its busiest season — and planning more product launches to keep up with consumer demand.
"Adding new products all the time and keeping more things available for customers is so important," Vezzani said. "Once you find this way of sending things, you don't go back."
