What’s the Buzz About Nectar Candy Co.?

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Natalie LaRosa and Rocky Medure are a married couple with a collective sweet tooth.

Their love for candy led them down the road to business ownership in a Piaggio Ape, a three-wheeled Italian vehicle that’s helping Nectar Candy Co. create a buzz in the ‘Burgh.

Since Valentine’s Day weekend, the Ape (pronounced AH-peh, which means “bee” in Italian) has been popping up all over the city and dispensing chewy treats imported from Sweden. The cart, which is fully operational but not street-legal, is trailered to each event site with 16 bins full of self-serve, pick-and-mix candy for $18 a pound.

Samples lead to smiles.

Grabbing a toothpick, I skewered everything from Strawnana Fizzy Pops, Jelly Lips and Lemon Rhubarb Logs to Fini Marshmallow Puffs and Strawberry Sour Skulls that were almost too adorable to eat.

Almost.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Like a lot of the Swedish treats, the pillowy, pink gummies have a satisfying chew that doesn’t leave you picking your teeth after downing a dozen of ‘em.

LaRosa says she discovered the European confections while visiting New York City.

Now the former nurse — who also runs a floral preservation company called Soil & Soul — enjoys nerding out with fellow sugar-lovin’ yinzers over textures and flavor profiles that differ from candy made in the United States.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

The Spicy Mango Chews from Spain, although not skull-shaped, are my new snack obsession. One slice would make an excellent garnish for a mango cocktail or a fiery companion to a can of I.C. Light Mango.

I imagine lounging on a patio this summer with friends and saying “A round of SpICy Light Mangos for the table, please!

The Ape, which is stationed at Fulton Commons in Manchester, is out every weekend, catering everything from weddings and showers to community events. On March 28, it’ll be parked outside of Spigolo, an Edgewood coffee shop, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

During a spring pop-up with Mandarine Matcha at Hazel Grey Boutique in the Strip District on March 21, I saw a lot of people picking edible bouquets of Gummy Flowers, seasonal offerings colored with black carrot, grape and turmeric.

On that day, Nectar Candy Co. had a built-in cheering section. The building next to the Penn Avenue boutique is home to the Notorious Superstars, a competitive cheerleading team established by Chaneeka Morris and Parris Mollett-Scott in 2019. There are currently 100 athletes ranging in age from 3 to 18 in the group.

And they’ve got spirit!

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

The team was cheering on the sidewalk to raise money for their trip to the Allstar World Championships in Orlando, Florida April 16-19. It costs $274 for each cheerleader to compete. Donations can be made via CashApp ($notorioussuperstars). Pedestrians and motorists stopped to fill collection jars with cash — and then sipped a candy-garnished matcha and bagged a few pounds of Strawberry Sour Skulls for the road.

It was a sweet, springtime scene in the Steel City that, after this long, dreary winter, made me want to cheer.

“Life has been so serious lately,” LaRosa says, “candy brings joy and moments of fun and connection with other Pittsburghers.”