Pop star lollies: fancy Fort Saskatchewan lollipops headed to the Grammys

Kerry and Mercedes McKinlay, confectionary artisans from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., have created lollipops fit for rap royalty like Cardi B.

The lollipops, made with rose petals and champagne, will be in each of the artists gift bags at the 61st Grammy Awards this Sunday.

Not to be confused with loot bag candy, each lollipop will contain an edible square of 24 karat gold.

"They're not for kids that's for sure," said Kerry McKinlay, who started Sumptuous Lollies with her daughter Mercedes last spring.

The idea for the business grew from a conversation in which Mercedes said she wanted "a pretty lollipop with a flower in it," McKinlay said.

They thought why not create the lollipops themselves.

McKinlay and Mercedes, now 18 and studying culinary arts at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, picked up edible flowers in nearby Bruderheim and made a few.

The pair used friends as test clients and when the lollies proved popular, they quickly started developing other flavours, McKinlay said.

Sumptuous Lollies flavours include black cherry chili, raspberry lemonade, lavender cocoa, rose cardamom, lemon meringue and, McKinlay's favourite, watermelon basil with sea salt.

The company sells its products only at the two The Makers Keep stores in Edmonton due to its limited production capabilities, McKinlay said.

They operate out of a commercial kitchen in the Fort Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Legion, but also sell lollipops on Facebook and at farmers markets.

Since the two started the company in May, they have promoted their brand by providing lollies to groups from local ringette clubs to Cirque de Soleil dancers in Las Vegas.

But the Grammys would be their biggest coup yet, Mercedes said.

"It's created a pretty big buzz," she said, "We've been getting a lot of orders lately and it's really been getting our name out there."

Kerry said she's hopeful the gold leaf lollipops will emerge as a Grammy hit.

"It's flashy and I think it'll be just up their alley," she said.