Project 7

What Project 7 does

Project 7, Inc. (DBA JOYRIDE) is a US better-for-you candy company founded in 2022 by Tyler Merrick, with YouTuber Ryan Trahan joining as Co-Owner and Chief Creative Officer in 2023 and Angela Shepherd subsequently appointed as CEO. The company manufactures and distributes low-sugar, plant-based, non-GMO confectionery built around a proprietary allulose-based sweetening system and natural colorants derived from fruit and vegetable extracts (carrot, blackcurrant, blueberry, pepper, spirulina, turmeric) in place of synthetic dyes, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners. Its product portfolio spans roughly 15+ SKUs across formats including the proprietary Gummy Busters (a crunchy-shell, chewy-center candy), Sour Strips, Sour Worms, Sour Smacks, Ropes, Twists, Wedges, and Peach Rings, supplemented by limited-edition seasonal SKUs (Sour Santa Smacks, Ice Pop Gummy Busters) and branded merchandise (hoodies, t-shirts, hats). A 50%–60% sugar reduction versus leading brands, 5–9g of fiber per serving, 70–90 calories per serving, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee anchor the value proposition to health-conscious consumers, bariatric/diabetic-friendly use cases, and Ryan Trahan's YouTube audience.

JOYRIDE's business model is unit-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce (joyridesweets.com on Shopify, free shipping over $45, Shop Pay/Apple Pay/Google Pay accepted, US-only shipping) layered on top of national retail wholesale distribution in all 50 US states. Retail partners include Target (where JOYRIDE reportedly holds the #1 candy position), Whole Foods, Kroger family banners, Albertsons/Safeway/Vons, Sprouts, HEB, Hy-Vee, ACME, and Tom Thumb, plus an Amazon storefront for legacy gluten-free gummies, lollis, and gum. Pricing ranges from $22.50 for individual packs to $45 for 10-packs ($4.50–$5.00 per-bag economics), with merchandise priced $20–$55. Marketing is anchored by Ryan Trahan's YouTube channel (millions of subscribers, frequent #1 Trending placements) with Instagram, TikTok, the Candy Crew email newsletter, and PostScript SMS marketing supporting the funnel. The company closed a $30M funding round in June 2025 to capitalize the next phase of growth.

Name

Project 7

Legal name

Project 7, Inc.

Website

https://project7.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project 7, Inc. (DBA JOYRIDE) is a US better-for-you candy company making low-sugar, plant-based, non-GMO confectionery with allulose and natural colorants, selling direct via joyridesweets.com and through national retail in all 50 US states including Target, Whole Foods, and Kroger.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Low-Sugar Confectionery

NAICS

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing (31134), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sugar Confectionery (Gummies, Hard Candy, Chews) (CRADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chewing Gum & Mints (CRADABAC)

Keywords

• Low-sugar candy
• Better-for-you confections
• Sour gummy candy
• Plant-based candy
• Allulose sweetener candy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Clemente

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Candy Product Sales: E-commerce sales of low-sugar candy products directly to consumers through joyridesweets.com. Products include sour strips, gummies, ropes, twists, and variety packs sold at various price points ($22.50-$45 per item).
2. Merchandise Sales: Branded apparel including hoodies ($55), t-shirts ($25), and hats sold through the e-commerce platform.
3. Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution to major retail chains including Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and others across all 50 US states.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Project 7, Inc. (d/b/a JOYRIDE) manufactures and sells low-sugar, plant-based, non-GMO better-for-you candy, including gummies, sour strips, sour worms, smacks, ropes, twists, and wedges formulated with allulose and natural colorants from fruit and vegetable extracts. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through joyridesweets.com and through major US retail chains including Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Albertsons across all 50 states.

Product overview

Project 7, Inc. DBA JOYRIDE is a better-for-you candy company offering a portfolio of low-sugar, non-GMO, plant-based confectionery products. The product lineup centers on innovative candy formats including Gummy Busters (crunchy shell with chewy center), Sour Strips (soft chewy strips in various flavors), Sour Worms (soft chewy worms), Sour Smacks (chewy fruity gummies), Ropes (chewy twisted candy), and Watermelon Wedges. JOYRIDE also sells merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, and hats. The company was founded in 2022 by Tyler Merrick, with YouTuber Ryan Trahan joining as Co-Owner and Chief Creative Officer in 2023. Products are available through direct-to-consumer online sales and in physical retail stores across all 50 U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ice Pop Gummy Busters Limited-edition crunchy, chewy, perfectly sour gummy with cherry, blueberry, and hint of lime flavors, featuring a multi-layered summertime candy format. Contains 50% less sugar than regular crunchy gummy candy.
• Gummy Busters Crunchy, chewy, sour multi-layered gummy candy in three flavors: Pink Lemonade, Fun Drink, and Blue Raspberry. Contains 50% less sugar than regular crunchy gummy candy.
• Sour Worms Soft and chewy worms with sour punch featuring two flavors per worm. Available in Lemonade + Fun Drink, Strawberry + Blue Raspberry, and Lime + Cherry. 50% less sugar than other gummy worms.
• Sour Smacks Chewy, fruity, sour gummies in six flavors: Fun Drink, Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry, Lemonade, Watermelon, and Lime. Contains 60% less sugar than other sour gummies.
• Sour Santa Smacks 10-pack Limited-edition festive Sour Smacks with holiday-inspired flavors Winter White Grape and Christmas Cranberry, in 10-pack format.
• Sour Blue Raspberry Strips Punch of sour with a blend of fruitiness. Soft, chewy sour strips in blue raspberry flavor.
• Sour Strawberry Strips Punch of sour with a burst of berry flavor. Soft, chewy sour strips in strawberry flavor.
• Sour Green Apple Strips Punch of sour with a bite of deliciousness, similar to classic sour apple candy. Soft, chewy sour strips.
• Sour Pink Lemonade Strips Punch of sour with sip of summertime sweetness. Soft, chewy sour strips in pink lemonade flavor.
• Sour Fun Drink Strips Ryan's favorite drink in candy form. Soft, chewy strips with mandarin orange, lemon-lime, and lemonade flavors.
• Sour Strawberry Ropes Chewy ropes with less sugar and reduced-sugar formulation. Contains 6g sugar, 8g net carbs, 9g fiber per serving.
• Cherry Berry Ropes Chewy cherry-and-berry rope candy with better-for-you formulation. Contains 5g of sugar per serving.
• Classic Strawberry Twists New take on a classic candy, made better for you. Contains 7g of fiber per serving.
• Sour Watermelon Wedges Tart watermelon-flavored wedge candy with no artificial ingredients. Contains 50 calories per serving.
• Sour Peach Rings Classic peach ring candy format, made better for you with sour peach flavor and clean ingredients.
• Sour Strawberry Gummies Soft, chewy strawberry gummies made with better-for-you ingredients.
• JOYRIDE Fan Favorites Variety 6-pack Best-sellers variety pack containing 2x Sour Blue Raspberry Strips, 2x Sour Watermelon Wedges, and 2x Cherry Berry Ropes.
• JOYRIDE Innovation Variety 6-pack Newest innovation variety pack containing 2 bags each of Gummy Busters, zesty Sour Smacks, and twisty Sour Worms.
• 1.8 oz Gummy Busters (8-pack) Single-serving 1.8 oz pouches of Gummy Busters in Fun Drink, Pink Lemonade, and Blue Raspberry flavors for on-the-go consumption.
• 1.8 oz Watermelon Wedges (8-pack) Single-serving 1.8 oz pouches of Sour Watermelon Wedges, bite-sized for lunchboxes and road trips.
• JOYRIDE Hoodies Heavyweight fleece hoodies made from 100% cotton, available in multiple colors including Purple, Pink, Green, and Red. Priced at $55.
• JOYRIDE T-Shirts Heavyweight t-shirts created exclusively by Ryan Trahan, available in multiple colors including Pink, Red, and Cream. Priced at $25 (youth at $20).
• JOYRIDE Baseball Hats Baseball hats with embroidered JOYRIDE logo, available in Purple, Pink, and Cream.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% less sugar than leading crunchy gummy brands
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the joyridesweets.com online store. Provides payment processing, order management, and customer data infrastructure. The Privacy Policy states 'JOYRIDE is powered by Shopify, which enables us to provide the Services to you.'

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Highkey: Highkey is a better-for-you snack and candy brand offering low-sugar chocolate, mini cookies, and gummy candy. It competes with JOYRIDE in the same low-sugar confectionery set and uses similar natural-colorant positioning in D2C and natural-grocery channels.
• Unreal Snacks: Unreal Snacks produces no-sugar-added chocolate-coated candies, coconut bars, and gummies positioned around clean ingredients and reduced sugar. It overlaps JOYRIDE directly on the better-for-you positioning and shares retail accounts including Target and natural-foods grocery.
• Zolli Candy: Zolli Candy makes sugar-free lollipops, taffy, and gummy bears marketed to parents and dental offices. It overlaps JOYRIDE on sugar-free positioning and family/health-conscious consumer targeting, though its core format is lollipops rather than sour chewy candies.
• SmartSweets: SmartSweets is the leading low-sugar gummy candy brand, with 1-3g sugar per bag across a portfolio of gummies, fish, and candy bears. It is the most direct competitor to JOYRIDE in the better-for-you non-chocolate confectionery category and competes head-to-head for shelf space at Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Sprouts.
• Behave: Behave is a low-sugar, no-sugar-alcohol candy brand with sour gummies, candy bears, and gummy worms. It is a direct competitor to JOYRIDE's sour-strip and gummy formats in the same better-for-you non-chocolate confectionery category.

Broad incumbents

• Sour Patch Kids (Mondelez International): Sour Patch Kids is the category-leading sour chewy candy brand owned by Mondelez. It is JOYRIDE's primary mainstream competitor in the sour-strips and chewy-candy formats and the benchmark JOYRIDE references when claiming 50-60% less sugar than 'leading brands'.
• Ferrara Candy Company: Ferrara is a major US non-chocolate confectionery manufacturer producing Brach's, Lemonheads, Red Hots, Trolli, and Black Forest gummies. It competes with JOYRIDE in sour gummy and chewy formats and has been actively launching better-for-you variants.
• Haribo: Haribo is the global leader in gummy confectionery (Gold-Bears, Twin Snakes, Happy Cola). It is JOYRIDE's primary mainstream benchmark in gummy worms and bears and competes for the same shelf set across US grocery and mass channels.
• Jelly Belly Candy Company: Jelly Belly is a US confectionery manufacturer best known for jelly beans and gourmet candies, with an expanding range of gummies and sour confections. It is a broad incumbent in non-chocolate confectionery with comparable distribution in mass and grocery channels.
• The Hershey Company: Hershey is one of the largest US confectionery manufacturers with brands across chocolate, gummies (Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers), and emerging better-for-you lines (SkinnyPop, Dot's). It is the dominant incumbent whose reformulation roadmap most threatens JOYRIDE's clean-label positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/JoyrideSweets
• TikToktiktok.com/@joyridesweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/project-7-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Project 7