Hanson Watkins is the founder and owner of Indie Candy – a fully all natural and Big 8 allergen free candy manufacturer located in Alabama. She graduated from Emory University and carries a MBA and a Master of Health Administration from Georgia State.  After a career in health management,  Hanson had two children.   She went to culinary school in 2008 after a life long love affair with cooking.  In 2009, Hanson and her son were diagnosed with multiple food intolerances and allergies, which included some food dyes.  This might have cut her culinary career short, but after finding no commercial produced treats for the holidays (it was Halloween), Hanson had the idea to produce a product of her own.  Indie Candy opened it’s first store in 2010 in her hometown of Mountain Brook.  By 2011,  Indie Candy had outgrown its little candy store beginnings and moved to a factory space outside Birmingham in Moody, Alabama.  Indie Candy treats are carried around the nation and Canada and have included national retailers like Williams Sonoma, catalogs and grocery chains. Currently Indie Candy produces all natural gummies, marshmallows, chocolate confections and lollipops for all the major holidays and year round.   Indie Candy specializes in providing a variety of treats for special diets, including Feingold, food allergies (Big 9 and beyond), vegan and Paleo diets. Visit her shop at  Indie Candy or follow on Facebook &  Twitter.