Sweet (and Sour) Victory: Elmhurst Candy Store Earns a World Record

Participants prepare for Candycopia’s world record-setting sour candy tasting at Ridgeland Common Park in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 18. || PHOTO BY Joseph Trench

The event left a sour taste in the mouths of hundreds — but for good reason.

Candycopia, a candy store with locations in both Elmhurst and Oak Park, Illinois, earned placement in the Guinness World Records book after hosting the world’s largest sour candy tasting event over the summer.

The record-breaking attempt was held on Saturday, July 18, to coincide with the annual National Sour Candy Day and took place at Ridgeland Common Park, a few blocks away from the store’s Oak Park location.

In the end, despite some disqualifications, 625 participants contributed to the new world record, more than doubling the previous record of 250.

Minutes before the attempt officially began, Alycia Mason, who co-founded and co-owns Candycopia alongside her husband, Patrick, told the hundreds of awaiting participants that Candycopia’s goal of setting a Guinness World Record was about much more than simply being in the record book.

“We are doing this because Candycopia is all about a world of discoveries and experiencing that with others,” Mason said. “And we do our sour challenge every year, and given that today is National Sour Candy Day, we thought: Why not create an experience that hopefully you guys all remember for a lifetime — that we bring together our fans, our team, our community, to experience a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Participants were guided through a tasting comprising a total of three different sour candies: Cry Baby Sour Mini Drinks, yellow and green BUBS Tutti Frutti Sour Rhombus gummies, and Barnetts Mega Sours, in that order.

Michael Edwards, a Guinness World Records adjudicator from New York City who led the tasting, told anxious participants that the Barnetts Mega Sour “is known to us as the world’s most sour candy.”

Among the more than 600 participants braving the sourness were Cora Bruemmer, 42, and her 10-year-old son.

“I thought it would be fun,” Bruemmer said ahead of the attempt. “It’ll be cool to be able to have this as a feather in your cap.”

Also within the sea of participants was JD Modrak, 41, who took part in the event alongside his young daughter. Prior to the attempt, Modrak offered praise for Candycopia’s organization and promotion of the event.

“Fantastic marketing. Very impressed,” Modrak said. “They’re probably one of the best-run stores in Oak Park already.”

After Edwards announced the official new world record to hundreds of cheers, those involved in the event took a massive group photo in celebration. As they exited Ridgeland Common Park, participants were each given a sticker designating them a Guinness World Record holder, as well as a $5 coupon for Candycopia, redeemable until Sept. 30.

In a July 20 Facebook reel, Alycia Mason outlined the cost of the event, estimating that it required a total of $50,000, with $32,000 being needed just for the rights to the Guinness World Records title, as well as being able to even attempt to break the record. Additional funds went toward having an adjudicator on site to verify the record, providing thousands of pieces of candy for the tasting, paying a public relations news service and influencers for promoting the event, and distributing merchandise to participants after the event.

“Is it worth it to us? Absolutely,” Mason said in the reel. “We bet our entire marketing budget on this for the year, and we’ll see if it pays off in the long run. But I do believe part of doing business is giving back to the community and the customers to make sure you’re really living your vision.”

During an interview with Chicago’s WGN-TV, Mason stated that the event also drew participants from far beyond Oak Park and Elmhurst, with some flying in from Texas, Puerto Rico, and Paris.

Ashley, the 23-year-old assistant store manager at Candycopia’s Elmhurst location, expressed disbelief about the store becoming a Guinness World Record holder. “It still feels so unreal,” she said.

Isabella Pingel, 20, who has been an associate at the store’s Elmhurst location since May, was similarly excited about Candycopia’s new world record, telling The Leader that “it is something that I brag about to everyone.”

Izzy Venzor, 16, an associate with the Elmhurst location since its opening in April, was excited about the store being in the Guinness World Records book next year, in addition to noting Candycopia’s appeal to customers of all ages.

“It’s just fun to work here,” Venzor said. “Fun to work at a place that’s known to Elmhurst now.”

Candycopia encourages anyone interested in participating in an experience much like the official world record attempt to take on a similarly sour challenge with the official Candycopia Sour Candy Challenge 2026 at-home edition kit, purchasable at candycopia.com/collections/sour-candy/products/candycopia-sour-candy-challenge-20.