Dandies Marshmallows (a product of Chicago Vegan Foods) got its start when its cofounder, President and Resident Engineer Ryan Howard, wanted his son to try a marshmallow for the first time. But his son, who was a vegan since birth, was not to consume traditional marshmallows, which contain gelatin, an animal-based ingredient. So it was time for Howard, being a food process engineer, to come up with an alternative, truly vegan marshmallow—which he did in his test kitchen in April of 2008. He called the marshmallows Dandies.
By February 2009, the first batch of Dandies was run and in March 2009 Dandies launched at Expo West and won the VegBest-in-Show Award. In January 2010, a new Dandies facility came on line in the Chicago area. With several successes in the U.S. and Canadian distribution, the new company grew quickly, launching new varieties, snacks and treats. In March 2015, upgrades to the Dandies/Chicago Vegan Foods facility enabled the Dandies brand to be larger and have improved consistency.