Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon & Alfredo Echeverria.
Hi Shannon & Alfredo , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Our journey began in 2013 when we decided to turn our love for entertaining and bringing people together into a business. As a husband-and-wife team raising three daughters, we wanted to create something special that would allow us to work together as a family while bringing happiness and unforgettable experiences to others.
Shannon has been an educator for over 22 years, and her experience working with children, combined with our shared creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, inspired us to launch Minute 2 Win It Parties. Alfredo is a sergeant for our local police department in New Jersey. What started as a small entertainment business quickly grew into a company offering interactive game packages, character entertainment, party rentals, decorations, school and community events, and unique experiences for birthdays, corporate events, and celebrations of all kinds.
Over the years, we’ve continued to grow and evolve, always looking for creative ways to offer something different. In 2024, we launched Sweet Treat Fleet, our one-of-a-kind candy truck. We didn’t want to create just another candy truck. We wanted to create an entire experience that would bring excitement, nostalgia, and a little bit of magic to every celebration. From the moment guests see our truck arrive to the excitement of choosing their favorite treats, we wanted every detail to feel special. The response has been incredible, and we’ve since expanded into indoor candy bars, specialty treat stations, and other unique offerings as well as full service bartending experiences.
As Sweet Treat Fleet continued to grow, we started thinking about how we could bring that same excitement to people beyond our local events. That inspired our newest venture, Sweet Treat Fleet Gift Shop, which we’re excited to officially launch before the end of 2026!
Our online gift shop will allow customers across the country to send a little sweetness to someone special. Customers will be able to create personalized candy gift boxes filled with their favorite name-brand chocolates, candies, and treats. Whether it’s for a birthday, holiday, graduation, thank-you gift, get-well surprise, or simply to let someone know they’re thinking of them, we want to make gifting fun, personal, and memorable. Our goal is to take the excitement of visiting our candy truck and deliver that same experience right to someone’s doorstep. With nationwide shipping, customers will be able to send something sweet no matter where their loved ones live.
We’re also incredibly excited about another major milestone in our journey. We recently purchased our first commercial property in Stanhope, New Jersey, which we’re transforming into our very own Sweet Treat Fleet party venue and candy shop. We’re hoping to open in the summer of 2027!
Our vision is to create a unique space where children and families can celebrate birthdays, enjoy interactive activities, and make unforgettable memories. From candy-themed parties and creative workshops to karaoke, games, and hands-on experiences, we want to offer something different from a traditional party venue. The space will also feature our signature candy wall and serve as the headquarters for our growing online gifting business. After spending so many years bringing the party to our customers, we’re excited to finally have a place where customers can come celebrate with us!
One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been building these businesses together while raising our three daughters. Our girls have grown up watching us turn ideas into reality, and they’ve been part of the journey along the way. We’ve always believed in showing them that with hard work, determination, creativity, and a willingness to take risks, you can turn your dreams into something real.
Balancing a full-time career in education, raising a family, and running multiple businesses hasn’t always been easy. There have been countless late nights, long weekends, challenges, and sacrifices. But we’ve learned that building a business together as husband and wife requires teamwork, patience, communication, and a shared vision. We each bring different strengths to the table, and that’s what makes our partnership work.
Looking back, it’s amazing to see how one idea in 2013 has grown into multiple businesses. What started as a way to bring fun and entertainment to families has become something much bigger than we ever imagined.
Through it all, our mission has remained the same: to create memorable experiences, bring happiness to others, and build something meaningful for our family.
We’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, but what excites us most is knowing that we’re still growing, still dreaming, and still finding new ways to bring our ideas to life. We truly believe that the best is yet to come!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road! Building businesses from the ground up while working full-time jobs and raising three daughters has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, experiences of our lives.
One of our biggest struggles has always been finding balance. We both work full-time, and when our workday ends, our business day often begins. Between responding to customers, preparing for events, managing employees, handling bookings, and constantly brainstorming new ideas, there are days when it feels like there simply aren’t enough hours. Running multiple businesses means there’s always something that needs our attention, and learning how to be fully present in the moment with our family while managing everything else has been an ongoing challenge.
As parents, we know how quickly time passes. We don’t want to look back and realize we were so busy building a future for our family that we missed the moments happening right in front of us. Finding that balance between being parents, husband and wife, full-time employees, and business owners is something we’re still working on every day.
Another major challenge has been the financial side of growing our businesses. We don’t come from money, and we didn’t have investors or financial backing to help us get started. Everything we’ve built has come from years of hard work, saving, making sacrifices, and reinvesting what we’ve earned right back into our businesses. There have been plenty of times when we’ve had to put our own wants and needs aside because we knew that money could help us take the next step toward growing our companies.
One thing we’ve learned is that the system isn’t necessarily designed to make it easy for small business owners to grow. People often see the finished product, the beautiful events, the candy truck, or the exciting announcements about new ventures, but they don’t see everything that happens behind the scenes. They don’t see the financial risks, the expenses, the paperwork, the obstacles, or the countless hours spent figuring things out on your own. Accessing funding, expanding, and taking a business to the next level can be incredibly difficult, especially when you’re trying to do it without outside financial support. We’ve learned that if we want something to happen, we usually have to find a way to make it happen ourselves.
Our newest venture, Sweet Treat Fleet Gift Shop, has brought an entirely new set of challenges. We’re entering the world of e-commerce, which is completely different from the event and entertainment industry we’ve spent years building our businesses around. We’re learning everything from the ground up, largely on our own. From understanding how online shopping works and developing our website to figuring out shipping logistics, inventory, packaging, and marketing, it’s been a whole new learning experience.
What makes this venture especially personal is that we’re not simply purchasing generic gift boxes and putting our name on them. We’re creating our own brand and experience from scratch. We’ve spent countless hours designing our gift boxes, creating our custom shipping boxes, choosing packaging materials, developing the presentation, and thinking through every little detail of what customers will experience when their package arrives. We want someone opening a Sweet Treat Fleet gift box to feel the same excitement that guests experience when they visit our candy truck.
Something as simple as shipping a box of candy involves so much more than we ever imagined. We’ve had to research shipping costs, packaging that protects chocolate and candy during transit, insulation, ice packs, product presentation, and how to make the entire experience both beautiful and practical. Every decision comes with a cost, and when you’re funding everything yourselves, you have to be especially thoughtful about where every dollar goes.
We’ve also had to learn so many things along the way that have nothing to do with entertaining or creating memorable experiences. From marketing and website development to finances, contracts, staffing, and now commercial real estate, we’ve had to wear just about every hat imaginable. Sometimes that means making mistakes, learning from them, and figuring out a better way forward.
But through all of these challenges, we’ve never stopped believing in what we’re building. We’ve learned to celebrate the small victories, appreciate how far we’ve come, and remind ourselves why we started in the first place.
We also want our daughters to understand that success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes sacrifice, patience, resilience, and a tremendous amount of hard work. We hope that watching our journey teaches them that you don’t have to come from money or have everything handed to you to build something meaningful.
We’re still learning, still making sacrifices, and still trying to find that perfect balance. But every challenge has made us stronger, both as business partners and as a family.
At the end of the day, our goal has never been just to build successful businesses. It’s been to create opportunities for our family, build something we’re proud of, and hopefully leave behind a legacy that our daughters can continue to grow.
And if there’s one thing this journey has taught us, it’s that nothing worth building comes easy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth pursuing.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What makes our businesses special is that we’ve never wanted to offer just a service. We’ve always wanted to create an experience. Whether we’re entertaining hundreds of children at a school assembly, celebrating a milestone birthday, or watching guests light up when our candy truck arrives, our goal has always been to create moments that people will remember long after the celebration is over.
We are the proud owners of Minute 2 Win It Parties and Sweet Treat Fleet, two family-owned businesses based in New Jersey that specialize in entertainment, celebrations, and creating unforgettable experiences.
Minute 2 Win It Parties, which we founded in 2013, is where our journey began. We specialize in interactive entertainment, including our signature Minute 2 Win It game shows, school assemblies, character entertainment, magic shows, party rentals, balloon decorations, and customized experiences for birthdays, corporate events, schools, and community celebrations.
What sets Minute 2 Win It Parties apart is our ability to transform an ordinary event into an interactive experience. We don’t want guests simply watching the entertainment; we want them to become part of it. We love seeing children laughing, parents joining in, and even the most reserved guests stepping outside their comfort zones and having fun. Over the years, we’ve built relationships with families, schools, and organizations that continue to invite us back year after year, and that means everything to us.
In 2024, we expanded our vision and launched Sweet Treat Fleet, our one-of-a-kind candy truck. We wanted to reinvent the traditional candy truck experience by creating something that was not only fun but also visually exciting, interactive, and memorable.
Our candy truck is much more than a vehicle filled with sweets. It’s an entire experience! Guests walk up to a beautifully illuminated truck filled with their favorite full-size, name-brand chocolates and candies. We create a VIP-style atmosphere with a red carpet, velvet ropes, music, personalized LED welcome signs, and even a television displaying photos of the guest of honor. Every detail is designed to make the celebration feel special.
One of the things we’re most proud of is how we’ve taken something as simple as candy and turned it into an experience that appeals to all ages. There’s something nostalgic about walking up to a candy truck and choosing your favorite childhood treats. Whether we’re celebrating a child’s birthday, a Sweet 16, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, a wedding, or a corporate employee appreciation event, the excitement is always the same.
As Sweet Treat Fleet has grown, we’ve expanded beyond our candy truck to offer beautifully styled indoor candy bars, cotton candy explosion cups, mini donut bars, s’mores bars, specialty drink stations, and other creative treat experiences. We love developing new concepts and finding ways to customize our services to complement each celebration.
What truly sets us apart is our attention to detail and the personal connection we have with our customers. We’re not a large corporation or a franchise. We’re a husband-and-wife team who genuinely care about every event we book. We’re involved in everything from the initial inquiry and planning to the presentation and execution. We want our customers to feel confident that we’re treating their celebration as if it were our own.
We’re also incredibly excited about the next chapter of our brand, Sweet Treat Fleet Gift Shop, which will officially launch before the end of 2026.
Our online gift shop will bring the Sweet Treat Fleet experience to customers nationwide through personalized candy gift boxes. Customers will be able to select from their favorite name-brand chocolates, candies, and sweet treats to create a gift for just about any occasion, including birthdays, holidays, graduations, thank-you gifts, get-well wishes, and those simple moments when you want someone to know you’re thinking of them.
What makes our gift shop different is the experience we’re creating around the gift itself. We’re designing our own custom gift boxes, branded shipping boxes, and packaging to make receiving one of our gifts just as exciting as opening it. From the bright, colorful presentation to the personalized message inside, we want every package to feel thoughtful, fun, and special.
Our vision is simple: to take the excitement of visiting our candy truck and deliver that same happiness right to someone’s front door. We want Sweet Treat Fleet to become a brand people think of when they want to celebrate someone, show appreciation, or simply send a little happiness.
We’re also working toward another exciting milestone with our first brick-and-mortar location in Stanhope, New Jersey, which we hope to open in the summer of 2027.
Our new Sweet Treat Fleet venue will combine our love for entertainment, creativity, and sweets under one roof. We’re designing a unique party space featuring our signature candy wall, interactive activities, and creative party experiences for children and families. We envision hosting everything from candy-themed birthday parties and candy sushi workshops to karaoke parties, games, and hands-on celebrations. The location will also serve as the headquarters for our online gifting business.
After spending more than a decade bringing entertainment and celebrations to our customers, having a place of our own where families can come celebrate with us is something we’re incredibly excited about.
Brand-wise, what we’re most proud of is that we’ve built everything from the ground up. Neither of us came from a background in business ownership, and we didn’t have investors or a large team helping us create these concepts. Every new idea, every expansion, and every detail of our brands has been developed through our own creativity, hard work, and determination.
We’re especially proud that our businesses have grown while remaining family-owned and operated. Our three daughters have grown up alongside our companies, and we hope that one day they’ll look back and appreciate everything that went into building them.
We also take pride in constantly evolving. We never want to become complacent or simply offer what everyone else is offering. We’re always asking ourselves, “What can we do differently? How can we make this more exciting? What’s something our customers haven’t experienced before?” That mindset has taken us from interactive entertainment to a candy truck, specialty treat experiences, nationwide gifting, and now our very own party venue.
Ultimately, we want readers to know that Minute 2 Win It Parties and Sweet Treat Fleet are about so much more than parties and candy. They’re about creating connections, celebrating life’s special moments, and bringing a little extra happiness into people’s lives.
Whether we’re bringing the party to you, welcoming you into our future venue, or delivering a box of sweetness to your doorstep, our mission is always the same: to make ordinary moments extraordinary.
And as we continue to grow, we hope our customers will grow with us, because for us, the sweetest part of this journey has always been the people we’ve had the opportunity to celebrate along the way.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
One of the things we’re most excited about right now is becoming part of the Stanhope community in Sussex County, New Jersey. We recently purchased our first commercial property on Main Street, where we’re planning to open our Sweet Treat Fleet party venue and gift shop in the summer of 2027.
Although we’re new to Stanhope, there’s something about the town that immediately appealed to us. We love the charm of a small town, the historic buildings, and the feeling of being part of a close-knit community. Stanhope has a rich history, a traditional Main Street, and beautiful surroundings near Lake Musconetcong. It’s the kind of place where we can envision building relationships with local families and becoming part of the community for years to come. ([Borough of Stanhope][1])
For us, purchasing this property represents so much more than opening another business. It’s an opportunity to invest in a community, bring new life to a Main Street building, and create a destination where families can come together to celebrate, have fun, and make memories.
We’re especially excited about the possibility of bringing families from surrounding towns into Stanhope. Our hope is that when families visit us for birthday parties, candy workshops, or special events, they’ll also discover and support other local businesses. We’d love to contribute to the growth and excitement of Main Street and become a positive addition to the town.
Since we’re new to the area, we’re looking forward to getting to know the residents, neighboring business owners, and community organizations. We believe small businesses play an important role in keeping towns vibrant, and we want to do our part.
As far as what we like least, we wouldn’t say there’s anything we dislike about Stanhope because we’re still getting to know the town. However, as small business owners, we know that renovating a commercial property and opening a brick-and-mortar location comes with challenges, especially when it comes to construction costs, permits, and navigating the approval process.
We’re approaching this next chapter with excitement and optimism. After spending more than a decade bringing our businesses to communities throughout New Jersey, we’re looking forward to finally putting down roots in one.
Our hope is that Sweet Treat Fleet becomes more than just a party venue and gift shop. We want it to become a place where families create traditions, children make memories, and the community feels welcome.
We’re excited to call Stanhope our new business home, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Contact Info:
- Website: Sweettreatfleet.com and min2winparties.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweettreatfleet?xtok=YnJuMXgyNmNvMTJ4&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FXrSVg1Hn/?mibextid=wwXIfr
