Our Story

The Story Behind Every Snack

Hi I am Sydney!

In 2022, my son Aidan, who has Down syndrome and autism, had lost his day support program and spent his days unmotivated on the couch. One afternoon, when he wanted more chips, I made a simple deal: "You can have more if you do some work.”

That trade sparked an idea. Aidan loves chips and greeting people, so we got a small cart and I posted on Facebook. 

One day, I was getting out some chips, and Aidan wanted more. I said, "Well, you can have more if you do some work." So in trade for doing some work, he got chips. From there, I thought, if this motivates him, why don't we sell chips and he can make some money? The reality was that he loves chips and he loves greeting people. Combining the two is how we founded Aidan's Joy Concessions & More. 

Literally the first day, he had several customers who would buy the chips and tip him ten to fifteen dollars. So I knew there was something in this business model - Aidan selling things he loves and being a gregarious greeter and great salesman.

From there, we took it to the next step, using the "learn to earn" approach at my disability support & training agency - North Star Pathways - for individuals who have barriers to community-based employment. 

At the heart, it's about teaching individuals who, for some reason, people would not employ.

From that cart on the McKenzie River grew something revolutionary: Aidan’s Joy - a self-funding ecosystem that creates economic independence through products that spread joy.

Now we're building products that Aidan approves himself, starting with Aidan's Joy Snack Bag. Because when you buy this product, you directly impact Aidan and others like him - it makes them have a program they can go to during the day in a safe and loving environment.

Aidan was truly at his happiest when we built activities around what brought him joy. I created the name "Aidan's Joy" because it makes me smile - when Aidan's happy, our whole world is happy.