There’s a Nigerian proverb that states it takes a whole village to raise a child, the idea being that it’s a communal effort shared by an extended family. With the launch of Unreal’s line of confections, it seems that Nicky Bronner, son of Unreal founder Michael Bronner, has given that proverb a new twist: It takes a whole child to change an industry.

As Chris Mattina, senior vice president for Unreal Brands, relates, it was Nicky that pushed his father into considering and then developing a company that would “unjunk” food, beginning with confections. It all began two years ago when 13-year-old Nicky returned home from Halloween with a hefty bag of candies, a sacred American tradition if there ever was one.