Maria Sharapova Launches Sugarpova Candy Named After Her And Plans For It To Be Sold Worldwide

The world's no. two ranked women's tennis player Maria Sharapova launched her own candy, called Sugarpova.

On Saturday, the Russian-born tennis star launched the candy in Manhattan Beach.

"I've always had a sweet tooth, and I'm a foodie. This was just something that was unique, and I've always enjoyed doing unique things in my career," Sharapova said this week after a training session in preparation for a tournament in Germany later this month.

A few months after Sharapova originally launched the candy at a retail store in New York, she was approached by Maureen McBride. McBride owns Tabula Rasa Essentials. Sharapova was shopping at McBride's store when the two women started talking about selling Sugarpova in Manhattan Beach. A few months later, Sugarpova is sold at McBride's store.

"We struck up a conversation in December and chatted about carrying her brand in my shop," McBride said. "From there I asked her if she would join us for a launch, and we worked the schedule out so she could be here in town and be part of the launch. ... It's the first time we've done a full-blown launch for a candy line.

Sharapova, 25, who has promoted various brands throughout her career, including Nike and Cole Haan, wanted to create her own brand.

"At the end of the day, these were huge brands and they were the ones making the big-time decisions, and I had the itch to be in the hot seat where I could make my own decisions," Sharapova said. "For me it was all about creating a product that was about quality. I knew it was a risk to do something so unexpected and to create a business. "

Sharapova has won each of the four major tennis championships one time during her career and a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics. With her off-the-court brand, she wanted her candy to be more detailed than the others. She wanted to name each piece of candy after her character traits.

 For example, there is Flirty, which is shaped as a woman's lips. Chic comes in the shape of pumps and purses. The top-seller is Sporty, which is shaped like small tennis balls.

"One of my favorites is Quirky, which is how I describe myself. A little off, kind of out there," she said.

Sugarpova, which is sold online at sugarpova.com, is available at various stores in the United States.

"It's coming out soon in Russia, China and Japan," she said. "That's our main goal, to bring it global. My fan base is all around the world, and that's my priority. "