Searching for the latest in candy, chocolate, and snacks to snack on this National Candy Month? Then look to the Sweets & Snacks Expo.
Sweets & Snacks is THE place where top manufacturers debut their candy and snacking innovations.
The show might not be open to the public, but don’t worry! We were there and are ready to report the top snack and candy trends hitting your shelves.
Pickles & Pickle Flavor
Pickles were a big “dill” at this year’s Sweets & Snacks. Pickles and pickle flavored everything were popping up all over the place.
One pickle product getting a lot of buzz were Van Holten’s Pickles. The single-serve pickles are busting up TikTok as people challenge each other to eat their hot pickles.
But Van Holten’s has more than just spicy, they have a super sour Warheads Version too!
For those fans looking to cool down for the summer, there’s Van Holten’s Pickle Ice Pops. Here the classic ice pop gets a pickle twist with refreshing pickle flavored liquid.
Even the sweeter side of things is getting in on the pickle craze with Sour Punch Straws launching Pickle Roulette.
Each pouch is filled with green apple, lemon lime, watermelon, and pickle straws. The straws are all the same color so you just don’t know which one is which. And that’s part of the pickle fun!
Spicy Flavors
Spicy flavors are red hot this year with manufacturers everywhere serving up blazing hot flavors.
One region getting a lot of love for its bold, spicy flavors is Mexico with spicy Mexican Candy popping up everywhere. You felt as if everything was getting the Chamoy and Tajin treatment.
A Mexican candy brand that was a standout at the show — Lucas. Each Lucas candy features a mix of bold chili and/or Chamoy with sweet fruit flavors like mango and watermelon. Lucas offers these mash-ups in lollipops, candy powder, and gummies for many ways to get in on the spicy trend.
We even saw cross pollination of trends like Van Holten’s Extra Spicy Tapatio Pickle brined with Tapatio hot sauce.
Cone Confections
In years past, cones played second fiddle to ice cream. But at this Sweets & Snacks Expo, cones were the main event.
Cones fall into the trend of mini indulgences. Since they’re small and poppable, you get to decide how many you want. AND what they’re filled with.
Many of the crispy cones were filled with straight up chocolate like Muddy Bites.
Then there were others like Just the Fun Part, adding fun mix ins like coconut and peanut butter. Expect seasonal flavors too like pumpkin spice and peppermint dark chocolate.
While for now cones are mostly filled with chocolate, we anticipate seeing other fills like marshmallows and maple.
Brand Collabs
Two is always better than one — especially when it comes to our favorite brands mashing up with our favorite candies.
There are many different ways we were seeing collabs at the show.
Like Dunkin Donuts in a white chocolate donut shape with strawberry crème and jelly filling like Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Jelly Donut.
Even iconic beverage and candy brands are getting in on the collaboration like Mike And Ike and their Mike And Ike Cotton Candy and Country Time Lemonade with their Lemonade and Pink Lemonade Cotton Candy.
Elevated Candy Classics
The newstalgia trend reined at the Nassau Candy Booth as we served up souped-up versions of candy classics.
The remake everyone was talking about — Clever Candy® Straws. They offer all the fun you remember from classic candy stix , but with intense flavors to tickle your taste buds.
If you’re new to candy straws, try smaller, traditional-sized straws. For those looking to go full force into the newstalgia trend, there’s 15 inch giant straws.
For an elevated journey down memory lane, our updated Decades Boxes won’t disappoint. Each box is full of the nostalgic candies you’ll remember from childhood, or have yet to discover.
Updated graphics capture the look and feel of that decade with fun facts worked into the design as little Easter eggs (extra fun!). Also new this year is the addition of the 2000’s decades box (how did the 2000’s become nostalgic?).
Findings presented at Sweets & Snacks revealed that 72% of consumers like gummies. Seems like perfect timing to launch our Clever Candy Everyday Gummies Collection!
Included in the collection are peg bags of Clever Candy’s best-selling bulk gummies. This makes taking your favorite Clever Candy gummies on the go even easier!
What makes the Clever Candy Everyday Packaged Line extra fun is vibrant colors and jokes or fun facts on every bag. Both will leave you smiling. There’s 12 different bags in all so there’s a lot to try.
Color blocking and single-color displays for candy buffets and candy boards are bringing back single-color bulk in a big way. Making Clever Candy® Individual Color Bulk Bestie Bears Gummies and 850 Count Single-Color Bulk Gumballs another highlight of the show.
Clever Candy Bestie Bears turn the color and fruit flavor meters up to 12, serving up 12 different flavor and color combinations all with a delightful soft chew.
Clever Candy 850 Count Single-Color Gumballs take the candy classic and injects the fun and excitement of the Clever Candy brand for a creation sure to, like our tagline says, “make your sweet tooth smile.”
The collection features 17 different colors from primary to elegant shimmer – certain to make a fun presentation anywhere.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo is the hot bed for emerging snack trends. Show off your snacking knowledge by sampling the latest candy and snacking trends.
Hi! Let us know what's on your mind.