Page 2 - Candy & Snack Trends

There’s no denying that consumers love local. Even the National Confectioners Association reports products touting USA Made are seeing 9% growth. But it’s not just local or national pride that’s impacting their buying decisions — consumers appreciate the benefits that supporting local brings, like creating jobs and a smaller carbon footprint. Don’t forget a unique experience too! Hitting the sweet spot with unique USA made brands can be challenging as many brands don’t tout their USA made status directly on the package. Fear not: we’ve done the detective work for you, and uncovered longtime USA-Made brands your customers will love to discover and be proud to support.

Social media has transformed every get-together into a photo opportunity. It’s no surprise candy boards, a.k.a. candy charcuterie are becoming THE new way to add picture perfect excitement to the dessert table.  There are even small businesses  dedicated solely to candy boards (Fox 5 Atlanta).  It’s easy to get on board with building and guiding customers in building candy charcuterie; especially when we’re serving up our best candy charcuterie ideas on a silver platter for you to use and share.

Candy and Soda Pairings to Sweeten Summer Gatherings

Summertime gatherings are heating up and one thing’s for sure – candy and soda will be on the menu. According to the National Confectioners Association, 89% of consumers include candy at their backyard barbeques. Even though candy and soda are regular guests doesn’t mean it needs to be the same old same old. Here’s a refreshing idea – create excitement and drive upsell opportunities by offering up candy and soda pairings.

Here are some classic and unique pairings from our “fizzics” experts sure to make your selection pop.

Watch out chocolate — gummies are making a comeback! Chewy Candy sales saw an increase of 14.6% (higher than chocolate) to $4.6 billion in 2021, according to the National Confectioners Association’s (NCA) State of Treating. Even with consumers returning to the chewy candies they love, 43% want to try something new (NCA). Keep the love coming by offering a sampling of these gummy trends.

Health and wellness are a big focus for 2022, and with that a renewed attention on snack bars. Early 2022 sales of snack bars/granola bars/clusters skyrocketed, totaling $6.77 billion (Food Business News). Consumers are working up an appetite for fun flavors and a filling meal and they want functional ingredients that fit within today’s dietary trends. Read on for the must-have ingredients certain to raise the bar of your snack selection.

Gathering restrictions continue to loosen — time to celebrate! At the heart of any good celebration is candy. Celebrations also mean it’s time to get all decked out in our best. Since it’s been a while, we all want something new – from our clothes to candies, too. Help make get-togethers extra stylish with confections inspired by 2022’s design and fashion color trends.

Join us as our experts make the color connection between today’s trends and the candies that will make their celebrations sensational!