The three-day show wrapped up Thursday at the McCormick Place convention center. Candy and snack makers from 90 countries converged at the expo to entice retailers with their latest tasty creations. The expo drew about 900 exhibitors and some 18,000 attendees.
Flavor and ingredient trends at the show included new uses for coconut and caramel, alternative types chips (beans, quinoa, seaweed, cauliflower, etc.), and the extremes of spicy hot and super sour.
The percentage breakdown of products at the show is about 60-40, with sweets still dominating.
Ruby chocolate had its U.S. coming-out party at the show. Cocoa and chocolate producer Barry Callebaut introduced the new chocolate last September. Made from the ruby cocoa bean, the pink chocolate is the fourth type of chocolate after milk, dark and white.
The product named “best in show” by a panel of experts was Hostess Bakery Petites, “poppable” cake and brownie treats, from Hostess Brands. Poppable is an industry term for a small bite-sized snack that can be popped into your mouth.
You pick up a lot of trade lingo at a conference like Sweets & Snacks. Not many places do you hear conversations about “flavor technology” and “taste science.”
Other award-winning products at the show included:
- Hershey’s Gold candy bar with caramelized creme, peanuts and pretzels
- Justin’s Mini White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Warheads Dippin’ Ring, a candy ring with sour candy dipping powder, from Impact Confections
- Crispy Trail Mix Crackers, made with mung beans, cashew nuts, raisins, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds, from In Season Snacks
- Tangerine Vanilla Cashew-Macadamia Glazed Mix from Sahale Snacks, a unit of J.M. Smucker
- Tic Tac Cool Tropical sugar-free gum from Italian confectioner Ferrero
- Big Chewy Nerds crunchy and chewy candy from Nestle
- ParmCrisps Trios with three types of crisps: cheese, almonds and pumpkin seeds, and apricots and cranberries from That’s How We Roll
Larry Levin, executive vice president, consumer and shopper marketing, for marketing consulting firm IRI identified four products at the show as “rising stars”: Hershey’s Gold, M&M Caramel, Lay’s Poppables, and Kinder Joy.
Popular in Europe, Kinder Joy has only been available in the U.S. since January. It comes in a plastic egg-shaped package that splits in two, with one half containing layers of cocoa and milk cream and the other half containing a toy. Kinder Joy is made by Ferrero.
Just Born Quality Confections of Bethlehem, Pa., was at the Sweets & Snacks Expo showing off its latest candies. They included Mike and Ike Mega Mix Sour and Hot Tamales Fire & Ice.
Mike and Ike Mega Mix Sour features 10 flavors of sour fruit candies. Hot Tamales Fire & Ice pairs the No. 1 cinnamon candy with a cool mint flavored candy.
“It’s about the trend of extremes,” said Koren Ivie, brand manager for Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales brand candies for Just Born.
Both are expected to be popular with young people who like extreme candies, especially ones that are highly sharable, she said.
Quite a few companies at the show played into the healthy food trend.
Lotus Natural Foods of Charlotte, N.C., was promoting its Bear Nibbles fruit rollups at the expo. Its products feature healthy extras added to the fruit.
For instance, the Bear Nibbles apple fruit rollup contains seaweed and the raspberry rollup also has apple, pear and carrot.
Alexandra Braverman, key account manager for Bear Nibbles, said the products have resonated with parents who want healthy snacks that taste great to feed their kids.
“Kids don’t even know they’re eating healthy,” she said.
Product innovation was a key theme of this year’s Sweets and Snacks Expo as food manufacturers try to compete with more commodity-like store-brand products.
Hello Delicious Brands of Northbrook, Ill., presented its latest snacks, including oven-baked pizza chips, fruit-filled snacks and popcorn crackers.
“We’re a snack innovation company,” Melissa Everitt, director of sales for Hello Delicious Brands, said. “We want to bring unique and different snacks to stores, no me-too products.”
Related articles:
Sweets And Snacks Stocks Snap, Crackle And Drop (Investor’s Business Daily; May 24, 2018)
Amazon Widens Its Influence Even More And Takes A Bite Out Of Snacks (Investor’s Business Daily; May 24, 2018)
Artwork: Sweets & Snacks Expo.
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