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Sera’s All Candy Expo Wrap-Up

Categories: Candy,Candy News,New Candy




Candy Expo New Product Showcase

You can take the Candy Addict out of the All Candy Expo, but you’ll never take the All Candy Expo out of the Candy Addict. That basically sums up my feelings since I’ve returned home and had a few days to look back on the biggest and sweetest trade show of the year.

The thing that I enjoyed most about being there was the people. Everyone was so open and passionate about candy, whether they were buyers, sellers, press or bloggers like myself. It was so nice to be able to talk candy to someone and have their eyes light up with enthusiasm as opposed to the slightly confused/scared look I get from non-Candy Addicts. The sellers all had such pride in their products, the buyers had such loyalty to certain types and brands and they all had such an impressive knowledge of the confectionery world. I miss being around such love for candy.

The new product showcase for the Expo was very informative and fascinating to look through. All sorts of new and interesting sweets are hitting the market and there’s truly something for everyone. Gourmet chocolates, stuffed marshmallows, fruity chews, sour hard candies, novelty lollipops, even Jesus candy canes!

The National Confectioner’s Association (who sponsors the Expo) went through all 130 new product items and created a list of categories to try and organize the emerging trends. Here’s a few of them:

Flavor Fusions: Flavor combinations are becoming more adventurous and extreme (think gums that have fruity/minty flavors and chocolates with fruity/spicy flavors). A few good example is Lindt’s new Cherry Chili chocolate bar.

Healthful and Helpful: A growing concern for the consumer is healthy eating, so pre-portioned chocolates and candies are a big market now. So expect to see more 100 calorie packs. Also chocolates and candies are being fortified with vitamins, probiotics and antioxidants to enhance their appeal.

Traditional Twists:
Just a fancy way of saying limited editions are still going strong. The Twix Java, Chocolate Skittles, and the Reese’s Whipps Bar are good examples.

More You Know: Labeling on packaging is getting better and more specific. Look for the chocolate percentages clearly displayed on the front of the packages, as well as all the natural and organic certification seals. Expect to see Jelly Belly’s new Natural line (which I tasted and is so yummy!) and Dove’s dark chocolate bars around in stores soon.

Ahh! As you can tell, so much candy, so little time! I did the best I could and sampled as much as my tummy would allow. Obviously, I didn’t get to taste as much as I wanted, but I think I did a good job of ignoring my body’s “fullness” signals for a bit. Please take my word for it; there’s a bunch of fun and delicious things headed our way. Are you excited yet?

It’s hard to come back home from such a sugar high (both in mind and body!) because the sugar crash afterwards hasn’t been fun. I feel so lucky to have had this experience and I simply can’t wait for next year’s show already! I hope I have been able to give you all a peek at what it was like. I hope the next time you bite into a new piece of candy you can close your eyes and imagine you’re there on the showroom floor, because that’s what I’ll be doing!

All Candy Expo



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2 Responses to “Sera’s All Candy Expo Wrap-Up”

  1. 1
    Traci says:

    I know what you mean about that strange look people get on their faces when you start talking about candy… They just don’t get it, man!

  2. 2
    boo says:

    I haven’t been to the expo in about 10 years and was seriously thinking about it this year. Glad to see a detailed report on what I missed. I’ll be marking my calendar for next year. :)

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