All Candy Expo – Day 1 – Jamie

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - by Jamie

Hey Candy Addicts!

You would not believe how awesome the All Candy Expo is so far. Seriously. There is SO. MUCH. CANDY.

I am completely overwhelmed, in the best possible way. I spent all day yesterday just staring at the Expo floor with my mouth wide open, trying to figure out how to describe it to all of you. It is tremendous. Everywhere you turn, there are giant candy displays, with lovely sugar-filled shelves of new and exciting products. It’s a bit like Willy Wonka’s Imagination Room (and yes – Mr. Willy Wonka himself is here!), with giant lollipops and enormous jelly beans around every corner. Going from booth to booth and sampling new candies is fantastic, and I keep having to bite my lip to stop myself from saying “Trick or Treat” every time I come to a new booth, as the whole thing has a definite Halloween feel to it.

In the day and a half since we arrived, I’ve learned a lot about the candy business. It’s great to meet company representatives who are just as excited and in love with candy as we are, and who know the importance of keeping candy fun. The atmosphere here is very positive, and the colorful, wacky displays just go to show that even though candy is a serious business, the element of fun is still a top priority, which is GREAT to see.

I’ve noticed a few trends emerging during the Expo: fruit/chocolate fusion candies are very hot right now, with unique fruit flavors such as blueberry, cranberry, and banana leading the way. Dark chocolate continues to be massively popular, and it looks like companies are pushing even darker, more intense chocolates to meet consumer demand.

I am particularly psyched to see the amount of chocolate/nut based candies hitting the market. Milk and dark chocolate with peanuts, pecans, peanut butter, almonds, and hazelnuts are all over the place, which is really exciting for me, as those are my favorite combos.

It’s always fun to see new twists on old favorites: one product in particular that I’m really excited to try (and will be reviewing soon) is the chocolate Abba-Zaba bar. Sweet!

I will be writing more soon, but the floor beckons, and there are many more things to see and many more sweets to eat!