Hershey’s Acquires Social Media-Driven Sour Strips Candy Brand

Nov. 8, 2024

Social media personality who founded the sour candy brand, Maxx Chewning, will stay on and lead marketing, innovation for Sour Strips.

Andy Hanacek

The Hershey Co. has acquired sour candy brand Sour Strips, which was founded by social media personality Maxx Chewning in 2019. The sour candy, which features the tagline “sour candy that doesn’t suck,” is expected to give Hershey additional reach to new consumers.

Chewning will continue to lead the marketing and innovation for the Sour Strips brand, which aims to stand out by combining “shockingly sour” flavors with innovative branding. Chewning said the deal “represents a significant step” in Sour Strips’ mission to innovate and set new standards in confections.

Meanwhile, Mike Del Pozzo, president, U.S. Confection, for Hershey’s, said the addition of the “beloved” brand has the company “energized to welcome Maxx and the Sour Strips team to Hershey as we relentlessly accelerate our growth in sweets.”

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.