To anyone with a sweet tooth – and I have a mouthful of ’em – the annual Sweets & Snacks Expo (formerly the Candy Show) is like being set loose in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory (with me as the gluttonous Augustus Gloop). Among the tons of sugar and cocoa, this week’s show had some novel or otherwise noteworthy products that caught my eye:
- Amos Sweets, a Chinese company, makes gummies in little interlocking building blocks, like Legos – they call them 4D Gummy Blocks. They must have used hundreds, maybe thousands, of them to construct a three-foot-tall Eiffel Tower.
- Chickpeas are ubiquitous, but this is the first time I saw them covered in chocolate, compliments of Lebby Co.
- Mondelez a few years ago created a product that I (but few others) loved called Cakesters – essentially big soft Oreos with a thicker but lighter creme center. After being out of the market for a year or so, they were fine-tuned and relaunched.
- Another Lazarus product is the Reggie Bar. It was a hit back when Reggie Jackson was hitting hits (the 1970s and ’80s), but faded into obscurity as he did. After a several-years hiatus, the Goo-Goo Custer- and Bun-like bar is back, from American Candy Nostalgia Co.
- This isn’t a product but a courageous marketing stunt. Hershey seemed unassailable as the key ingredient in s’mores, but Ghirardelli was making the sticky little sandwiches with its own chocolates, including one filled with caramel.
- This is, after all, Sweets AND Snacks Expo, and true to the second half of the name come Cheesewiches, from a company of the same name. It’s a simple concept: sandwiches without the bread. Start with a center of salami, pepperoni or bacon and wrap the meat in hand-holdable cheese (jack, cheddar, colby, provolone, mozzarella). Wait, could this be keto?
- Stretching the snacks label even further: Just when you thought there were enough ketchups on the market, Tapatio, maker of a hot sauce with decent market share, offers their spin. If Huy Fong Sriracha could do it…
By the way, earlier this week we published the official list of top new products at the show, as chosen by show sponsor National Confectioners Assn. Now, where's that treadmill I haven't used in years?
