New Product Updates

Plenty of New Goodies Entice Visitors at Candy Trade Show

(Chicago 2003) What’s new in the world of confectionery? Lots, according to candymakers who are introducing new products at ALL CANDY EXPO® May 13-15. More than 460 candy manufacturers will show off their sweet wares at the trade show, transforming Chicago’s McCormick Place into a virtual candyland.

Both kids and adults can look forward to nibbling on a variety of new goodies in the months ahead. New novelty candies - goodies that combine a toy with a treat - include a kit that allows kids to create candy powder concoctions and candy bubbles you blow through a wand and then let melt on your tongue. Some favorite traditional candies will be offered in new versions, including sugar-free chocolate bars, exciting new flavors and bite-size pieces that make sharing easier. Licensed character candies, sports theme tie-ins and patriotic introductions will all be in the new product mix.

Candy and gum products led the snack food category in retail sales, according to the National Confectioners Association, which sponsors the show. In 2002, there were 1,401 new candy and gum product introductions, according to New Products News, a Chicago-based trade publication.

Here is a preview of some of the new products that debuted at the 2003 ALL CANDY EXPO®:

• Pop Shots
  What young sports fan wouldn’t like an official-size baseball filled with candy baseballs? The plastic ball opens to reveal the colorful balls inside. (Joyco USA)
• Jelly Belly JBz
  Is it half jelly bean and half chocolate? New JBz from Jelly Belly are milk chocolate centers covered in candy shells in 20 of the great flavors that made Jelly Belly jelly beans famous. The chocolate pieces are paired with flavors including cappuccino, ice blue mint, toasted marshmallow and buttered popcorn. Also, the Jelly Belly BigBean dispenser shaped like a jelly bean and filled with Jelly Belly Beans for fun and portability. (Jelly Belly Candy Company)
• Tropical Dots, Hot Dots
  These traditional gum drops now comes in two exciting new flavors: five assorted tropical flavors in every box or hot cinnamon-flavor. Also, Andes Crème de Menthe Thins are now available in 14-piece personal pack sizes and as Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips to add a minty new taste to baked goods and other desserts. (Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.)
• Giant PEZ Dispensers
  Remember that fun little PEZ dispenser you took to school as a kid? Now it will fill up your back pack! Over 12 inches tall, the dispensers replicate the originals, responding to anyone who loves nostalgia, collectibles or just a fun way to enjoy candy. The character dispensers include Snoopy®, Homer Simpson® and others, as well as a Charlie Brown® dispenser in the cap and colors of 30 major league baseball teams, each playing “Take me Out to the Ball Game.” (Brand New Products, LLC)
• Hershey’s Sugar Free Candies
  Some of America’s favorite candies now come in a sugar-free version to offer consumers more choices: Reese’s Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures, Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Candy, Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Candy with Almonds and Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Candy. Also, Kit Kat Bites, crisp, bite-size wafers covered with white chocolate or milk chocolate packaged in a re-sealable pouch for easy snacking. (Hershey Foods Corporation)
• Nestlé Toll House Candy Bars
  Made with that favorite baking ingredient
  Nestlé Morsels
  new Toll House Candy Bars are soft, chewy cookies made with caramel and morsels covered in creamy Nestle milk chocolate. Also comes in a rich brownie version. (Nestlé USA, Inc.)
• Sweet Images Fotopops™
  One hundred percent edible images on chocolate lollipops or business cards. White “chocolate” business cards that are mirror images of your real card will satisfy the appetite of any potential client, or place a favorite photo of someone on a totally edible chocolate lollipop. Can be gift boxed with an assortment of chocolates. (Mom ‘N Pops Inc.)
• Snickers Popables
  Favorite candy bars now come in a bite-size version that makes snacking and sharing easy. In addition to Snickers Popables, look for MilkyWay, 3 Musketeers and Snickers Cruncher Popables. Also, a new Snickers bar
  Snickers Almond
  combines the great tastes of almonds with milk chocolate, caramel and nougat. (M&M Mars, a division of Mars, Inc.)
• Sophie Mae® Peanut Brittle Bits
  Peanut brittle now comes in a delicious and portable form for on-the-go consumers
  a 3-ounce bag that captures the same great taste of freshly made peanut brittle. (Gilliam Candy Brands)
• Solid Chocolate Race Cars
  Packaged three per colorful raceway card, these miniature solid milk chocolate race cars are a special treat for any child or racing fan. (Les Chocolats Vadeboncoeur)
• Snerdles Candy-Decorated Fruit Snack
  It’s a candy comic strip! These eight-inch long fruit snacks are decorated with tiny colorful candies that will tingle the taste buds. They come in four different cartoon strip versions: Spider Man®, The Incredible Hulk®, Daredevil® and Wolverine®. (Au’Some Candies)
• Twist & Glow Pop
  Everyone wants lollipops like this one. Shaped like a light bulb, it is attached to a plastic coil kids wear on a finger. When they twist the pop, a light stick is activated illuminating the candy with a glow that lasts hours. Also, Ice Cream Dipper, a swirl-shaped lollipop with a top that opens to reveal a candy topping for dipping, in flavors such as Vanilla Cream Pop with Cookie Dough Topping and Strawberry Cream Pop with Bubble Gum Pieces. Also, Soda Pop, a lollipop with dipping powder combo which is resealable and fits neatly into a kid’s pocket. (Impact Confections, Inc.)
• Original Candy Bubbles
  A traditional kid’s toy is now a candy. Original Candy Bubbles come in two flavors, grape and cherry, and work similar to the little bottle of soap bubbles you used to play with. Swish the bubble wand then catch these bubbles on your tongue and eat them. Also, Treat Surprise, a hang-card featuring a monster with candy pellets in his hands and feet and a surprise plastic capsule in his tummy
  it contains a miniature toy that kids can assemble. (Ludo, LLC)
• Patriotic Peeps and MiKE and IKE Stripes
  White Marshmallow Peep Chicks are decked out in red and blue glitter and MiKE and IKE Stripes candies come in a mix of cherry, blueberry and vanilla cream flavors in a salute to America. Also watch for orange Halloween Creepy Peeps and red Merry Peeps. For a delicious change of flavor pace, try new MiKE and IKE Buttered Popcorn and Cherry Cola flavors. (JustBorn Quality Confections)
• Scripture Candy
  “Reaching the World One Piece at a Time,” is the company’s motto. New this year are heart-shaped Scripture Pops for Valentine’s Day, each pop printed with a Bible verse. They join a full line of Scripture Mints in personal tins and other candies, all featuring Bible Verses. (Scripture Candy)
• Green-T Energy Mints
  These breath mints in pocket-size tins are the first to bring the “invigorating boost of green tea to the confectionery category.” The flavor combines an intense lemon-lime citrus with the naturally refreshing taste of green tea. Five mints are said to be equivalent to one cup of brewed green tea. (Warp Energy Mints, Big Sky Brands)
• Baby Bottle Pop Workshop
  Kids can create their own candy with this candy activity kit which includes six packets of different-flavored and colored powders, a funnel, design stick, stickers and an instruction sheet. Kids layer the candy in an enclosed miniature bottle. Also, Juicy Drop Pop, a new kind of lollipop that lets kids control the amount of flavor in every lick by squeezing a special dispenser on top of the candy. Also, Candy Juice Baby Bottle Pop, a pop with a liquid candy center. (The Topps Company, Inc.)
• Magic Dust Candy Mix
  A “make it yourself” candy, kids use the two enclosed cups to mix candy powders with water to create a spoonable candy jelly. Also, Chew Chew Long Chewy Candy, chewy sour candy strips and Magic Dust Popping Candy & Lollipop, mango and chili flavored lollipop with popping candy to dip it in. (GeeeF America, Inc.)
• Positively Pecan Pieces
  A delicious combination of crisp pecans in smooth caramel, drenched in delicious milk chocolate. The 2.5 ounce piece is individually wrapped in metallic black and gold packaging. (The Chocolate House, Inc.)
• Jo Mints and M-60 Mints
  High energy power mints made with the natural compounds more potent than caffeine found in Guarana, a berry native to the Amazon. The personal-size boxes are unique: Jo Mints come in a mirrored box and M-60s are packaged in a camouflage box. (Jo Mints)
• Gummi Army Guys
  An edible tribute to our troops, these gummy candies come in shapes of classic plastic military toy soldiers. Play with them and eat them. More than 40,000 pounds were donated to U.S. troops in Kuwait and Afghanistan. (Albanese Confectionery Group, Inc.)
• Emily’s Chocolate Covered Fortune Cookies
  Rich, dark chocolate dipped fortune cookies offer a fun new flavor and crunch. Packaged in Chinese takeout boxes. Also, Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers in new two-pack boxes. (Ames International, Inc.)
• Cappuccino Truffles
  Coffee lovers have a sweet new way to enjoy their favorite flavor. Delicious cappuccino truffle centers blend white chocolate with coffee, then are coated in milk chocolate melt-away shells. Also, Peanut Butter Truffles, a creamy truffle center made from a blend of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and all-natural peanut butter. Both are individually-wrapped. (Seattle Chocolates)
• Holiday Majestique Biscuits
  World’s Finest Chocolates, long known in the fundraising industry, enters the retail market. The holiday biscuits are made with rich cocoa topped with World’s Finest creamy white chocolate then decorated with red and green sprinkles. Also, World’s Finest Milk Chocolate Bars now come in miniature versions. (World’s Finest Chocolate)
• Shockwaves Sour Pops
  These innovative gourmet lollipops come in sour fruit flavors with fizzy centers. Flavors are: blue raspberry, green apple, watermelon, grape, cherry and lemon. Also, The Original One Dollar Bar, a dark chocolate bar with a raspberry center. (Van Wyk Confections)
• Blitz Stoked Power Mints
  The power mint made for kids packs intense, all-natural flavors: Berry Blast, Fruit Frenzy and Green Apple. Sweetened with Splenda, they come in cool, silver slim flip-top containers. Also, Blitz Sugar-Free Power Gum, made with a no-heat process that intensifies flavor, in freshmint and spearmint flavors. (Schuster Marketing Corporation)
• Gina’s Mango Mint Candy
  Mango flavor combined with the fresh taste of mint adds new flavor to the Gina’s hard candy line-up. Also, Bonkafe, hard candies in coffee flavors of Arabica, cappuccino and espresso. (One World, Inc.)
• Pernigotti Italian Chocolate Specialties
  Bite-sized Cremino pieces combine a thin, soft hazelnut and almond pastry layered between dark chocolate, packaged in a window bag. Also, Bastoni Bars, available in milk chocolate, white chocolate with crispy rice and milk chocolate with hazelnuts. (Niche Imports Co.)
• Ninja Storm Power Pops
  This assortment of Power Rangers® Ninja Storm lollipop holders leverage the Power Rangers and Megazords toyline and television series. Each lollipop holder is interactive. In one variety, the Power Ranger’s helmet flips back to reveal the candy; in another, the lollipop is contained in a Ninja Storm Kart. (Bandai Creation, Bandai America, Inc.
• Candy Coin Bank
  These miniature gum ball machines double as coin banks, delivering a candy ball for each coin saved. They come in three sizes: four, five and eight and one-half inches tall. (Leadsky International Enterprise Limited)
• Spy Candy Binoculars
  Candy-filled plastic binoculars in vibrant primary colors add great taste to play time. Also other candy-filled items, including a pencil box, stopwatch and wristwatch. (Ralphco)
• Twinkle Candy
  Gourmet lollipops come on foot-long bendable sticks making them ideal for candy bouquets, floral arrangements and as party favors. The clear candy lollipops come in petite, fun shapes for everyday or any holiday. (Leo Arretin, Inc.)
• Popmania Lollipops
  South American flavors for U.S. kids include these Neapolitan flavored (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) lollipops and Pop Legal pops in cherry flavor with bubblegum centers. Also, Gomutcho gummies in flavors of pineapple, cherry, orange and lemon. (RICLAN S.A.)
• Maxfield Chocolates
  Three types of gift chocolates to meet any gift-givers needs. Maxfield’s All American Chocolate is aimed at consumers who want an everyday boxed chocolate, Mrs. Field’s Decadent Chocolate which includes selections such as cookie dough/chocolate chip, and Hallmark Chocolatier, an assortment made from a proprietary chocolate recipe offering one of the most recognizable names in gift-giving. (Maxfield Candy Company)
• Color Your Lips Candy
  Candy lipstick for lots of fun play time! Each lipstick tube comes with four colors/flavors of candy lipstick. There even is a little mirror on the tube. Unlike other candy “lipsticks,” this one really colors your lips. Color/flavors are: green apple, yellow banana, blue raspberry and red cherry. (KoKo’s Confectionery & Novelty)
• Anthony –Thomas Gift Combo Packs
  Two new holiday packs are available for winter gift-giving. The Deluxe Stack combo gift includes a 7 oz. box of English Toffee coupled with a 16 oz. box of assorted milk and dark chocolates. The Holiday Favorite gift combo offers a 3.6 oz. box of Peanut Butter Buckeyes and a 7 oz. box of Pecan Dainties. All are holiday-wrapped in green and gold foil and tied with gold bows to make gift-giving easy. (Anthony-Thomas Candy Company)
• Mega Smarties Roll
  A traditional candy has gone mega! Each Mega Smarties Roll offers 2 ¼ oz. of those favorite tart candies from childhood. (Ce De Candy, Inc.)
• Sugar Free Cream Doublers
  Three delicious new tastes in chewy candies are added to the sugar-free line-up: chocolate and crème, strawberries and crème and peaches and crème. Also, Sugar Free Chocolate Mints in delicious flavor blends: chocolate and orange, chocolate and mint and chocolate and raspberry. (Hillside Candy)
• Leonidas Fine Belgian Chocolates
  Wonderful selections of gift boxed chocolates come to American shores. Unique pralines with fillings ranging from the traditional to the unique, including mandarin and kiwi fruit. Also hollow chocolates in many holiday and other shapes. (Leonidas of Belgian)
• Dentyne Fire Gum
  This new sugar-free gum offers intense breath-freshening with its hot cinnamon flavor. It comes in a bright red and orange package to convey the gum pellets’ spicy hot flavor. (Cadbury Adams USA)
• Dorval Sour Powder
  These individually-wrapped sour powder belts are fun to eat and share. Also, Droste “Just for You” Chocolate Pastilles, come in milk or bittersweet chocolate, 60 pieces per roll. (Dorval Trading Co.)
• Jolt Caffeine-Energy Gum
  Jolt® soda has evolved into a chewing gum. Two pieces of Jolt gum contain the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. The result of two years of research, the gum contains ginseng and guarana, and is aimed at consumers who have to stay awake. It comes in icy mint and spearmint flavors. (Gum Runners)
• Flamin’ Hot Heads® Cinnamon Flavor Candies
  Chewy and hot, these cinnamon-flavored candies respond to consumer’s craving for hot, wake-me-up flavors. Also, Sour Jacks, soft and chewy watermelon-flavored candies and Welch’s Berries ‘n Cherries and Fruit Punch Fruit Snacks. (The Promotion in Motion Companies, Inc.)
• Sugar-Free Almond Roca®
  This new sugar-free version of the famous Almond Roca captures the delicious flavor of the original but is made with dark, sugar-free Belgian chocolate. Also, Mocha Roca Coffee Butttercrunch, a new Roca that is the result of a partnership between Brown & Haley and Starbucks Coffee Company. (Brown & Haley)
• Texas Chewie Pecan Praline and Longhorns
  The pralines are pecans smothered in Lammes’ secret caramel recipe. The Longhorns combine pecans and caramel enrobed in rich milk chocolate. Longhorns also come in a sugar-free variety. (Lammes Candies)
• Sour Gummi Burgers
  Miniature hamburger gummy candies with a sour twist should delight candy lovers everywhere. Also a mix and match selection of other miniature gummies: hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and ice cream. (Mandisa)
• Barbie® of Swan Lake
  The Barbie® of Swan Lake plush white swan toy is also a basket that holds a treasure
  a delicious candy necklace with a Barbie® candy heart attached. It is one of many licensed character toys combined with candy treats that are perfect for gift-giving to some special boy or girl. (Galerie™)
• SoYummi Gummi Sours & SoYummi Soy Chocolate
  Sour gummy candies that are made with organix Agaves fruit juice and non-GMO soy in natural flavors of lemon, orange and strawberry. Also chocolate pieces made with non-GMO soy centers enrobed in chocolate with a candy shell. (SOYUMMI, LLC)
• Allrite Sugar Free Candy
  Two new sugar-free hard candies in popular toffee and strawberry cream flavors respond to consumers who want more candy choices. Also, Pop Rocks Dips, the fun, popping candy powder comes in assorted flavors for dipping lollipops. (Pop Rocks, Inc.)
• Double Bubble Gourmet Gum Balls
  From classic custard to cotton candy, 10 new gourmet flavors are introduced for the 75th anniversary of Double Bubble bubble gum. Also, Wack-O-Wax Lips & Fangs are fun toys that turn into great tasting treats, and Nik-L-Nip wax bottle drinks let everyone take a trip down memory lane. (Concord Confections)
• Chocolate Cotton Candy Bits
  Kids will love these bits of chocolate “cotton candy” that come in a flip-top tube for easy pouring for snacking or adding as a topping to breakfast cereal. Also, Caramel Comets, tiny creamy caramel nuggets in a flip-top tube. (Fantazzmo Fun Stuff!)
• Arcor’s Fruit Snacks
  These fruit snacks are made from real fruit juice and come in four flavors: strawberry, cherry, grape and mixed fruit. (Arcor Group)