After a 4-year break, attending the Sweets & Snacks Expo was more fun than ever before. Could it be my very sweet tooth? Nostalgia? The human desire to mindfully reconnect? Whichever way I look at it now, while writing down my thoughts, I am seeing joy and fulfillment – and a sizeable dose of scrumptious tastings 🙂
Having covered this Expo in the past (you can read my detailed reviews here, here, and here) I was super excited to go back to writing about the things which fascinate me the most: food, flavors, grit, creativity. Talking to innovative minds, learning from experienced chefs and small businesses, tasting the delicious end results of years of research, struggle, reinvention- this is what fills my writer’s mind with endless joy.
2023 marked the final time the Expo was hosted by McCormick Place in Chicago before moving to new host cities. Beginning in 2024, the Sweets & Snacks Expo will cycle through a rotation of two years in Indianapolis followed by one year in Las Vegas until 2032. “This year is an important inflection point for the Sweets & Snacks Expo, as it is the show’s final year in Chicago,” John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association and Sweets & Snacks Expo host organization, said. “For more than 25 years, we have worked in collaboration with the city of Chicago to build and host the world’s premier candy and snack show. The value that the Sweets & Snacks Expo brings to confectionery and snack companies is incredibly important and it contributes in a major way to the success of these two great categories.”
This year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo brought together over 800 exhibitors, including nearly 250 new exhibitors, who covered more than 210,000 square feet with their sweet, salty, and sour products. As always, I appreciated the opportunity to explore the key trends of the sweet and snack industry:
- “Brand Collaborations: Your favorite treats/brands working together to create something new and exciting!
- Flavor Mashups: Flavor combos that will delight you. Salty, sweet, sour, spicy or savory – there is something for everyone!
- Social Media Friendly Interactive Treats:Â These treats give you permission to play with your food and share with your friends on social media!
- All About Options:Â Everyone treats and snacks a little differently, which is why confectionery and snack companies are offering a range of package sizes and product types that fit every occasion”
Moreover, I loved trying out the most innovative new products of the year, announced at the end of a judging phase across 13 categories, which brought together retail leaders representing 85% of the buying power for the confectionery and snack categories, who assessed taste, innovation, and packaging. Over 300 candy and snack products developed over the last year were submitted for evaluation, and the winners were as follows:
- Best in Show: Chunk Nibbles – Apple Cinnamon Chunk Nibbles
- Small Business Innovator: Jackson’s Chips – Farmhouse Ranch Sweet Potato Chips made with Avocado Oil
- Chocolate: Nuts.com/Kopper’s Chocolate – Mexican Hot Cocoa Bites
- Non-Chocolate Candy: Shenzhen Amos Sweets & Foods Co., LTD – 4D Fruit Gummy Juicy Burst Strawberry
- Gum & Mints: Perfetti Van Melle USA, Inc. – Mentos Fruit Mints with Vitamins – Cool Fruity Mix
- Salty Snacks: Big Dipper Food Company – Peanut Butter Caramel Coated PopCrunch
- Sweet Snacks: Tru Fru LLC – Parfait Poppers: Nature’s Raspberries Frozen Fresh in Greek Yogurt & Granola
- Meat Snacks: PepsiCo Foods – Jack Link’s Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Beef Jerky
- Savory Snacks: Truly Good Foods – Henrietta Said Ancho Kimchi Flavored Peanuts
- Novelty/Licensed: Shenzhen Amos Sweets & Foods Co., LTD – TastySounds™ RecordableLollipop – Peach Nectar
- Seasonal: Hawaiian Host LLC – Strawberries & Cream White Chocolate Macadamias
- Gourmet/Premium | Candy: Tru Fru LLC – Nature’s Strawberries Hyper-Dried Fresh in White & Dark ChocolateÂ
- Gourmet/Premium | Snack: Oh Snap! Pickling Co. – Cranberry Sweeties
I had a great time at the Chocxo booth learning more about their new Dark Milk Chocolate Toffee, Almond & Sea Salt Snaps, Dark Chocolate Coconut Cups, and their lineup of holiday seasonal items.
Crafted by expert chocolatiers, Chocxo are lower in sugar (no artificial sweeteners) than their counterparts on the market. All Chocxo products are reviewed by dieticians and nutritionists, and maintain various certifications, including: USDA Organic, Project Verified Non-GMO, Certified Gluten Free, Kosher, and Keto Certified. Chocxo chocolates are made with 100% sustainable cocoa from grower co-ops committed to sustainable organic farming practices, fair compensation and labor practices, and high standards for themselves and the communities. As stated on the Chocxo website, “organic farming is shown to lower carbon emissions and promote greater biodiversity, which is why our chocolates are made with 100% Certified Organic Cocoa.”
I also thoroughly enjoyed stopping by the Endangered Species booth, whose reps I had met at previous editions at the Expo. Their chocolates make amazing gifts for my friends, and as such, I’m always excited to learn about their new creations – aka what I’m going to be gifting next 🙂 This year, they were showcasing a new line of seasonal chocolate shapes, in addition to their regular products.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Endangered Species Chocolate has been crafting premium chocolate for three decades. They use Fairtrade certified cocoa beans from The Ivory Coast, and all their products are certified non-GMO and gluten-free. As stated on the Endangered Species Chocolate website, “We love the truly delicious product we create, and we’re on a mission to seed joy through abundant giving. By donating 10% of net profits to impactful organizations and initiatives, they can continue in their amazing work to improve our world every day.”
The most scrumptious treats come with amazing underpinning stories, and from this perspective, familiarizing myself with Jojo’s Chocolate was an incredible, very humbling experience. Learning about the founder’s story and their ongoing mission brought tears to my eyes, while the delicious, premium confections brought joy and satisfaction to my sweet tooth.
Jojo’s Chocolate use 70% dark chocolate imported from Germany, made from fair trade cocoa beans sourced from Ecuador. Their other ingredients are sourced from Canada, USA, and the Philippines. As stated on their website, “We’re clear about what our ingredients are, how we select them, and why they’re so good for you. With premium dark chocolate, high-quality protein, low or no-sugar, we’re giving chocolate lovers a delicious treat, and a healthier way to snack without tradeoffs. Every JOJO’s Chocolate bar is topped with real ingredients that pack nutrients into every bite without all the sugar.” So delicious, so purpose-driven, so satisfying!
Speaking of purpose-driven, another exceptional small business I came across at the Expo was Issei Mochi Gummies. Created by Mika Shino, a Japanese American with an astounding cosmopolitan resume and a passion for cooking and for feeding her family well, mochi gummies “are inspired by the treasured ancient Japanese tradition of mochi treats, made with pure rice grains and mountain spring water for centuries. Probably one of the cleanest snacks ever invented.” Mika wanted “a snack as pure and clean for her family with no gluten, no nuts, no dairy, no soy, non-GMO, and completely vegan, which is how Issei Mochi Gummies were born.”
Soft, chewy, and pillowy, Issei mochi gummies are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, gelatin-free, and shelf-stable, and they can be enjoyed straight from the package, or paired with ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal, puddings, or your favorite dessert. They are available at Whole Foods Market nationwide, as well as on the Issei Mochi Gummies website. I thoroughly enjoyed the clean flavor and soft texture of these treats, and I recommend them as a delicious, healthy, portable, and purpose-driven snack.
I cannot finish my overview of the sweet treats I discovered at the Expo without mentioning Frooze Balls. I remember experiencing a similar level of excitement (a wow! moment) a few years prior, upon coming across Tru Fru. These plant-based New Zealand favorite snacks, now available for purchase in the US, are crafted with respect for the environment and are filled with wholesome ingredients, such as peanut butter, dates, coconut, fruit purees, or pink salt. Frooze Balls have no added cane sugar, are gluten free, non-GMO, kosher, and vegan. Having tried several varieties at the Expo, I agree that Frooze Balls “taste like a healthy version of your favorite truffles.” Phenomenal flavors, textures, holistic goodness!
In terms of savory treats, one of the highlights of my experience was trying out CauliPuffs. Made from rice, corn and cauliflower, CauliPuffs “are the perfect poppable anytime-snack you and your family will love” – I couldn’t agree more! I had a great time chatting with the founders of this small Salinas-based family business, a couple looking for a better-for-you snack option for their 2 little girls. Baked (not fried), soy-free and seed-oil free, kosher, and certified gluten-free, CauliPuffs come in 3 delicious varieties which are sure to satisfy children and adults alike.
I also thoroughly enjoyed sampling The Only Bean Edamame Beans (which I reviewed extensively here)…
I am a big fan of mushroom-based snacks (which I covered before), and as such I appreciated being able to try out Instagram sensation Evil Snacks mushroom chips. Made from hand-picked, organic non-gmo whole oyster mushrooms, these vegan chips come in a variety of delicious, wholesome flavors, and provide energy and great protein content. As stated on the Evil Snacks website, “Our farmers hand-pick and curate the mushrooms to ensure only best quality mushrooms make it to our snack bags” – how awesome is that? 🙂
Speaking of Instagram sensation, at the Expo I also came across the super popular and trendy Nude Mints. Described as “the world’s first functional 2-in-1 breath & gut mint,” these Japan-made zero-sugar mints are keto-friendly, sugar-free and gluten-free, and they come in a super cute and portable pocket-size recyclable packaging. So beautiful, precious, and refreshing:
Which of these sweets or snacks have you tried before, or would you try first? Let me know in the comments 🙂
*Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated by any of the companies mentioned or shown in this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.
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