- 1,000 exhibitors – a show record!
- 300+ first-time exhibitors
- 16,000 attendees
- 250,000+ square feet of show floor
- 25+ countries represented
The Most Innovative New Product Awards included 13 categories showcasing groundbreaking ideas, concepts, and products across the candy and snack industries. Nerdy Nuts Avalanche Peanut Butter Treat took home the top award for most innovative new product. Nerdy Nuts also won in the “Sweet Snacks” category with their Banana Cream Pie Peanut Butter Treat.
1. Enhancing special moments and occasions: Companies are meeting consumers where they want to be met with innovative new products to celebrate the big four seasons and a variety of package size options that can brighten any occasion, from the Super Bowl to summer barbecues to Halloween – and everything in between. Candy and snacks enhance special moments, including family traditions, social gatherings, and seasonal celebrations.
2. Social media stars: Candy and snacks take the spotlight on social media as consumers share their favorite innovations – you can expect the upcoming buzz on TikTok and Instagram to include interactive and gamified products.
- LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW
I do not like licorice because I find its taste way too strong and medicinal. Having tried Lakrids by Bülow, I am now a believer 🙂 The delicate, perfectly tuned mélange of passion fruit and licorice flavors I sampled in Indianapolis was like nothing I had tried before. This is a fantastic high quality product, with impressive credentials, ready for a global audience.
- Alter Eco
- Nick’s
In 2014, Niclas “Nick” Luthman was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic, so he was forced to change his diet and lifestyle. “A mechanical engineer by trade, Nick’s self-taught food engineering skills paid off after thousands of experiments. He started on a path to tasty treats that didn’t need to compromise flavor for healthiness.” After turning down the down the offer of Chief Food Engineer for the Swedish Space Agency (wow!), Nick focused exclusively on building his business of delicious, good-for-you treats, with impressive results. I loved sampling Nick’s vegan, low-carb and keto friendly bars at the Sweets & Snacks Expo. Crunchy whole roasted peanuts layered with chewy caramel and rich chocolate? Yes, please 🙂
- Uglies
- Neptune
Sophisticated fish jerky for snacking? Why not? 🙂 After working for Stanford in marine science and sustainable aquaculture, Neptune’s Founder Nick Mendoza “became obsessed with inspiring people to fight for a better global seafood industry through something they could hold, touch, and taste.” Neptune helps to reduce seafood waste, support local wild-caught fisheries, and mobilize consumers to build a better food system.
Neptune fish jerky is crafted with fresh, sustainable, and natural ingredients, and it is gluten-free, preservative free, dairy-free, nut free, and non-GMO. I was very impressed with the flavor of these snacks, and with the transparency of the business and its overall mission.
- Vermont Smoke & Cure
Vermont Smoke & Cure is an artisanal smokehouse based in Hinesburg, Vermont, known for high-quality, gluten-free meat snacks. Their products are made without sodium nitrites, artificial colors, preservatives or flavors, and they use real spices and ingredients. They are all free from MSG and major allergens (milks, eggs, gluten, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts and soy).
I thoroughly enjoyed stopping by the Vermont Smoke & Cure booth and familiarizing myself with their products and their underpinning principles. I am particularly impressed with their use of spices and responsibly grown meats, and I am excited about the animal welfare standards they uphold.
- AshaPops
Having written about popped water lily seeds before in connection to the Sweets & Snacks Expo, I was excited to come across another small business offering these scrumptious healthy treats. A woman-owned company with a heartwarming story, AshaPops makes Ayurveda-inspired plant-based superfood alternatives to traditional snacking puffs and popcorn. The popped seeds come in 4 delicious varieties that are vegan, free of gluten and corn, and non-GMO.
I loved stopping by the AshaPops booth and connecting with Asha and her son, and I look forward to continuing to support their delicious wholesome mission.
- SENECA
My family and I are big fans of SENECA Apple Chips healthy snacks, and I was super excited to meet their reps at the Sweets & Snacks Expo. SENECA Apple Chips “are 100% grown and harvested from orchards located in the fertile, rich volcanic soils of the Pacific Northwest’s Yakima Valley region in Washington State. Seneca’s apples are hand-picked and then selected for their firmness, perfect color and refreshingly sweet, juicy taste and crisp texture.”
I did not know Seneca made so many kinds of apple chips, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more and to sample. Granny Smith chips are my new favorite. Have you tried these chips before?
- Newfangled Confections
Interacting with small local businesses is one of the most exciting features of the Sweets & Snacks Expo. Indianapolis-based Newfangled Confections is a case in point 🙂
Newfangled Confections represents candy-maker Carrie Abbott’s modern take on grandma’s candy dish favorites “inspired by fond childhood memories that included many trips with her grandfather to Hook’s Drugstore in the late 1970s.”
Newfangled Confections is based in Indianapolis, where Carrie lives with her husband and two daughters. Since its launch, this handcrafted candy company has had an incredible journey from “small batch” to “big box,” and it is now available in major retailers. I tried Newfangled Confections’ Frittles (a combination of peanut fudge and brittle) and I loved them! Talk about delicious, difficult-to-stop-eating treats 🙂
- Tastelli
You may remember me writing about konjac jelly snacks before. At this year’s Expo, I was excited to discover a new business (new to me) that makes these healthy and delicious treats: Tastelli. Founded by three grad school friends (Jet, James, and JK) who struggled to find healthy and affordable snacks, Tastelli are made with sugar-free, low calorie, plant-based, and better-for-you ingredients, and they are deliciously portable and very refreshing.
Tastelli Konjac Jelly “is a snack in the morning, at night, in between meals, or whenever you want.” As stated on their website, “Everyone should indulge in snacks throughout the day, but there is no reason why snacks can’t be good for you.” I agree wholeheartedly 🙂
Here’s a roundup of the latest product offerings from companies I wrote about before:
- TCHO
One of my all-time favorite chocolate brands (reviewed here and here), TCHO launched a line of single bars:
- Chocxo
- Endangered Species
Indianapolis-based Endangered Species (reviewed here) showcased their Dip’n Joy range of dark chocolate batons & dips for on-the-go, delicious and convenient enjoyment:
- Frooze Balls
Frooze Balls (one of my favorite finds at last year’s Expo) introduced their Apple, Strawberry and Orange varieties:
- Crunchy Rollers
Crunchy Rollers (reviewed here) debuted their Apple Cinnamon and Original Brown Rice varieties:
- BeeFree Warrior Mix
BeeFree Warrior Snack Mix (reviewed here) presented their new Apple Caramel and Salted Caramel mini bars:
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Overall, I had an amazing time at this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo. I was looking forward to seeing how the Expo would perform in the next host city Indianapolis, and the experience surpassed my expectations. I connected, I learned, I enjoyed, and I made delicious memories. See you all next year 🙂
*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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