Sweet Treat Trends

0:05Welcome to the CPG Week podcast by BevNet and Nosh, your source for the latest food and beverage industry News. I'm Monica Watrous, Managing Editor of NOSH, here with my co-hosts Lucas Southerd and Shauna Golden. If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe on your listening platform of choice. On the podcast today, we are discussing sweet treat trends. And let's start with, we all have a little sample in front of us, the latest offering from Rotten, which is a lower sugar candy brand. We all have our rotten gummy crunchies. Well, I just happen to have my own stash here in Kansas City. I know.

0:45I would like to say I bought these myself. Yeah, I bought my own too. Wow. Well, thanks for sharing, Shauna. I know that it's hard for you to part ways with your sugary treats. I'm excited about these. I haven't tried them yet. Yeah. Well, and the beauty of it is you're getting a lot of fiber when you eat this whole bag and it's there's actually some protein in it too but it's 60 less sugar than probably the comparison would be nerds gummy clusters right and it smells like a you open the bag and i'm like oh it smells like nerds it smells like me at 14 years old getting i don't i don't know if they still make them but there's a box of nerds before they started doing the clusters like a movie theater yeah yeah yeah and you'd crack the thing and you just like and i could eat a whole one of those in a sitting and i don't know how i did that as a kid that's it i mean a whole box shauna's like amateur i think of it now and it makes my stomach hurt thinking about it but it makes my taste buds feel like they're gonna yeah you can't taste anything yeah okay but these are so this is a healthier take on nerds gummy clusters and they're colored with fruits vegetables and superfoods sweetened with allulose and some other lower calorie sweeteners and are and well shauna and i were already fans but lucas is gonna try it for the first time we're gonna also yeah i would i would f with that um these are good especially because i noticed they do have monk fruit and i'm i'm someone who can like when i taste monk fruit just a little bit and anything i'm like there's the monk fruit this like i can tell it's in there but maybe because i read the ingredients but it doesn't taste monk fruity it tastes tastes like a tastes like candy and the texture the texture is perfect like the gummy interior is great and then has a little ring shape i will also point out that i haven't eaten anything all day because it's 9 30 in the morning so this is the first thing i'm eating uh to break my break your fast break my fast uh which is an interesting uh interesting experiment for me as well but this is what i call the breakfast of champions i concur i'm also gonna try something i haven't tried yet which is isei's uh mochi gummies heard a lot about these but for some reason i don't think i've ever tried it this is the sour watermelon i know you're a fan so you can jump in there if you want I'll polish off the bat what is this taste radio I mean hey as long as we're doing it as long as I'm breaking my fast I might as well eat the gummies now and Lucas is making a rare visit to the Newton headquarters so he's in the studio he gets to try all the samples that he normally doesn't get access to yeah I'm just raiding all the fridges here yeah these are good too these are a lot less candy-y and more of like an adult sweet treat like there's a little a little bit of sugar like sweetness to it but not like it's gonna blow your taste buds out like the rotten will probably do when I eat the whole thing.

3:48I like them. I like them both. Yeah. Both winners. Both great brands in different ways. And are they both going to be at Sweets and Snacks next month, Shawna? They will both be at Sweets and Snacks. I'm excited for that. You get to go see them and get more samples. I need a separate suitcase. Yes. Yeah. I've heard of people sending boxes home. Oh. That is a good idea. Don't give her any bad ideas. Hello, that's a good idea. So we're talking about snacks and sweet treats today. And Lucas, you just wrote about a brand that is taking on Big Jell-O. The name of the brand is Oddball. Can you tell us more?

4:29Yeah, so it pairs really nicely with the gummies we're having because this is in the same family as gummies. This is a jelly, a fruit-based jiggly treat, I think is how she described it, or a jiggly fruit-based snack. But yes, it's the plant-based version of Jell-O. And so it was founded by a former Estee Lauder strategy director whose name is Sophia Chang. She grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong. And as she told me in our interview, she always had a soft spot for junk food. But as she got older, realized that like at a certain point, you can't just eat junk food all the time as an adult and feel good.

5:15And so she, going back to her roots, wanted to develop something that was similar to what she would have when she was growing up as a kid, which is kind of like a fruit as a dessert, but in a form that might be better for you, but recognizable to the American consumer. Hence, Oddball was formed. And so what's interesting to me about Oddball is that it is carrying on a trend that we've kind of seen building in the last couple of years of this alt gelatin kind of category. What Oddball uses for its jelly making ingredients is agar and locust bean gum, locust bean gum. For some reason, I can't say that, which makes it vegan friendly because gelatin often comes from animal sources.

6:02But you're also seeing that in konjac coming out, a lot of different kind of seaweeds that are being used as binders. And so what this is doing is bringing a kind of clean label version using these ingredients that are pretty well known in Asia and bring it to the American consumer to make something that is very recognizable in the Kraft Heinz brand Jell-O, which we all grew up with. and kind of trying to position itself as the better for you version of Jell-O. I thought it was interesting how she used the term catfishing to describe how certain foods are masquerading as healthy. And we've been talking about permissible indulgence as a trend for years.

6:45But I was having a conversation yesterday with the senior leadership team at Mattson. and the term healthier-ish has been kind of used around there as a way to describe a lot of new products that are coming to market. They may not be healthy, but they're just slightly better for you. Maybe they include a functional ingredient, maybe they have a little bit less sugar, or maybe they have some more protein. And I know these are all trends that, Shauna, you're expecting to see at Sweets and Snacks. Yeah, the catfishing comment was interesting. It was something she said when she was talking about trying to find an alternative to a chip or a candy bar.

7:26And she said, you know, you have protein bars pretending to be cookies and you have protein shakes pretending to be milkshakes, which I think is very true. a lot of times you you get these products like oh it's got 15 grams of protein in it but it's basically trying to be a snickers bar and that blurring the lines can be hard to do well but i think oddball has a has a nice little lane they've carved out for themselves protein is definitely a huge trend right now obviously we're also seeing that in candy uh sweets and snacks the exhibitor list i've looked at uh certainly has a lot there's chocotene protein chocolate hornbill's trombles which officially launched last week that has 10 grams of protein per bar and then there is a brand called straight up protein candy um it's a protein infused from what i can tell it is like a protein infused starburst which i thought was kind of interesting I actually tried protein candy at either Expo West or Winter Fancy Food earlier this year.

8:29And yeah, it was, you know, it's a different texture. It's not exactly like a Starburst, but, you know, it's one way to get your protein. I don't know. Some of us just like to eat chicken, but. I guess my biggest question is, like, what's the use occasion? Like, what is the use occasion for this? When are you consuming protein candy in your day? Well, we've had this conversation a lot about the prebiotic soda category on this show because, you know, I don't know how many people are looking to get fiber from their soft drinks, but it seems unnecessary. And it goes back to that that descriptor of healthier ish.

9:07If there's some kind of attribute that makes something seem a little bit functional, if it if it delivers a little bit more value, then people feel more comfortable and include indulging in it. Yeah, I don't think people are going out of their way to be like, I am looking for a protein candy. But if they're standing in a grocery store, convenience store, and they're looking at a Hornbulls Chornbulls, barring its unfortunate name, and a Snickers bar, they're probably they're going to be like, oh, well, this has a lot of protein and it will hopefully taste the same. So I'm going to grab that because it can catfish you into believing that it's more healthy.

9:47Spoiler alert, it doesn't taste the same. But also, I will say Snickers does have a high protein Snickers. It sure does. They do. I didn't know that. Way to go, Snickers. Yeah. They're good. It tastes just like a Snickers bar. Wow. Okay. I will seek that out. No, but I mean, I think it's reflective of general trends across the food industry. We're seeing protein being added to numerous applications from pasta sauce to pancake mixes. and there is an obsession with protein in America and Americans are certainly not deficient in protein. We're deficient in fiber, but that's, uh, that's something we'll get to a little bit later in this episode, but people are really drawn to these protein claims regardless of what category it's coming from.

10:32And regardless of it's really high quality bioavailable protein with a PD cast score of whatever. I mean, there's just, it's, it's not really nutritious, but people are still intrigued by it. Shauna, are there other things that you're looking forward to at sweets and snacks? I will like to point out that I don't like the fact that it's sweets and snacks because those are two very different categories, as Monica and I have argued at length. But what else have you heard or are you looking forward to seeing there? Well, to that point, let me just say, yeah, it's kind of weird. you go down an aisle and there might be a candy brand and then right next to it is a meat stick brand so you know there's certainly a variety of products are you listening monica are you listening right now i'm sorry monica but uh one of the trends that i'm looking most forward to is freeze-dried candy which sort of took off on tiktok started off as a tiktok trend uh i think in like 2022 really blew up last year and it wasn't necessarily something i thought would continue to gain traction, but it has.

11:37We've seen bigger brands like Hershey with their freeze-dried Jolly Rancher and Mars with Skittles popped, you know, sort of also capitalize on that trend. So that's something I'm certainly looking forward to. It's projected to reach$2.4 billion by 2030. So the freeze-dried candy category. You wrote a really good story last year about So Good and how they pivoted from the freeze-dried fruits and vegetables into freeze-dried candy, and that just took the business into the stratosphere. So they had their own manufacturing plant, which really allowed them to make the pivot, and it certainly took off.

12:16That was sort of, I guess, as the movement was gaining traction is when they relaunched it. They went public last year, and it seems they've been doing really well and continue to do well. So, I mean, for a TikTok doctrine. I feel like sometimes they don't stick around, but that is certainly one that I think has staying power. Yeah. Well, I think people in general are drawn to different textures and experiences and that freeze-dried, I know my nine and 12-year-old nieces are obsessed with freeze-dried candy. So it has a lot of appeal with younger generations. For sure. And what I think is funny, I don't know if you guys, when you were younger, tried quote unquote astronaut food, like freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches.

12:53I was never into it, but I can get behind freeze-dried candy I think it brings out the flavor have you guys tried freeze-truck candy oh yeah I think I had so good at expo last year I want to say I like that there is a different texture to it I think there's been such a chewy has always been part of uh especially the like candy candy like the fruit flavored candies that having that crunchy light texture is good uh Monica brought up a good point when we were talking before we started recording about the problem with freeze dried candy though is that it's so light that you feel like you can eat more than you normally would which i think would be a dangerous game for some of us who have less willpower than others that's a good point uh shauna what other trends are you expecting to see at sweets and snacks i was sort of expecting to see cocoa alternatives especially as we've seen with prices for cocoa surging you know over the past year or year and a half and I haven't really seen any at least on the exhibitor list but I will say that brands like Blue Stripes will be there and for anyone who's not familiar with Blue Stripes they use 70 % of the cacao fruit that's typically discarded during the typical chocolate making process so what they're doing is really interesting and I think brands are doing what they can it'll certainly be interesting to see sort of who's feeling the squeeze from the surging prices.

14:20I would assume it's everyone. Yeah. I mean, the packaging to ingredients, there's going to be probably a lot of tariff talk on the show floor and just all of the challenges related to supply chain shocks and rising costs of goods across the board. For sure. Well, speaking of upcycled ingredients, it's interesting you mentioned Blue Stripes and that's a great brand that's doing some really cool things with a sustainability lens. I wrote this week about Flora, which is Jenny Britton's second act. Jenny is the founder of Jenny's Splendid Ice Creams, and her latest brand is focused on gut health. The initial offering is a line of bars called Fruit Crush Bars.

15:03They're pressed and made with fruits and seeds, but the ingredient deck is really interesting. some of the sources of fiber in the product are overlooked plant parts like watermelon rinds and apple cores. And so the aim of the brand is to not only get more fiber in American diets, as 95 % of Americans are actually deficient in fiber or they're not eating enough fruits and vegetables, but also to divert millions of pounds of fresh produce waste from landfills. That's definitely an interesting concept. Have you tried them? I have tried them. There's some really good flavors. You know, Jenny in her ice cream line is known for some really adventurous flavors.

15:49And the Fruit Crush Bar line seems to be themed around tea flavors. So are these kind of like fruit leathers? They're not fruit leathers. They're like pressed fruit bars. So almost like a Lara bar that it's like fruit-based, but it also has like seeds in it and some other ingredients to add texture and fiber. Everything in there is sort of selected intentionally for fiber content. But some of the flavors are brambleberry lavender, blueberry matcha, mango cardamom, raspberry rose, and vanilla rooibos. They're going to be introducing some more flavors in the coming months as well, but these products are available on the brand's website and at several independent grocers, as well as Foxtrot Market and Pop-Up Grocer.

16:38That's where I was able to snag some bars. So really interesting pivot or departure from an indulgent category like ice cream, getting into the functional snacking set. But certainly a standout among a sea of protein-heavy offerings. So excited to see where that brand goes. And insiders can read more at Nosh.com. The story is called Ice Cream Pints to Apple Coors, Jenny Britton's Second Act. And here are some other notable bits of news from the week. Zero sugar moves in the Yerba Mate category. A conversation with Kodiak CEO Val Oswalt. And why modern pantry staple maker Not Just Co. shut down.

17:25For these stories and more, become an insider at BevNet and Nosh. That wraps up this edition of CPG Week by Bevna and Nosh. Thank you to our audio engineer, Joshua Pratt. Our director is Mike Schneider, and our designer is Aaron Willett. If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe on your listening platform of choice, and we will see you next time.