Candy Industry staff works hard to bring our readers breaking news plus new products, equipment, ingredients, and more throughout the year.
As of the time of this writing (mid-December 2024), our "Candy Industry" topic tag—since Candy Industry is technically a microsite of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery—received about 335,500 pageviews, with 7,179 articles published!
The top ten most-read articles of the year, however, may surprise you.
Without further ado, going from #10 to #1:
10.
OCHO Candy ceases operations as of February 1
OCHO Candy's Vice President of Sales and Marketing Todd Kluger announced that the company would not longer be in business.
"OCHO Candy 2010-2024. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway from The Sun Also Rises, 'How did your company end?' 'Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly,'" Kluger lamented.
The company went kaput due to a lack of funding, Kluger said, not "from a lack of character, creativity, or hard work ethic that all of the employees exemplified."
9.
IT'SUGAR introduces Retro Sours
IT'SUGAR introduced Retro Sours in September. The nostalgic treats, part of IT’SUGAR’s expansive retro candy assortment, will instantly transport consumers back to the days of enjoying their favorite sweets, per the brand.
Instagram influencer @Snackolator broke the news on September 1, saying:
"Altoids Sours are... back?! Here's a release that should make a LOT of you happy!"
8.
Blommer Chocolate to close Chicago facility
In March, Chicagoans were sad to hear the news that Blommer would be closing its Chicago plant, with many lamenting about it on LinkedIn. The Chicago facility was the original (1939) manufacturing plant of the Blommer group. The location and age of the Chicago facility, coupled with increasing repair and maintenance of the building and equipment, =elevated operating costs and created production reliability issues.
7.
Kinder Joy debuts Harry Potter Funko Pop! collection
In April, Ferrero North America partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and Funko for a collection of Harry Potter Kinder Joy Eggs. The limited-edition lineup included two pencil toppers, two sticky notes, two bookmarks and 10 Funko figurines that include Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, and more.
6.
Talking novelty candy trends with Amos Sweets
In February, Candy Industry Senior Editor Liz Parker chatted with Amos Ma, president and founder, Amos Sweets, about consumers trends in the novelty candy category—and how the company likes to set the trends.
5.
Trolli launches LTO collectible gummy packs with Xbox
Ferrara's Trolli brand furthered its commitment to gaming again through a new partnership with Xbox. In September, gaming and gummy fans were able to purchase four limited-edition collectible Trolli Sour Brite Crawler packs, inspired by World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, Sea of Thieves, and The Elder Scrolls Online.
4.
Mike and Ike creates packaging for NY Knicks' Josh Hart
In April, NY Knicks star Josh Hart was caught eating Just Born's Mike and Ike candy while doing a press conference and then tweeted that he would love to have his face on a Mike and Ike box. Per the brand, it’s long been known that Mike and Ike is the sweetest part of Josh’s pre- and post- game ritual, so the candy brand acted quickly to make Josh’s dreams come true: Mike and Ike created and shipped custom only-for-Josh candy boxes with his face on the front and back.
3.
Joyride launches low-sugar sour strips
YouTube sensation Ryan Trahan, boasting 14.6 million subscribers, joined forces with better-for-you candy startup Joyride to announce the market's first low-sugar sour strips. In November, the company was acquired by The Hershey Company.
2.
2024 Global Top 100 candy companies show sweet resilience despite rising ingredient prices
The leader on this year’s Global Top 100 was Mondelēz International, coming in at $36 billion in revenue. Make sure to check out the full list of companies at the link above.
1.
Haribo teams up with Donald Driver, Marquez Valdes-Scantling on football commercial
Haribo partnered with professional athletes Donald Driver and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to put their own spin on the brand's newest commercial, this time inspired by America's favorite game: football. In addition to their love of Haribo gummies, Driver and Valdes-Scantling both have had successful football careers in Wisconsin, the homestate of Haribo's only U.S. manufacturing facility.
