This expo showcases what candies and snacks will soon be on grocery store shelves.
Put on by the National Confectioners Association, the Sweets and Snacks Expo is in full swing from May 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is the expo’s first year in Las Vegas after being in Chicago for more than 25 years.
The expo, which pulled in more than 1,000 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees, brings together brands, buyers and brokers to bring the sweetest treats to consumers worldwide.
Here are the five coolest, sweetest, saltiest, tastiest morsels at the expo.
Jake Shane’s Squishy Sourpuss Gummies with Katjes
Social media superstar Jake Shane has launched a new flavor with Swedish-based candy company Katjes: the Squishy Sourpuss Gummies. After being named chief creative officer for the brand, Shane has been putting the snack in front of U.S. audiences.
Katjes is known for being a vegan candy, using no animal gelatin, giving the sweets a marshmallow-y, gummy texture. The Sourpuss Gummies will be no different, offering bite-sized octopuses coated in a sour powder.
Over the past few years, Shane has become a social media juggernaut, amassing more than 4 million followers on TikTok and interviewing in-demand names in pop culture on his podcast Therapuss, like Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Kacey Musgraves.
Huer’s Cholula Chamoy Tropical Gummy Rings
Canadian brand Huer is bringing the heat with its partnership with spice company McCormick & Company. Combining tropical flavors of mango, watermelon and pineapple, and the heat of Cholula and chamoy, the company created the perfect sweet heat flavor.
“It’s a lot more of a smoky, umami flavor (the chamoy), with the fruit,” said Molly Clinton, head of marketing and U.S. sales. “I think that is really resonating with consumers, plus it’s the number one Mexican hot sauce, so Americans just love it.”
The product was the runner-up for best licensed innovation at the expo.
Additionally, the brand has other McCormick-themed candies, including Frank’s RedHot Spicy Gummy Bears and its newly announced Old Bay crab feast-themed gummies, complete with crab-, shrimp-, crab mallet- and beer-shaped treats.
Collagen-infused popcorn from Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn
Alongside its line of functional popcorns, Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn has launched its Raspberry Rose Beauty + Glow Popcorn. The popcorn includes 3 grams of collagen peptides per serving, with biotin and vitamin E, all wrapped up in a sweet and fruity kernel.
The Beauty + Glow popcorn won the Trailblazer Snack award at the expo, however it is part of a larger functional line. Other flavors include Energy + Focus, Immunity + Wellness, Protein + Gut and Calm + Relax. All of them have different supplements, like caffeine or magnesium, for added benefits.
“We’re the first snack company to come up with a functional line as a salty snack,” said Dror Sharon, CEO and co-founder.
Last year at the expo, the company’s Matcha Latte Popcorn took home the prize for Best in Show during its Most Innovative New Product Awards.
Belle’s products can be found at Walmart and Aldi nationwide.
Min Min Himalayan Salt Candy
From Las Vegas-based company Evil Snacks and Nude Mints comes Min Min Himalayan Salt Candy. Launched at the expo, the minty spheres offer a strong and long-lasting punch of mint.
With the inclusion of Himalayan salt, the spherical hard candy brings a hydration element as well, helping to quench dry mouth.
“I would say it’s probably candy, foremost,” said founder Sean Qadir. “The hydration would be kind of like a secondary benefit for it.”
Qadir was raised in Las Vegas and is a Coronado High School alum; he founded the company in 2020 after living in China for eight years. He and his business partner wanted to bring Asian snack innovations to the U.S., with their first product being Nude Mints, a breath and gut mint.
Min Min is currently not in any retailers, but Nude Mints can be found in around 12,000 stores nationwide.
Issei’s Dark Chocolate Covered Cherry Mochi Gummies
Inspired by her Japanese heritage, founder Mika Shino of Issei started making mochi gummies in her kitchen for her children.
Now her products are in major grocery stores like Whole Foods Market, she has been on the cover of Inc. magazine and just won the Trailblazer Award for her Dark Chocolate Covered Cherry Mochi Gummies.
The gummy’s texture is like the outside doughy coating of mochi, but the dark chocolate-covered cherry flavor has a hardened chocolate coating. The gummies are vegan, with no artificial flavors and colors, made from rice and tapioca, making for a soft and cloud-like chewing experience.
“We’re the first ever to market to create gummies made out of rice and tapioca,” said Shino. “We used rice, because mochi is a very ancient, sacred food in Japan, and it’s very chewy, but it’s a very different kind of chew than a gummy bear.”
While the dark chocolate-covered cherry flavor won the award, the mochi gummies also come in other flavors like peach and sour watermelon.
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.
