Freeze-dried candy and waffle cone snacks are two trends in the confectionery world that are growing in popularity, CSP Daily News found on the trade show floor at the Sweets & Snacks Expo held recently in Indianapolis.
Freeze-dried candy not only takes all the moisture from the candy creating the candy to puff up and offer more flavor, but it’s also a way to make boring candy a lot more fun, Enzo Prina, founder of Space Age Snacks, told CSP Daily News.
After growing a TikTok account to more than one million followers, Prina launched Space Age Snacks in February 2023. The company is based in West Jordan, Utah, and is strictly online. But that is about to change, Prina said.
“Attending the Sweets & Snacks Expo is our jump into retail,” Prina said.
Freeze-dried candy has seen a rise in popularity due to its meteoric rise on TikTok and other social media platforms.
“We're averaging around 10 million views per day on social media,” he said. “We have over five million followers between YouTube and Tiktok.”
But it’s not just the Gen Z crowd enjoying freeze-dried candy. “The younger crowd loves it because it's a lot of fun, but the older crowd loves it because it's the candies that they grew up with, but with different textures,” he said.
Prina hopes his 1.5-ounce bag for 99 cents will soon be available in convenience stores and beyond. “We're trying to make it so that everyone on Earth can taste it,” he said.
With 1.82 million subscribers on YouTube, Salt Lake City, Utah-based TrendyTreats was another booth featuring freeze-dried candy at the Sweets & Snacks Expo. The company features various flavors of freeze-dried candy, including caramel apples and peach rings. The company's website also boasts one billion views of its freeze-dried candy.
Another freeze-dried candy company on the trade show floor was Sow Good Inc. Founded by Claudia and Ira Goldfarb, the Irving, Texas-based company on Monday rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell in Times Square in New York City as the first publicly traded freeze-dried candy company.
In the world of confectionery, freeze-dried candy not only creates a new experience for consumers but earned a top spot at the Sweets & Snacks Expo. Kaysville, Utah-based company Andersen's Crazy Candy, which also makes freeze-dried candy, took the top spot in the seasonal category of The Most Innovative New Product Awards Winners for its peanut brittle flavor.
Waffle cone snacks were another popular trend on the trade show floor. Ames, Iowa-based Muddy Bites, the inventors behind the chocolate-filled mini waffle cone treats, has seen the company growing “significantly,” Ann Leahy, vice president of sales for Muddy Bites, told CSP Daily News on the trade show floor.
“We are going to be launching in about 5,000 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide next month with the company’s newest flavor inspired by Girl Scout Cookie’s Thin Mints,” she said.
The flavor features a cocoa wafer mini cone with mint dark chocolate filling. “Both brands evoke beloved memories of childhood,” said Stephanie Paras, Muddy Bites CEO.
Muddy Bites come in a 2.33-ounce bag and is the brainchild of two college friends from Le Mars, Iowa, a town renowned for its rich ice cream heritage. Inspired by the universally loved, chocolate-filled tip of an ice cream cone, the founders reinvented this concept into a standalone sweet treat.
Also on the trade show floor was New York City-based AYC Naturals, makers of the Only the Tip brand of waffle cone snacks. The company has added new flavors, including S'Mores milk chocolate and Chocolate Mint Chip.
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