Product of the Year Unveils 2023 Candy, Snack, Beverage Winners

Product of the Year USA, a consumer-voted awards program centered around product innovation, unveiled this year’s winners across 36 categories. Each of the Product of the Year winners is determined through a national study of 40,000 American shoppers in partnership with Kantar, a consumer research company.

“Product of the Year is more valuable now than ever,” said Mike Nolan, global CEO of Product of the Year management. “The level of access consumers have to products today is unprecedented—far beyond retail aisles, they have [direct-to-consumer] options, grocery delivery in the palm of their hands and they can watch their favorite influencer review items they’re considering purchasing in real time. Product of the Year is an established and increasingly relevant resource for CPG companies, helping their products stand out and be understood and trusted by their customers.”

Click through for the product winners found in convenience stores …

Haribo of America Inc., Rosemont, Illinois, released Berry Clouds in November.

The triple-layered gummies come in cloud shapes in an assorted variety of three flavors, including blueberry, wildberry and strawberry.

They are available in small, medium and large peg bag sizes.

Takis, which is part of Barcel USA, Horsham, Pennsylvania, the snack division of Grupo Bimbo, won a spot on the list with its Hot Nuts Fuego pack.

The peanuts have hot chili pepper and lime flavoring and come in 3.2- and 15-ounce resealable bags.

PepsiCo’s nitrogen-infused beverage, Nitro Pepsi, took the prize for best soft drink.

The new drink launched on March 28 in two flavors—Draft Cola and Vanilla Draft Cola.

Nitro Pepsi is available in single-serve and four-pack varieties, and the newly designed cans use widget technology to create smaller bubbles infused with nitrogen. According to Purchase, New York-based PepsiCo, it is best consumed cold and poured into a glass without ice or a straw.