 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Candy expo helps guide confectioners CHICAGO, Illinois - (Monday, October 01, 2007) — Their faces twisted in pain and distress, several men in dark suits sucked on samples of the extremely sour candy Toxic Waste. The men were gathered Sept. 17 at the Candy Dynamics booth at the All Candy Expo in Chicago's McCormick Center. "There's a garbage can over there, gentleman, but kids love it," said Tomi Holt, representing Candy Dynamics. Candy buyers and sellers from around the world came together for three days at the All Candy Expo to figure out what new candies would appeal to children and adults -- and how their companies could profit. Would it be the Lava Bar, gourmet molten chocolate billed on the package as "the world's first pre-melted chocolate bar"? Or would it be Dubble Bubble's Painterz, balls of gum that paint the chewer's tongue vivid red, orange or blue? About 20,000 people attended the All Candy Expo, the largest confectionery show in North America. The show boasted at least 2,000 new products and had 500 exhibitors from 75 countries hawking everything from Brach's Gummy Plus, gummy candy with electrolytes and antioxidants, to Muy Muy Snacks' chili powder-dusted gummy products, a favorite of Latino children. Companies did their best to attract buyers. Pearson Candy Company, famous for its Nut Roll, Bun Bar and Nut Goodie, drew small gatherings of people with a performing magician. The chocolate company Lindt displayed a smart car -- a car powered by electricity as well as gas -- that was painted gold and outfitted with a pair of ears in the rear, reminiscent of the company's gold-foil-wrapped chocolate bunny. Pez Candy attracted attention with a colorful motorcycle, the Juicy Fruit Charger, made up of Pez-shaped components. "It sounds like a jet engine when you start it up," said Peter Vandall, vice president of marketing and sales for Pez. Ghirardelli Chocolate, which introduced its Prestige line of chocolate bars at the expo, passed around individual plates with a trio of cupcakes on them that had buttercream frosting infused with the fillings from the new mint, raspberry and caramel chocolate bars. The company had hired a chef to create the recipes, then hired a Chicago-area caterer to create the cupcakes and pass them out. Interactive candy -- candy that stimulates a variety of senses -- was not limited to the children's market. The San Diego company Chuao Chocolatier, which made its first appearance at the expo, introduced ChocoPods for adults. These bonbons, shaped like cocoa pods, have complex fillings of sweet, sour, spicy and salty flavors. The Modena ChocoPod is dark chocolate with a strawberry, balsamic-vinegar and caramel filling. The Picante ChocoPod is dark chocolate with a Cabernet-wine, caramel and picante-pepper filling. "Our vision is to arouse the senses," said Chuao co-owner Michael Antonorsi about the beautiful chocolate aroma, lingering flavor and slight spicy heat of the picante ChocoPod. "It's like entertainment -- not just sweet, but about layers (of flavor) and a physical reaction." Some companies from foreign countries saw the expo as an opportunity to break into the American market. The soft licorice of Australia's Darrell Lea, for instance, generated buzz among buyers, and it has been popular in Australia for 50 years. No sweet tooth? The show also opened its doors for the first time to companies that offer savory snacks, and that's because about 90 percent of confectionery buyers also purchase related snacks, according to the National Confectioners Association, which sponsored the expo. Sahale Snacks showed up with a snack mix of walnuts, dried blueberries, coconut and ginger, kissed with lavender and vanilla. The Lemon Peanuts at the Island Snacks Inc. booth had pucker power because of a little citric acid. "They look so calming," said Alin Berk, co-owner of Island Snacks. "Everyone thinks they're everyday peanuts at first." |
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INTERVIEW WITH KEN BERKE: LOWDOWN ON THE LAVA BAR CHICAGO CANDY EXPO HELPS GUIDE CONFECTIONERS LAVA-BAR™ POSTER CAMPAIGN WINS SILVER CLIO™ AWARD OMNI HOTELS INCLUDE LAVA BARS™ AS PART OF THEIR SENSATIONAL WEDNESDAYS PACKAGE OMNI HOTELS SELECT GUEST® MEMBERS STATE APPRECIATION IS APPRECIATED GUESS WHAT'S GOING INTO THE GIFT BAGS AT THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS LAVA BAR™ SWEEPS CANDY AWARDS AT NACS SHOW CSNEWS KNOWS TEENS AND HOT NEW PRODUCTS TEENS SPOT TRENDS IN CANDY AND SNACKS CONVENIENCE STORE NEWS AWARDS THE LAVA BAR™ "BEST NEW PRODUCT OF 2006" CONSUMERS OFFER ENTHUSIASTIC PRAISE AS THEY ENJOY "THE WORLD'S FIRST LIQUID CHOCOLATE BAR" LAVA BARS MAKE EDITOR'S PICK IN PROGRESSIVE GROCER MAGAZINE LAVA BARS MAKE KOSHER DEBUT AT JEWZAPALOOZA LAVA BARS MAKE GRAND APPEARANCE IN EMMY GIFT BAGS CANDY INDUSTRY AND BLOGS NOTE LAVA BAR DEBUT MONARCHY COLLECTION FASHION SHOW INTRODUCES LAVA BARS CANINE FASHION SHOW GETS FIRST TASTE OF LAVA BARS COMMENTS FROM CONSUMERS
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