You know I love my snacks and sweets. I had the opportunity to attend the National Confectioner’s Association (NCA) Sweets & Snacks Expo again. This was my sixth year attending. The percentage of healthy snacks and candies with organic ingredients has grown exponentially. There are still many traditional candies, but snacks are big and the healthy trends were very visible. Like Expo West, I noticed a ton of meat products, savory snacks – especially umami / Asian flavors and lots of Keto chocolate and candy products. [Check out my Instagram recap of faves here and see my story highlights under Sweets/Snacks ’19.]
The show is three days. I was able to go for most of day 2 and a few hours on day 3. I made a handful of appointments and reviewed the exhibitor list to try to get to see brands that I like and want to try.
I started on the smaller side with the Innovation Alley. It wasn’t as crowded or as large so I was able to tackle the whole thing before my first meeting. I broke the seal with delicious Cinnamon Horchata chocolate and Coffee and Cream cups from Theo Chocolate. I said “hi” to my friends from Pan’s Mushroom Jerky. Then I met the guys from Chinook Seedery. They make small batch sunflower seeds with less salt and fun flavors. I swung by to say hi to Munk Pack and Rayzyn. Be on the look out for mini cookie backs from the former and dark chocolate truffles from Rayzyn!
I stopped by to check out Chum Fruit Bites. These all natural British fruit bites taste great and support Wildaid. They have adorable animals for each flavor, too! They gave me a bunch to share. I tried delicious tempura seaweed snacks from Nora Seaweed Snacks [seaweed and Asian flavors were all over the snack category this year] and then visited with my friends from Undercover Quinoa.
I ran into Tyler from Kalahari Biltong and grabbed a photo and some biltong. Then I saw The Smart Co. and told them how much I love their better for you toaster cakes. They gave me some to share and stay tuned for more to come! I professed my love to the folks at 34 Degrees Sweet Crisps for their Cinnamon Crisps and then checked out new Brazilian all fruit bars from Ekoa.
I chatted with Honey Stinger and grabbed some goodies for my race this weekend. Then, I stopped by Perugina and told them that Baci was my mom’s fave. They gave me a bag to send her! So nice. I stopped by Alter Eco to try their new Super Dark bar. They loaded me up with truffles, a bar and some Super Dark Coconut Clusters to try and share. The Super Dark only has 3g of sugar per serving and it’s so smooth. I love it!
I headed over to the main hall. I spun the wheel at Endangered Species Chocolate and got a $10 donation to The Gorilla Fund. They also gave me 2 of their new Duoz bars. I met the farmers from Landcrafted Food and they’re going to send a bunch of yummy meat sticks for a giveaway. I checked out the lovely branding from Tamalitoz and they gave me some sweet and savory candies to try. I also tried Figgin’ Fruit – poppables that taste like Fig Newtons. The size is perfect!
I went to check out the innovations at Ferrero USA. I tried the new X-Freeze Strong Mints from Tic Tac. They’re larger and mintier. They were perfect for post coffee. Then, I got some grab & go Nutella snack packs and checked out the Ferrero Golden Gallery. It’s a box of candy where there are no bad choices!
I met Vinay from Nomba. I love their vegan gummies in unique flavors. Hot Guava is my fave. They’re working on some sport gummies, too, so stay tuned! I grabbed some Pocky for Molly and then headed over to the Specialty Market where a lot of natural snack brands are showcased.
I met Matt from Rind Snacks. They make dried fruit snacks with the peel. They say, “Keep it Real. Eat the Peel.” I especially love the Persimmon. I saw Wholesome Sweets and went over to thank them for sending some better for you candy my way. I tried their new Brittle Thins. OMG so good! They’re available on online.
I went over to meet with Nature’s Bakery. You may have seen that they’ve rebranded. I love their new look. They gave me some of their new Oatmeal Crumble bars to check out. I grabbed some of my Fig Bar faves, as well. I stopped by to say hi to Tom from Tom & Jenny’s. They make caramels that are no sugar but taste great. Jenny’s a dentist and it was her mission to create a tooth friendly candy. I’ve tried these in a Love with Food box and they’re delish!
I had the opportunity to meet with the brand team from Nordi. Nordi is a US line from the Finnish company Fazer. The branding is very outdoorsy and shows the country in Finland. The flavors mix some of Finland’s unique tastes with familiar tastes in dark chocolate for the American palate. I liked them all but the Raspberry and Tangy Licorice and Hazelnut and Campsite Coffee were my faves. They’re coming out with snacking thins in the fall – stay tuned!
At end the day, I visited with my friends from Justin’s. I tried the delicious new Coconut Almond butter and had some Cashew Butter cups -YUM! It was fun sharing some of my finds with them. Then, I visited with other friends like Chomps, Supernola and Gorilly Goods and then it was time to go. I also grabbed two Twinkies on the way out for The Husband as is our tradition.
Day 1 Haul:
I had a few hours to spend at the show on the final day. That’s the day when people give out all of the candy and snacks so they don’t have to ship it home. The challenge is that you can only have one bag. I tried to be strategic with my “takes.” I did get some new Hazenut Spread M&Ms, a fun M&M minis almond chocolate bar, Snickers and a Dove bar. Also, I got some TastyCakes Krimpets. Those were my favorite growing up!
I started out by visiting 88 Acres. I missed them in the Innovations section the day before. I tried all of the new seed butters. The Vanilla Sunflower is still my fave. I got some samples to share and some bars, too! Then, I went to quickly walk candy and to finish The Specialty Market where most of the natural and healthier snacks are.
I visited Promotion in Motion to check out the new Welch’s Fruit Snacks. They have Superfruit mix now! I also checked out the Gummi Mixes and some fun innovations from Sunmaid.
In the Specialty Market, I visited some of my faves and made some new finds. I stopped by at Truth Bar, Biena Chickpea Puffs and SeaSnax. Then I tried some Fusion Jerky. Their Turkey with Rosemary tastes like Thanksgiving! Then, I visited Vermont Smoke and Cure and Skinny Dipped and grabbed some samples to share.
I visited with my friends at Bubba’s Fine Foods. I grabbed all the snacks and admired their new branding. Then I checked out the new meat sticks line at Country Archer. They have minis coming to Costco. My new fave was the Pork with Pineapple. It’s so tender and you can see the pineapple! I met the lovely ladies from Yoga Pops. Their new lotus seed snacks have unique flavors from a James Beard award winning Ayurvedic chef. Stay tuned for more from them!
I checked out innovations from Smashmallow and From the Ground Up. Smashmallow is coming out with chocolate dipped marshmallows in Cold Brew and Raspberry. Both were delicious! From the Ground Up has new star shaped crackers – like goldfish. So cool! I swung by Epic Provisions to get my buffalo pic. I also tried their new (coming soon) egg and protein bars. They were delish!!
My last new find was Lebby chickpea snacks. I was excited to try these after seeing them everywhere on the ‘gram. The honey sesame was my favorite. I grabbed all of the chocolate samples, too! Stay tuned for more from Lebby, too!
I said goodbye to many friends and then headed out. It was really fun to catch up with so many people that I know in the natural space and to try some sweet treats, too!
Day 2 Haul:
Stay tuned for some great giveaways in the weeks to come! I promise I will share the majority of this haul.
What do you want to try most? What is your favorite candy or snack?
Please note: I was provided with samples at no cost in exchange for an honest review/mention. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. I received a free entry to the Sweets and Snacks show as a member of the “media.” All opinions are my own.