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 seventh year attending. One change this year was that the show was in Indianapolis instead of Chicago. I signed up and decided since I was vaccinated I’d make it a road trip and stay overnight. In addition to the show, I went on a running tour with Reena from Go! Running Tours and checked out the new Bottleworks District. It was a mini-vacay and great to do something new. (Check out more info on the run tour here.)
Since 2014, 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. In terms of trends, lower/no sugar added, Keto and low carb (for snacks) led the way. I was excited to see a lot of pretzels and popcorns and yummy chocolate with naturally low sugar (and no weird stuff). [Check out my Instagram recap of faves here and see my story highlights under Sweets/Snacks ’21.]
The show is three days. I went for about half the day for days 1 and 2. Due to COVID, there were fewer vendors but still over 400 companies. I only made a couple of appointments but I checked out the exhibitor list in advance to make sure I saw the companies and products I’m most interested in.
After a COVID health check, I checked in and went to the main hall. It wasn’t as large, crowded or as “WOW” as the Chicago show, but it was a good way to dip my toe in the water. There was a mask policy, but it seemed like most people who were vaccinated were not wearing them. I wore mine for a while and then went with the flow.
I started in the main hall and decided to go aisle by aisle. The first place I stopped to chat was at Sunny Fruit. They make delicious dried fruits and have a new fruit and nut snack called “Have a Ball.” I’m looking forward to trying those out! I then chatted with Werner Jerky. They make jerky, nuts and candy in Tillamook, Oregon. They shared their new 0 sugar added line and hooked me up with some samples. More to come from them soon!
I checked out and grabbed some new flavors of Wonderful Pistachios. Then I met the team from G2G Bar. They make high protein, gluten free energy bars with no preservatives. They gave me all the flavors to try so stay tuned for more to come. I grabbed some sweets in my rambles and then saw my friends from Frooze Balls. I’ve been working with them for a few years, but we’ve never met in real life. It was so great to make a personal connection.
I swung by Jelly Belly as their founder was sharing a story about durian jelly beans. I agreed to try one. It was… in a word, disgusting! Luckily, I walked by Pur and they gave me some delicious new Spearmint Three gum. I saw Papa’s Pops – Skinless Popcorn which I tried in a subscription box. They remove the skin and then pop the corn. This is perfect for people with braces or who have trouble digesting the hull. They have six yummy flavors. More to come from Papa’s Pops soon. I headed over to grab my annual photo with Twinkie the Kid and to get Twinkies for The Husband.
I went out to check out the other large section of exhibits. I ran into some folks with $2 bills on their name tags. They told me they were from Tru Fru. I went over to get mine. I tried their amazing frozen fruit covered in chocolate. I’d only tried the freeze dried versions before. The frozen products were off the hook! They’re going to send me all of the varieties to try and we’re going to organize a giveaway. Stay tuned! I saw the folks from a Chicagoland fave, SuckerPunch Gourmet. They make awesome pickles and shelf stable pickle pouches. They’ve already sent me a dozen of each!
I stopped by to check out Endangered Species Chocolates sculpture and to say hi to my friends from Snack Pop. Then I went to meet with American Licorice Co. to check out their new “better for you” options from Red Vines Made Simple line, Torie and Howard’s and Frutati and Mocati hard candies. I swung by to see what was new from my friends at Vermont Smoke and Cure and grabbed some meat sticks for the road. I ended the day chatting with Haribo. They’re one of the brands that is not jumping on any trend, but have high quality ingredients and responsible portion sizing. Haribo is building a US plant in Pleasant Prairie, WI. We’re hoping it will have a tour!
Day 1 Haul:
After the show, I went back to the hotel to regroup and get ready for my running tour. It was a really fun day and I was excited to connect with new brands and some that I know.
Day 2
I spent a few hours at the show on the second day. My key focus was to visit The Specialty Market and Innovation Alley where most of the healthier brands are located. I met the folks from Stellar Snacks – a women owned pretzel business from Nevada. They have some great flavors and beautiful art on every package. I saw my friends from Kalahari Biltong and learned that they’ve merged with Stryve. I checked out new tomato jerky from Bella Sun Luci. I met the team from Sow Good. They make new smoothies made with freeze dried fruit and veggies. More to come on these brands soon!
I went over to chat with PROBAR. I’m a huge fan of this brand. They launched 100% plant-based snack crisps recently so I grabbed both flavors plus a bunch of energy bars and chews. I chatted up Crazy Go Nuts, Pearson’s Ranch and ChocXO. I saw my friends from Supernola and was excited to see the rebrand of their superfood clusters (formerly Gorilly Goods) and the cool 4 packs.
I learned that two healthy snack faves have joined forces – Ka-Pop and Bubba’s Fine Foods. The new umbrella brand is Awakened Foods. More to come on this soon! I stopped by to chat with my friends from fave Lebby Foods and grabbed some yummy chickpea snacks for the road. I also stopped by to check out what’s new from Pocket Latte. They gave me some Lavender Vanilla and Hazelnut squares hot off the presses to try. I had a fun chat with Pop Daddy Popcorn and tried some killer Pop Daddy Smoked Gouda Pretzels. More to come from these folks, too!
On the way out, I checked out innovations from some of the big brands. I got a bunch of goodies from M & M Mars, Hershey and Ferrara. I also got a bunch of Sports Beans samples from Jelly Belly for summer marathon training.
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.