Ahead of its opening Tuesday in Indianapolis, the Sweets & Snacks Expo recognized the winners of the 2024 Most Innovative New Product Awards.
The honors announced Monday recognize excellence across 13 categories, showcasing the most innovative ideas, concepts and products in the candy and snack industries.
“With the Most Innovative New Product Awards, we celebrate the innovation that sets flavor and product trends for the confectionery and snack categories and, in many ways, carries heavy influence across the entire food industry,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association, the host organization for Sweets & Snacks Expo.
“As consumers look to confectionery and snacks to enhance special moments, celebratory occasions, holidays and everyday activities, this innovation is more important than ever before. Through these awards, we recognize the manufacturers, retail partners, suppliers and brokers who play a role in delighting consumers across the country and around the world.”
Each year, more than 300 confectionery and snack products are submitted for consideration in categories including Small Business Innovator and Best in Show, and retail leaders specializing in these categories serve as judges.
These products are on display in the Featured Product Showcase at the expo, which runs through Thursday at the Indiana Convention Center.
The Most Innovative New Product Awards finalists and winners are:
- Chocolate
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- Morris National, Skippy – Milk Chocolate PB Minis – WINNER
- 7th Heaven Chocolate – Oat Milk Peanut Butter Cups
- Candy Dynamics, Toxic Waste – Slime Licker Chocolate Bar Strawberry
- Century Snacks, Snak Club – Tajin Chocolate Covered Corn & Peanut Cluster
- Century Snacks, Snak Club – Tajin Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears
- Meat snacks
- Oberto Snacks, Cattlemen’s Cut + Yellowstone – American Wagyu Beef Stick
- Wenzel’s Farm – Bacon Cheddar Snack Stick
- Stoney Point, Bronco Billy Beef Jerky – Buffalo Chicken Jerky
- Jack Link’s Beef Jerky – Jack Link’s Wild Dr Pepper Inspired Stick
- Pearson Ranch – Duck Snack Sticks
- Chyler’s – Hawaiian Beef Chips – Original with Roasted Garlic – WINNER
- Ranch House – Hawaiian Pizza Style Snack Sticks – Single Serve
- Savory snacks – (For the first time in MINPA history, a tie)
- Simply Good Foods Co., Quest – Cheese Crackers Spicy Cheddar
- Our Home, You Need This – Hot Cheddar Fries – WINNER
- We Are Nuts – Ginger Tumeric Honey Peanuts
- PepsiCo Foods – Doritos Dinamita Smoky Chile Queso – WINNER
- OMG! Pretzel’s – Lemon Pepper Gourmet Seasoned Sourdough Pretzels
- Seasonal
- Astor Chocolate Corp., Gudlife by Astor Chocolate – Candy Cane Cookies & Creme Peanut Butter Cup
- Crazy Candy, Anderson’s Crazy Candy – Peanut Brittle – WINNER
- Promise Confections, Snappers – Girl Scout Lemonades
- Amos Sweets, Amos 4D – Luckyfish Gummy Raspberry
- Crazy Candy, Anderson’s Crazy Candy – Peppermint Puffs
- Gum and mints
- Mars Wrigley North America, Hubba Bubba – Mini Gum in Skittles Original Flavors – WINNER
- Bubblegum Kids – Bubblegum Kids Gum
- Ferrero North America, Tic Tac – Citrus Adventure
- Promise Confections, Sqyntz! – Raspberry Lemonade Sourz
- Rev Electrolyte Gum – Watermelon Lime
- Gourmet/premium candy
- Sconza Chocolate – Crème Brûlée Almonds
- Marich Pancrafted Chocolates – Dark Chocolate Blueberries
- Lakrids by Bulow – Passionfruit Chocolate-Coated Licorice – WINNER
- Promise Confections, Snappers – Strawberry Waffle Cone
- Marich Pancrafted Chocolates – Yuzu Lemon Chocolates
- Baked goods
- Flathau’s Fine Foods, Maddy’s Sweet Shop – Cinnamon Cayenne Shortbread Cookies
- Alli & Rose – Crispy Croissant Bites with Caramel & Sea Salt
- Hostess Brands – Double Chocolate Meltamors
- Cookie Man – Red Velvet Cheesecake
- Simply Good Foods Co., Quest – Strawberry Cake Frosted Cookies – WINNER
- Novelty and licensed
- Dippin’ Dots – Frozeti Dough Ice Cream
- Edward Marc Chocolatier – Girl Scouts Coconut Caramel Bites
- Amos Sweets, Amos Peelerz – Gummy Banana – WINNER
- Stuffed Puffs – Jolly Rancher Sour Watermelon Filled Marshmallows
- Sour Punch – Pickle Roulette Straws Tray
- Non-chocolate candy
- Hi-Chew – Dessert Mix Peg Bag
- Hi-Chew – Gummies Sour Mix
- Amos Sweets, Amos Peelerz – Gummy Mango – WINNER
- Mike and Ike – Mega Mix Sweet or Sour
- Albanese World’s Best – True to Fruit American Favorite Fruits
- Salty snacks
- Porking Good – Appley Cinnamon Flavored Pork Rinds
- Chex Mix – Remix Zesty Taco
- Garden Veggie Snacks – Flavor Burst Tortilla Chips, Zesty Ranch
- Nomad Snacks – Ramen Popcorn – WINNER
- PopCrunch – Peanut Butter w/Pretzels
- You Need This – Zesty Rand Fries
- Sweet snacks:
- Endangered Species Chocolate – Dip n’ Joy Salted Caramel
- Trû Frû Hyper-Chilled Fresh – Nature’s Strawberries Frozen Fresh in White & Dark Chocolate
- Nature’s Garden – Probiotic Mixed Berry Yoggies
- Nerdy Nuts – Banana Cream Pie Peanut Butter Treat – WINNER
- Anderson’s Crazy Candy – S’more Crunchers
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- Ruby Award for Supplier Innovation
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- Schubert North America – Cobot tog.519
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- Small Business Innovator
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- Issei – Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mochi Gummies
- Best in Show:
- Nerdy Nuts – Avalanche Peanut Butter Treat
Read more snacks news from The Shelby Report.
