NERDS go big and sour with debut of chewy treat
Sour Big Chewy NERDS feature a sour, chewy center covered in a sweet and crunchy candy shell. Flavors include Brainiac Blue Raspberry, Streaming Strawberry Lemonade, Wiki Watermelon and Blood Orange Byte.
"Since NERDS launched Big Chewy NERDS last year, the product quickly became a fan-favorite due to its dual-texture and bold flavors," said Kelly Peyser, senior brand manager, NERDS.
The original ‘big’ version won the National Candy Association’s ‘Most Innovative New Product’ award at last year’s Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago. The positive feedback from consumers led Ferrara to innovate further on the concept.
"We are constantly looking for new ways to excite our fans, and are thrilled to satisfy not only sweet tooth cravings, but sour ones, too.”
Big Chewy Sour Nerds will be available across the US in a 4.25oz concession box for RRP $1.09, a 60z ‘peg bag’ for $1.99 and a 10oz stand-up bag for $2.99.
Sour candy heating up
Chewy treats garnered half of sugar confectionery sales in 2017, up 32% from 2012, according to flavor manufacturer and researcher FONA International. Sales could reach $5bn by 2022.
Flavor selection and texture drives consumers to try new candies. Watermelon in particular dominated sour confections, with one in ten sour product launches featuring the fruit flavor in 2017.
Mintel reported in 2015 that consumer desire to stray from sweets has turned them onto sour flavors.
