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Tru Fru, Koko’s Confectionery and Dave’s Sweet Tooth win 2018 Buyer's Choice Awards

Judging held during ECRM Candy Planning event held Aug. 27-29 at the Hilton Anaheim.

The results are in.

Retail buyers attending ECRM’s Everyday and Summer Seasonal Candy Planning event in Anaheim last week have selected winners of the 2018 Buyer's Choice Awards.

Presented in partnership with ECRM, Candy Industry Magazine asked retail buyers to vote for the most innovative products in the chocolate, non-chocolate and novelty categories. More than 30 companies submitted products for judging.

Winners will receive a special callout in the show coverage, set to appear in our October issue. They’ll also receive free advertising space in the issue.

Candy Industry would like to extend congratulations to all the winners!

Best Chocolate

Tru Fru

South Jordan, Utah / trufru.com / (801) 554-4081

Tru Fru Indulge on the Go

Tru Fru freeze-dries real fruit to lock in vitamins, nutrients and flavor and then immerses them in dark chocolate. The Indulge on the Go range includes Raspberries, Whole Cherries, Strawberries, Bananas, Whole Cranberries and Coconut Melts. Tru Fru also donates a portion of its profits to Hope Arising, a nonprofit organization focused on providing humanitarian aid to the people of Ethiopia.

S.R.P. (4.5 oz.): $4.89

Best Non-Chocolate

Dave’s Sweet Tooth

Harrison Township, Mich. / davessweettooth.com / (586) 948-9243

Peanut Butter Crunch Toffee

This rich, buttery toffee features peanut butter chips for nutty flavor and almonds for crunch.

S.R.P. (4 oz.): $5.99

Best Novelty

Koko's Confectionery & Novelty

Cockeysville, Md. / kokos.com / (410) 252-1020

DC Comics Light-Up Spray Candy

These buildable figurines can be played with long after the 0.68 oz. of spray candy is gone. The spray candy comes in Strawberry and Blue Raspberry. The buildables come in a mix of Superman, Batman, Robin, Joker, Green Lantern and The Flash.

S.R.P. (0.68 oz.): $2.99

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Alyse Thompson-Richards has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products magazine since March 2019, and is currently the editor-in-chief of Food Engineeering magazine. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.