'Choice' Confections
“Junior candy buyers” from the Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas
selected their favorite confections from those submitted by exhibitors at
ECRM’s Candy Annual Planning Event last month, naming three winners in the 2010
Kid’s Candy Choice awards.
By Deborah Cassell
Before sampling the submitted sweets, the kids learned a
little bit about the confectionery industry from Candy Industry’s executive
editor, Deborah Cassell, who gave them a category overview. She was followed by
Print Cates, director of franchise operations for Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, who
talked about being a professional candy buyer and took the children on a video
tour of one of his stores.
Finally, the kids were asked to survey the room full of
submissions before choosing five products to sample. Choices included
everything from tubs of cotton candy to baseball bats filled with bubblegum.
Sour flavors, chewy textures, products that came with stickers or games and
items contained in reusable packages were among the kids’ favorite entries.
And
the Winners Were...
Schuster
Products took second place in the 2010 Kid’s Candy Choice awards for its
Ginormous Silly Swirl Bubble Gum. Company President Steve Schuster (second from
left) was on hand to receive the award.
Too
Tarts Smart Choice All Kidz Blend from Innovative Candy Concepts came in third
in the 2010 Kid’s Candy Choice awards, accepted by (from left to right)Bob
Morgan, v.p. of sales; Sandy Webb, executive assistant to the president; Armand
Hammer, president & ceo; and Dan Pryor, director of national sales.
By Deborah Cassell
More than 70 kids ages 8 to 13 from the Boys & Girls
Club of Las Vegas sampled products from 25 manufacturers at ECRM’s recent Candy
Annual Planning event as part of the organization’s third annual Kid’s Candy
Choice awards. For the second year in a row, Candy Industry and Retail Confectioner
sponsored the competition, which invited confectionery exhibitors to enter new
products for taste-testing by the “junior candy buyers.”
To that end, participants awarded first place to Farley’s
and Sathers Candy Co., Inc. for its Trolli Big Bold Bears Gummi Candy. Second
place went to Schuster Products for its Ginormous Silly Swirl Bubble Gum.
Innovative Candy Concepts took third with its Too Tarts Smart Choice All Kidz
Blend.
The winners were announced during the lunch hour on Sept.
28, where representatives from each company were given plaques in recognition
of their achievement. Each company also received free advertising from Retail
Confectioner in the form of a full-page print ad (first place) or
Web/eNewsletter ads (second and third place).
The next Kid’s Candy Choice awards competition will take
place during the 2011 Candy Annual Planning event. For more information,
contact Maria Di Franco, ECRM marketing director, at mdifranco@ecrm.marketgate.com.
From
left to right: Mike Sprinkle, v.p. of sales, and John Leonardo, senior brand
manager, accepted the ECRM 2010 Kid’s Candy Choice award on behalf of Farley’s
and Sathers Candy Co., Inc. for its first-place win for Trolli Big Bold Bears.
Candy Industry’s publisher, Kris Collins, and executive editor, Deborah
Cassell, as well as Cony Glaser, ECRM’s v.p. of grocery, handed out the award,
which was voted upon by more than 70 children from the Boys & Girls Club of
Las Vegas during the ECRM Candy Annual Planning event.
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