Nutri-Grain seeks to de-stress teachers

With educators headed back to classrooms for another year of educating their young charges, the Kellanova brand is looking to help these hardworking public servants fuel up and kick back. The folks behind the bar are looking to treat educators at one school to a special Nutri-Grain Lounge, a well-appointed relaxation station on wheels. The deadline to nominate a school is today, so anyone who knows of a worthy institution should head to the @NutriGrain feed on Instagram to get more info and throw the entry in; the winning entry will land a place to snag premium espresso drinks, comfy recliners, rejuvenating foot massagers, ambient lighting, and ASMR soundscapes. What’s more, the lounge will be fully stocked with plenty of energy-boosting Nutri-Grain bars.

HI-CHEW gets back in the game

Courtesy of Morinaga
Returning for a third year, the Morinaga candy brand is diving into a creative collaboration with the wildly popular game. For a limited time, players can digitally hang with mascot Chewbie and enjoy three in-game experiences:

• HI-CHEW Climbers: dash up a ramp while dodging candy obstacles in a race against the clock
• HI-CHEW Chewlet Grabbers: players rush to collect as Chewlets as they can before the timer runs out
• HI-CHEW Block Drop: enter the arena and dodge objects as they rain down from the wide-open roof

The brand is also taking over two classic mini-games with Chewbie Says Go, a twist on the playground favorite Red Light Green Light; and HI-CHEW Pillars, where players battle from floating platforms to be the last one standing.

Snack brand collab helps hungry kids

Courtesy of The Cookie Department

The Cookie Department and Feed the Children—a global organization that fights tirelessly to ensure no child goes hungry—are partnering to battle food insecurity. Via the brand’s Food for Thought program, the Cookie Department will be donating Buy a Bar, Give a Bar (BABGAB) products (and other tasty treats) to help out children and families in need. What’s more, for every bar purchased from buyabargiveabar.com, a bar will be donated to the organization: “We are working to build a company that makes incredible snacks and also invests in making life better,” says Andy Sheldon, co-founder, president, and CEO of The Cookie Department. “Partnering with Feed the Children allows us to expand our mission of strengthening communities, uplifting lives, and allowing everyone the opportunity to enjoy a snack.”

Swedish sweets fans overwhelm Florida retailer

Candy from Sweden is all the rage right now—check out the Candy Industry profile about maker Bubs in the August digital edition—thanks to the Scandinavian treats going viral on social media. The proprietors of Scandy Candy, an online outfit that has been aiming to go brick-and-mortar, found out just how popular the candy has become when the newly opened shop in the sunny city of Coral Gables ran completely out of inventory and had to close just over a week afterward. The good news for sweet-toothed Miami residents who missed out on treating themselves: staff reports they are working diligently to restock the shelves and plan to open up again very soon.

People persist in picking pickle products

Photo: Jenni Spinner

The tangy, briny flavor of the humble dill pickle is having a moment, you might have noticed. Recent brands getting into the pickle pile include Chex Mix, Wavers, Pringles, and scores of others. According to home-delivery giant Instacart, we should expect the trend to continue well into the future. As it progresses, according to the company’s Brine Boom report, market-watchers should expect consumers to respond to fun, unexpected pickle flavor pairings, such as spicy pickles, pickles with fruity flavors, pickles on pizza, and more.

Got a Fun Friday item showing the lighter side of snacks, bakery treats, and candy? Please send it to me at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com.