Candies got more natural and creative

After the years of recession and the negative effects of the public health product tax (NETA), the candy market has just started to recover. According to Mónika Bata, managing director of Bergland Hungária Kft., the sales growth is mainly the result of the improved performance of gummy candies, but classic hard candies have also done better. Classic hard candies made with added sugar dominate the market and Hungarians prefer fruit and mint flavours. The health trend has had an influence on the candy market as well: more and more products are made using natural ingredients and without added sugar

Klaudia Tanos, product manager of Ed.Haas Hungaria Kft. told our magazine that there is no seasonality in glucose tablet (‘grape sugar’) sales, but mints sell better in the winter period. The company sells PEZ candies, glucose tablets and mints. Ms Tanos told that limited edition flavours are increasingly popular, for instance one of the summer’s hits was the PEZ Mango Mix. The famous PEZ dispenser is available in many versions, from currently popular movie figures to all-time favourite characters from cartoons and films.

Bergland Hungária Kft. was established in 2001 and its main profile is producing traditional hard candy. Innovating is very important for the company and they see growing demand for healthy products in the market. Ms Bata informed us that they keep launching new products made with natural colourings and sweetener, such as the Sweet & Light range that contains vitamin C and is available in two flavours. These products are made using 100-percent natural sweeteners – stevia extract – and have low calorie content. Cool is a new product line, which is also made with stevia instead of sugar and is available in 6 mint and fruit flavours.

The first PEZ dispenser appeared in shops in 1949 – this is one of the secrets of the brand: it doesn’t only give candies but also an experience to customers. One PEZ candy contains less than 3 calories. Ed.Haas Hungaria Kft. is now busy developing PEZ candies that are completely free from sugar and sweeteners. One of the recently launched new products is the PEZ glucose tablet with vitamin, which contains real fruit powders and 8 types of vitamins. This 45g product targets children and comes in a nice, colourful box decorated with animal figures. There are also breath freshener mints in the portfolio that are free from sugar. One of the year’s biggest innovations by PEZ is that the packaging of Angry Birds dispensers and 8-candy refill products contain a code that shoppers can scan using their smartphones; they can use these codes to enter the company’s free app where they can play exciting PEZ games. The company’s plan is to develop new games every year.

LISSÉ Édességgyár Kft. manufactures glucose tablets, hazelnut in sugar coating of various flavours and candies made with liqueur. Sales director Viktor Nyitrai told Trade magazin that premium category LISSÉ Pálinka and Vodka candies are basically a dessert, with layers of sugar and Belgian chocolate filled with liqueur. This November the company appears in shops with a bar made exclusively from fruits: Lissé FruitMax represents a new innovation direction for the company, in which they see great potential.

Felföldi Édességgyártó Kft. manufactures drinking straws that flavour milk while being used. They export these special straws, called Quick Milk, to 45 countries. Sales manager Anita Felföldi informed our magazine that Quick Milk is available in 4 formats, from which the 5-straw version is the most popular. It costs less than EUR 1 and realises 75 percent of sales. Packs of 6, 10 and 1 are also available. The straws are made in 10 flavours and chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are the most popular ones. Recently the company developed a fruit-cereal version upon demand from US retailer Walmart. The product is made from sugar but all other ingredients are natural.

I.D.C. Hungária Zrt. is the manufacturer of filled, functional candies and their flagship product is the Verbena range, but they also make gummy candies. Marketing manager Katalin Gyenese informed us that they decided to make candies with medicinal herbs because they think added vitamins aren’t enough for consumers, while sweeteners aren’t much better than sugar as regards their health effect. The company tries to teach consumers about the beneficial effects of various medicinal herbs. This healthier direction also works with gummy candies – parents prefer the ones made with medicinal herbs to the traditional version when buying for their children.