What’s hot in confectionery? New Product Development from Mondelēz and Bazooka Candy

Staying up to date with the most recent innovations and industry efforts is crucial to keeping a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving sweet treat sector.

In our fortnightly NPD series, we provide a snapshot of the latest launches and strategic efforts by confectionery brands, big and small. Whether you're looking for ideas to inspire innovation, grow your product lines, or stay ahead of evolving confectionery market needs, you'll find the most up-to-date insights and information here to help you launch, expand, and succeed in confectionery.

Here are the latest launches that caught our eye.

Mondelēz International gives a sneak peek into its 2024 festive range​

The chocolate giant has unveiled its new festive range for 2024, featuring new sweet innovations and nostalgic, familiar confectionery favourites. Mondelēz hopes to drive its seasonal sales this year with new and returning products across its confectionery and biscuit brands, Cadbury and Oreo.

Describing the run-up to Christmas from September onwards as a ‘fast start,’ Mondelēz is encouraging global retailers to begin stocking up on its confectionery products towards the end of the summer. As the winter season begins, Mondelēz hopes to appeal to the consumer trend of occasional eating through the Big Night In trend, where social meetups move from BBQs and gardens to living rooms and cosy settings.

This year, the company is expanding its Cadbury Puds range, which first emerged in 2021 and are now the top SKU in the self-eat segment, Mondelēz says. For this festive season, Mondelēz will launch its Cadbury Mini Puds in a 73g bitesize bag format onto the shelves. Oreo will also release its limited-edition Oreo Gingerbread - embossed gingerbread-flavoured cookies.

To celebrate the month of December, Mondelēz is also launching its Cadbury Dairy Milk Creamy Advent Calendar, featuring 24 Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates with soft creamy contents.

Mondelēz will bring its confectionery treats in sharing formats, multipacks and tablets, especially two of its popular gifting and shareable products, Cadbury Roses and Cadbury Heroes. The brand’s selection boxes, including the Cadbury Medium Selection Box and Cadbury Buttons Selection Box, will also make a welcome return.

Nestlé brings back its Caramac brand—but not for good ​

The multinational company’s Caramac bars and buttons are now available once again until stocks last. For a limited time only, chocolate fans can get their hands on the caramel-based sweet treat.

After 64 years on our shelves, Caramac disappeared in November 2023 after its owner Nestlé, decided to discontinue its chocolate brand due to dwindling sales.

Less than a year later and Caramac is back, available for consumers to buy from nationwide retailers throughout the UK from July 23 2024. The re-release of the caramel chocolate brand will come in Nestlé’s classic single 30g bar, a three-bar multipack and a sharing bag of buttons.

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Bazooka Candy teams up with sweet retailer to launch Mega Push Pop Ice​

Just in time for the end of the summer holidays, confectionery company Bazooka Candy Brands has partnered with UK retailer Bobby’s Foods to develop its latest frozen candy-esque ice pop.

Inspired by candy flavours, the duo’s new range comes in raspberry, blackcurrant, strawberry and cola varieties.

With its latest launch, Bazooka Candy hopes to build upon the popularity of its Push Pops brands and move this into the frozen sweet arena. Packaged in a chromatic, tubular format for packaging in the freezer, the pair hopes to appeal to consumers’ calls for convenience, value and choice from their confectionery selections.

Available in a mixed case of 24 units to British retailers, the new treat range aims to provide an affordable option for consumers, priced with an RRP of 79p.

Maynards Bassetts unveils its limited-edition Beetlejuice Beetlejuice range​

Before the festive season kicks off, some confectionery brands are getting ready for the spooky one. Ahead of the release of the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie in the run-up to Halloween, Maynards Bassetts is releasing its limited-edition sweet range.

Inspired by the movie, Maynards Bassetts is launching two new limited-edition soft candy products, Maynards Bassetts Spooky Gums and Maynards Bassetts Liquorice Mix.

The firm’s two new ranges will be available this month (August 2024) in limited-edition Spooky Gums and Liquorice Mix promotional packs. Appealing to consumers’ love of novelty and surprise in confectionery, Spooky Gums comes in surprise flavours and an assortment of colours, in black, purple and green coffins, spiders, books, tombstones and worms. The Liquorice Mix will feature a variety of black and white shapes.

Sweet Startup Spotlight: Insa​

US-brand Insa is launching a range of seasonal products for summer, which includes its summer drops and chocolate bar.

Available for a limited time in states which allow for recreational use of cannabis and products containing Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Insa is bringing its signature hard candy drops and chocolate bar in new flavours to appeal to summer shoppers. Each piece of Insa’s summer collection contains 5mg of THC, a cannabinoid found in cannabis.

Consumers can pick up Insa's summer drops in Berry Limeade and Pina Colada flavours. Its Berry Limeade Drops combine tangy lime and sweet raspberry flavours, while its Pina Colada drop features tropical pineapple and sweet coconut flavours. Insa’s Black Raspberry Ice Cream Bar is dark purple and contains black raspberries, European chocolate, and cream.