Candy, Snack Items Earn Top NCSA Awards

TAMPA, Fla. – The National Confectionery Sales Association (NCSA) named this year's winners of its 2013 New Products Awards: Twizzlers Bites, Jelly Belly Tabasco Bottles, Snickers Bites, 7-Layer Dip Combos, Lindor Caramel Milk Chocolate Truffles and Warheads Super Sour Candy Canes. Candy and snack buyers, brokers and suppliers nominated items in six categories, and winners were selected based on significance of innovation and/or sales potential in the candy and snack categories.

More than 360 industry guests attended the black-tie Candy Hall of Fame induction banquet in Tampa, Fla., where winners received crystal trophies and finalists were presented with certificates of achievement.

By category, the 2013 honorees were:

• Chocolate
  Winner: Snickers Bites, Mars Chocolate North America
  Finalists: Rocky Road S'mores, Annabelle Candy Co. Inc.; Rolos Minis, The Hershey Co.; Bonomo Vanilla Taffy Nibbles, The Warrell Corp.
   
• Licensed/Limited Edition
  Winner: Tabasco Bottles, Jelly Belly Candy Co.
  Finalists: Klondike the Candy Chocolate Bar, Flix Candy/Imaginings 3 Inc.; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Helicopter Fan, CandyRific LLC; Smurfs Gummies, Haribo of America Inc.
   
• Non-Chocolate
  Winner: Twizzlers Bites, The Hershey Co.
  Finalists: Airhead Bites, Perfetti Van Melle Inc.; Peeps Bubble Gum Chicks, Just Born Inc.; Juicy Gold-Bears, Haribo of America
   
• Snack
  Winner: 7-Layer Dip Combos, Mars Chocolate North America
  Finalists: Salted Caramel Brownie Brittle, Brownie Brittle LLC; Fiery Tomato Baked Lentil Chips, The Mediterannean Snack Food Co.; Japon Japanese-Style Peanuts, Dos Amigos Inc.; Salty Date & Almond Raincoast Crisps, Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Ltd.
   
• Premium/Gourmet
  Winner: Lindor Caramel Milk Chocolate Truffles, Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc.
  Finalists: Dove Mine & Dark Chocolate Swirl, Mars Chocolate North America; Celebration Shimmer Teddy Bears, SweetWorks Inc.; the Cravemmm! line, The Warrell Corp.
   
• Seasonal
  Winner: Warheads Super Sour Candy Canes, Impact Confections Inc.
Finalists: Cherry Flavored Peeps Dipped & Drizzled in Chocolate, Just Born Inc.; Color Your Own Sweethearts boxes, New England Confectionary Co.; Twix Eggs, Mars Chocolate North America; Tool and Make-Up Kit sets, R.M. Palmer Co.