Fans of retro sweets received some disappointing news last week: Fruit Stripe gum, a brand with a half-century history, is no longer around.
Now comes the real question: When can we expect its revival?
There's an age-old enthusiasm sweeping the candy scene. Brands that were lost to time have come back and found loyal followings among those who remember them fondly from long ago. In some cases, they are tapping into a new market for candy.
Take Iconic Candy, a New Jersey-based company that has successfully revived candy brands like Regal Crown, Reed's, and, most recently, Creme Savers. The company also plans to relaunch a number of gum brands in the coming months, including new favorites Bubble Jug and Ouch! gum.
It all adds up to annual sales reaching the eight figures, said Kenny Wesen, CEO of the privately held company. He added that these sales are growing at an annual rate ranging from 20% to 40%.
“Nostalgia is the real driving force these days, whether it's in music, fashion or food,” Wesen told MarketWatch.
That's not to say every old product is guaranteed to sell — and Fruit Stripe, a gum known for its appearance and color-striped packaging, has clearly lost its appeal.
Ferrara Candy, the suburban Chicago company behind the brand, told ABC News that “the decision to discontinue this product was not made lightly.” The company added that it evaluated consumer preferences and purchasing patterns before deciding to discontinue Fruit Stripe.
Officials at Ferrara did not respond to MarketWatch's request for comment.
However, even Ferrara seems optimistic about the paleo candy market. The company continues to sell a number of legacy brands, such as Atomic Fireball, Boston Baked Beans, and Jujyfruits.
Bubble Jug, a chewing gum brand introduced in the 1990s, is being brought back this year by Iconic Candy Company.
Iconic candy
In any case, Americans have not lost their love of sweets. Candy sales reached $42.6 billion in 2022, and are expected to rise to $54.3 billion by 2027, according to the National Confectioners Association, an industry trade group. Nostalgia is definitely a factor in the industry's recent success, NCA representative Carly Schildhaus said, noting that consumers have looked to the past as a form of comfort, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The current social and political climate, with the wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, heightens that desire for comfort and nostalgia, said Bree Metcalfe Oshinsky, a marketing expert at BMF, a New York-based marketing agency. Candy has a special appeal in this regard, she said, because she “represents childhood and simpler times.”
However, for companies looking to bring old candy brands back to life, there can be significant challenges. There is the cost of acquiring an inactive brand and its assets, not to mention the cost of the manufacturing equipment needed to produce it. The number could easily reach the six figures, Wesen said.
Even then, it can be difficult to get things completely right. When Wiesen was looking to bring back Regal Crown, a brand known for its sour cherry hard candy, he had to track down the people in England who were involved in the original production in order to get the recipe and processing right.
Doing it right is crucial, Wesen noted. This is because fans of this dessert have very specific memories of what they tasted and can be particularly intolerant if the relaunched version doesn't live up to what they remember.
“People will complain about the way you cheated them,” Wesen said.
So can we expect a possible return of Fruit Stripe? Industry insiders point out that Ferrara could decide to bring back the gum itself, or it could sell or license the brand to a company riding the wave of nostalgia.
Iconic Candy would certainly be willing to consider an acquisition, Wiesen said. “We are very interested in that,” he added.
