Category Captains: Sour Candies and Frozen Novelties

Sour Candies

Millennials and Gen Z members are two generations that share a comfort in technology and a demand for work-life balance. They also share a love for sour candy.

Haley Peyron, Marketing Manager at Candy Dynamics, reported, “As Gen Z and Millennials become the main candy buyers, preferences within the category are shifting. According to the National Confectioners Association, there is a growing number of sour candies coming to market to feed the needs of this new consumer base. Volume sales for sour confections increased 2.5 percent from the previous year. Interest in sour confection is expected to continue, leading to even more innovation in the category.”

These generations don’t go to the candy aisle in stores to find what’s new. Instead, they go to the digital candy aisle of social media. Viral trends on TikTok have made candy sensations out of Dubai chocolate, freeze-dried candy, and, of course, sour candies. TikTok’s sour challenge had people putting their sour-tolerance to the test and making videos to show the face-twisting and mouth-puckering reactions to sour candies. Peyron elaborated, “Customers, especially in the sour category, look to social media to learn about new candies and trends. This online research fuels even more of a desire for newness—leading confectionery brands to innovate at a faster rate than previously seen.”

She continued, “The Toxic Waste and Slime Licker brands drive trends in the confectionery space, remaining top of mind for consumers who interact with trends on social media, both as a viewer and creator. With this additional exposure, customers actively seek out the treats they see on social media. We encourage retailers to digitally showcase their product selections so the customers who are seeking out the product know where to find them. We collaborate with our retail partners to run in-store promotions that highlight these trendy products.”

While Candy Dynamic’s sour brands are known as one of the sourest candy brands available, their products vary in their sour level. To help Millennials, Gen Zers and any age candy lover find their level of sour, they have a Pucker Meter visible on their product packaging and listings. When consumers do go to the store in search of sour, Candy Dynamics is ready. Peyron shared, “We work closely with our dedicated retail network to ensure they know all new products coming from the brand. We notice many retailers looking to build out their candy sections to resemble a ‘store within a store.’ Whether convenience or grocery, retailers are expanding their product offerings. We notice retailers seeking out multiple SKUs from our line to create a billboard effect on store shelves, leading to an increase in sales.”

Driving trends have been a sweet differentiator for Candy Dynamics’ sour brands. According to their website, 2025 saw the introduction of many new products: Toxic Waste Blue Drum, Slime Licker Spray, new Slime Licker Flavors, Toxic Waste Taffeti and Toxic Waste Zapz. Peyron stated, “The Toxic Waste brand has been all about disruption since hitting the market in 2001. The iconic yellow drum disrupted what customers knew of the confectionery industry with its eye-watering sourness and unique packaging. Unique product selections increase sales, especially impulse sales, making it imperative for retailers to diversify their product selection to meet the changing demographic preferences in the confectionery category.”

From understanding their customers to knowing how to appear online and in-store, Candy Dynamics is leading the category with its sour treats that put taste buds to the test.

Frozen Novelties

Casper’s Ice Cream is the reigning leader within the frozen novelties space, proving time and again companies can rise to the challenge of treating consumers with original flavor profiles in a variety of formats. Home of the FatBoy line of sandwiches, pops, bars and cones, Casper’s has solved the issue that vexes most ice cream manufacturers—by offering offbeat flavors that are tempting to consumers and blend nostalgia with a fresh spin on the familiar. 

“The frozen novelties category remains very healthy this year, with momentum accelerating in the most recent periods,” said Chief Marketing Officer Josh Holmstrom. “Growth is being driven by new innovation in both form and flavor, as well as continued TDP expansion across the aisle. Segments like frozen bites, bars and pops and sandwiches are all posting gains, which further reinforces the overall strength of the category. We continue to be especially bullish on ice cream sandwiches. FatBoy has delivered a strong year, growing double-digits in both dollars and units. Our core sandwich lineup remains robust, and the introduction of our two cookie sandwiches—Hot Fudge Brownie and Cinnamon Churro—has added meaningful incremental growth. Novelty consumers are always looking for exciting new flavors, and we have gotten positive feedback on these new additions.”

Casper’s prioritizes end consumers and aims to deeply understand their followers’ flavor preferences and shopping habits and then reflecting these characteristics. “As a category captain, we believe our first responsibility is to be a thought leader,” Holmstrom said. “We invest heavily in understanding category trends and talking directly with frozen novelty shoppers. This helps us identify new innovation opportunities and allows us to better partner with retailers by sharing insights that grow the total category—not just our brands. This past year, we’ve seen strong results from customer-specific shopper marketing programs. Digital marketing continues to reshape how shoppers interact with the category, and we’re leaning in with retailer-specific search, digital coupons and display advertising that drives both trial and conversion.”

He continued, “In 2025, we launched our first-ever national campaign: ‘FatBoy —America’s #1 Ice Cream Sandwich.’ Shopper engagement was fantastic, and we’ll be expanding this effort in 2026. Influencer partnerships also helped us reach new audiences in authentic ways. Frozen novelty shoppers rely heavily on friends, family, and social channels for discovery, so this will continue to be a major focus.”

The company is loyal to its retailers and is attentive to the barriers retailers have to address while uncovering fresh ideas and programs to drive consumer awareness to the frozen novelty category and spark curiosity of what the FatBoy line has to offer at retail. “Even as we grow, we remain nimble, collaborative and deeply customer focused,” Holmstrom said. “FatBoy is driving new buyers to the category versus just trading share and we are committed to supporting the total frozen novelties category by balancing strong velocity on core items with thoughtful innovation and insights that drive long-term success. It’s a big part of why our retail partnerships continue to thrive. We are proud of the high-quality products we make and are really excited about all our innovations that will be launched in 2026.”

“At FatBoy, we’ve always believed that leadership comes from staying true to what shoppers want while being a great partner to retailers,” Holmstrom said. “We’re focused on quality, insight-driven innovation and doing the things that grow the whole category—not just our slice of it. If there’s one thing I hope readers take away, it’s that we’re committed to building the future of frozen novelties together with our retail partners, and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”

Although consumers associate sweet frozen treats with fun and whimsy, Casper’s approach to working with retailers and driving sales is focused and deliberate.