Justin’s Seeks Nostalgia Sweet Spot With New Chocolate Candy Pieces

Having helped consumers reimagine one familiar confectionary format with its nut butter cups, Justin’s is again tapping into heightened demand for nostalgic foods with the release of Chocolate Candy Pieces.

Offered in Dark Chocolate Peanut and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter varieties, the treats, launching today, are USDA Certified organic, crafted with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa, and feature coloring made from fruits and veggies rather than synthetic dyes.

Justin’s Chocolate Candy Pieces will be available for purchase in both shareable 4.5 oz. pouches (SRP $6.49) and single-serve 1.5 oz. pouches (SRP $2.29) at Whole Foods Market, Amazon, The Fresh Market and Stop & Shop later this month.

According to Penny Andino, VP of marketing at Justin’s, the new product fills whitespace that still exists for organic options in the nut-based chocolate candy pieces segment.

The Boulder, Colorado-based brand plans to leverage its top spot in the natural category for peanut butter cups to establish a solid foothold in the candy pieces market, where it will go up against candy giants like Mars’ M&M’s brand.

“We know that consumers look to multiple forms of candy to satisfy their indulgent cravings. As much as we’d love to think they only eat peanut butter cups, we knew that wasn’t true,” said Penny Andino, VP of marketing, Justin’s. “We recognized an opportunity to expand our portfolio beyond those beloved nut butter cups and create a variety of nostalgic candy forms that taste great and that people can feel good about.”

According to food and beverage market research platform Datassential’s 2024 FoodBytes survey, this year will be filled with “newstalgia” – the sentiment that everything old is new again – and brands should dive into the archives for ideas. Additionally, 2024 is expected to sustain the permissible indulgence trend, with 34% of consumers saying they treat themselves to an indulgent food treat several times a week. The rising popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic may also have a long-term impact on how the concept of indulgence is interpreted, both individually and as a collective.

“Overall, we see that consumers are wanting products made from real ingredients. The trends are moving away from sugar alternatives,” said Andino.

Established in 2004 in the home kitchen of health enthusiast and peanut butter aficionado Justin Gold, Justin’s produces an extensive portfolio of nut butters and USDA Organic-certified chocolate treats. In 2016, the brand was acquired by Hormel for $286 million, a move that demonstrated the ongoing interest in next-generation food brands.