Reviews: Like Air Drizzled Rice Cakes and Better Sour Gummy Shells

Better Sour Tropical Sour Gummy Shells

Better Sour is broadening its audience without abandoning its roots. The Austin-based candy startup, best known for its low-sugar sour gummies sweetened with allulose, is introducing a new line of Tropical Sour Gummy Shells made with fair trade vegan cane sugar. Available in Mango, Watermelon Yuzu and Lychee flavors, the new assortment is designed to sit alongside – not replace – the brand’s existing lineup, giving shoppers a choice between lower-sugar and more traditional candy formulations.

Launching nationally at Whole Foods Market this summer, the new gummies retail for $2.99, undercutting the brand’s flagship Sour Gummy Stars by a dollar.

Things that stand out:

• Bright tropical colors, oversized typography and playful shell imagery make the bags feel like a beach vacation in candy form. On shelf, the assortment should be easy to spot, particularly in a category increasingly crowded with minimalist wellness branding.
• Rather than forcing consumers into a single sweetener philosophy, Better Sour is embracing a dual-formulation strategy: allulose for shoppers seeking lower sugar and cane sugar for those who prioritize familiar ingredients and a lower price point.
• Mango is an accessible crowd-pleaser, while Watermelon Yuzu and Lychee lean into the cultural and tropical inspirations that have helped Better Sour stand out from conventional sour candy brands.
• The new line removes some of the price barrier associated with better-for-you candy. In an aisle where premium positioning often translates to premium pricing, the lower price could help drive trial.
• The products retain several of the brand’s core credentials, including plant-based ingredients, high fiber content and plant-sourced colors. The company also notes the gummies carry a substantially lower carbon footprint than traditional gelatin-based candy.

Things to consider:

• The launch risks creating some consumer confusion. Better Sour has built much of its identity around low-sugar candy, and introducing a cane sugar-sweetened line will require clear communication about how the two product families differ.
• Better Sour is entering a more crowded competitive set. While the allulose-sweetened products competed largely within the better-for-you candy niche, the new line will be compared against a much broader universe of premium and mainstream gummy brands.
• The bigger question is whether consumers actually want healthier candy alternatives or simply better candy made with ingredients they recognize. Better Sour appears to be betting the answer is both.

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Like Air Drizzled Rice Cakes

Better-for-you snack purveyor Like Air has expanded beyond its flagship line of puffcorn with the launch of Drizzled Rice Cakes, available in Birthday Cake, Cookie Dough, Cinnamon Bun and Brownie flavors. Described by the brand as “mini bites of joy,” the bite-sized rice cakes are currently available in multipacks in the Texas region of Costco. They will begin rolling out to Albertsons, Publix, ShopRite Wegmans and Hy-Vee in July.

Things that stand out:

• Puffed snacks are Like Air’s specialty, and that comes through in this portfolio expansion. The line stands on its own while still clearly fitting into the brand’s bigger platform.
• The mini rice cakes are perfectly poppable with bold flavor that tastes just like the desserts that inspired them (especially the Birthday Cake variety).
• At just 80 calories per 24-piece serving, the new offering makes a great on-the-go treat that taps into the “permissable indulgence” trend.

Things to consider:

• Some of the mini rice cakes were missing the advertised drizzle of frosting and/or sprinkles. It would be better if the pieces in each bag were a bit more consistent and uniform.
• While the product is made with trending avocado oil, it also features palm kernel oil – which may be a deterrent for consumers trying to eliminate seed oils from their diets.

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