Candy Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis

The U.S. Commerce Department has divided candy into two different standard categories for products: non-chocolate and chocolate. Each of the two categories is then broken down into various product types and sectors. Product typing bases off of the product’s mixture of ingredients, texture, and also the comprehensive manufacturing processes. The classification applied throughout the candy industry is loosely based off of the definitions determined by the Commerce Department, even though they can be generally much more broad.

Chocolate products always have either actual chocolate as an ingredient or a chocolate mixture that applies substitutes for certain chocolate components. Generally, butter made from milk or vegetable shortening is used to replace the more luxurious and expensive product that is cocoa butter. The chocolate category also encompasses final products like chocolate candy with infusions, panned chocolate candies, or molded chocolate candies.

Non-chocolate products are defined through the government as the entire confectionery products that do not have actual chocolate or a chocolate compound as an ingredient in the mixture. The non-chocolate category encompasses candies like hard candies, jelly beans, marshmallows, and licorice.

Candy production is mainly a seasonal business, with the majority of those involved in the market normally doubling their staffs during the winter months. Until very recently, candies made for a specific occasion or holiday – candy canes for Christmas or like in Easter with chocolate eggs, for example –were the bread and butter of specialty manufacturers. Recently, though, the major players and manufacturers have shifted into the seasonal business with specific packages for those special, important events.

Customers have turned into very health-conscious eaters and prioritize the reduction of intake in sugar, other potentially harmful ingredients, and fat. Candy manufacturers have responded by creating a wide range of sugar-free candies that, because of technological innovations in sweetening products, still provide customers the sweetness they desire. Marketers also keep looking for tasteful substitutes for the saturated fat in chocolate.