The first dark chocolate product from the Ferrero Company, Ferrero Rondnoir is a unique combination of a dark chocolate cream surrounding a center of fine dark chocolate — all within a delicate, crisp wafer topped with crunchy dark chocolate morsels. The suggested retail price ranges from $1.09 for a 1-ounce pack to $3.29 for a 4.2-ounce pack. Ferrero Rondnoir dark chocolates are included in the new Ferrero Prestige confections assortment, which also features Rocher chocolates and Garden Coco confections.

Promotion in Motion bills its new Welch’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Snacks as the first fruit snacks made with real fruit, real yogurt, and live and active probiotic cultures. These new snacks contain just 90 calories per portion-controlled pouch and come in five flavors: strawberry, blueberry, cherry, raspberry and peach. Package configurations include 4.8-ounce box packs with six inner .8-ounce pouches; 12-ounce box packs with 15 inner pouches; and 1.9-ounce bag packs.

Dark Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough Bites from Taste of Nature are making their debut. The product will be available in a wide variety of retail channels and will initially be manufactured in 3.1-oz. concession boxes. Floor shippers and display trays are available.

Hershey pays tribute to NASCAR racing legend Dale Earnhardt with the January 2008 rollout of four Collector Edition bars that feature iconic images of Earnhardt and the stylized #3 he made famous. Four varieties will be offered — two Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, one Hershey’s Milk chocolate with almonds bar and one Kit Kat wafer bar. In addition to the four different Earnhardt images featured on the products, the packaging will include facts about the legendary driver and will be redeemable for Earnhardt merchandise. In addition, Hershey will invite consumers to make a donation to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation through an online charity event. The promotion will run through May 2008 and will be supported at retail with in-store, custom merchandising.

Storck combines premium chocolate with its well known caramel with the introduction of Werther’s Original Caramel Chocolate and Werther’s Original Caramel Chocolate Dark. Featuring rich milk or dark chocolate marbled with real Werther’s Original caramel, each piece is a homogeneous mixture and comes wrapped in gold foil. Expected to hit shelves in December, both the milk and dark chocolate varieties are available in 5.2-ounce bags of 23 pieces for the suggested retail price of $3.29 as well as single-serving bags that will retail for 69 cents to 99 cents.

One of the more distinctive new items on display at the All Candy Expo, GüdFüd Marshmallows come stuffed either with chocolate or with fruit jelly. Jelly flavors are orange, strawberry and grape. The unusual name is pronounced “good food” thanks to the use of the Germanic umlaut symbols over the u’s. Continuing the global-thinking approach, illustrations on the packaging are done in the style of Japanese animation. The individually wrapped marshmallows come three per package and are shipped 16 packages per box. The suggested retail price is 79 cents to 99 cents per 3-pack.

Oral Fixation has added four new varieties to its line of “gourmet” mints sold in attractively designed, brushed-metal tins. Now available are Mimosa Mint, an “orange mint cocktail;” Antioximints, which are green tea mints; Jasmints, herbal jasmine mints; and Fabulous Fruit, billed as “very fruity tropical mints.” All are sugar-free and have a suggested retail price of $2.99 per tin.

Island Breeze is Hubba Bubba’s sixth chunk flavor in addition to Outrageous Original, Strawberry-Watermelon, Sour Double Berry, Grape-Berry and Cherry-Lemonade. It is available in a five-pack at a suggested retail price of 59 cents and in a 10-pack at the suggested retail price of 99 cents.

Candy-loving iced tea fans now have an optimal new confectionery choice: Green Tea Latte and Classic Iced Tea Natural Tea Candies from Fusion Gourmet. The natural tea extract that is used in the candies originates from whole green tea grown exclusively in Java. Rich in antioxidants, these hard candies are packaged in a 5.3-ounce peg bag; a 96-count display shipper is offered. All pieces are individually foil-wrapped.

Russell Stover Urban is a new line of modern world chocolates with a city vibe. The packaging features the energy and essence of urban living. The sophisticated flavors include Key Lime, Sea Salt Soft Caramel, Grapefruit Ganache, Espresso Truffle, 60% Cacao Dark from Ghana and Pistachio Nougatine.

R.M. Palmer moves onto the confectionery fast track with the rollout of two new candy bars, Dale Jr.’s Big Mo’ in creamy caramel and peanut butter flavors. Dale Jr., of course, is Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the king-size, 2.5-ounce bars were developed in partnership with the winning NASCAR driver. The name Big Mo’ is a play off Earnhardt Jr.’s hometown of Mooresville, N.C. The bars, which debut at retail in January 2008, will be supported with consumer promotions including a “Big Mo’ment with Dale Jr.” sweepstakes that offers thousands of prizes, including a grand prize of lunch with Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports race team and a VIP weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The bars will ship 6/18 per case as well as in a 36-count gravity-feed display and a 144-count display shipper.  

From Down Under comes a sweet solution for times when one feels down — new Blue Day Chocolate bars, billed on the wrapper as “chocolate that cheers you up.” The 50-gram chocolate bars are available in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and macadamia and toffee milk chocolate varieties. Manufactured by Australia-based Praline Chocolates, the chocolate brand was inspired by “The Blue Day Book,” a volume by best-selling inspirational books author Bradley Trevor Greive.

Is it candy or a game? New Jelly Belly BeanBoozled is both, according to the company. Specifically, it is a 1.6-oz box of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans that features 20 flavors of jelly beans — 10 weird and wild flavors and 10 look-alike tasty flavors. A black jelly bean, for example, might be either licorice or Skunk Spray, a blue one either Toothpaste or Berry Blue. The BeanBoozled packages come in 24-count display caddies for the shelf and in 144-count pre-packed display shippers. The daring new collection begins shipping to stores nationwide January 2, 2008, in plenty of time for April Fool’s Day.

The traditionally fruity Skittles now come in chocolate! Slated for a winter 2007 rollout, the Skittles Chocolate Mix is available in pack types including 2-ounce singles, peg bags, laydown bags and even fun-size packages for Halloween. The flavor medley for the candies includes S’mores, vanilla, chocolate caramel, chocolate pudding and brownie batter.  

All natural gourmet nut blends from Sahale Snacks come in 2-ounce and 5-ounce sealed foil pouches, each of which features an attractive illustration of the package contents. Each of the six available blends incorporates a distinctive fusion of nuts, naturally dried fruits, seeds and spices. The blends are roasted in small batches and deliver a balance of sweet and savory. The new Soledad blend, for example, features almonds, apples and flax seeds tickled with dates, balsamic vinegar and cayenne. Another new blend is Dauphine, inspired by French Provincial cuisine and featuring walnuts, blueberries, bananas and coconut flakes lightly sweetened and seasoned with lavender and white pepper.

New from Flix Candy is a line-up of Hannah Montana licensed candy products. The assortment includes a two-pack of Glamour Guitar Lollipops, Sweet & Sour Concert Gummies, a Disco Ball Pop Cover, a two-pack of Picture Ring Lollipops and a Gum Roll with a lenticular label. The first ship date for the new items ranges from Jan. 1 to March 1, 2008.

Montana Monster Munchies offers oversized, preservative-free, natural cookies in two varieties. Original is made with whole grain rolled oats, all natural peanut butter and Guittard chocolate chips, among other ingredients. The raisin cookie formulation has a similar ingredient listing, but with the addition of raisins. A 5.5-oz. package contains two cookies.

Koko’s is relaunching its Kandy Teef novelty item, which boasts three components: a temporary tattoo; a piece of bubblegum that is used to create the adhesive for the “teeth;” and the teeth, which actually come in the form of a hand-painted lollipop that is strawberry-flavored and made to resemble “hillbilly teeth.” Each counter/shelf-friendly display box contains nine blister cards. The blister  cards bear the tag line, “wear it, eat it, chew it.” Each package has a suggested retail price of 99 cents.

Blitz Energy Gum is the strongest piece of energy gum available, as each piece contains 55 mg of caffeine along with taurine, vitamin B3, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. The compressed and coated tablet offers a longer-lasting flavor profile. Packed in a metal blister sleeve, it duplicates the look and feel of an energy beverage. Available flavors are Peppermint and Original with Taurine, which replicates an energy beverage flavor rather than a mint gum flavor — the first of its kind. Blitz Energy Gum has a suggested retail price of $1.99 for eight pieces.

Standard Candy Co. is translating the taste and imagery of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls into the confectionery category with three new varieties of Cinnabon Clusters courtesy of a multi-year branding alliance with Cinnabon Inc. Cinnabon Mousse Clusters, Cinnabon Caramel Clusters and Cinnabon Cream Clusters feature cinnamon centers topped with crunchy glazed pecans and toffee bits with thick, rich chocolate coatings. Each cluster is 1.5 ounces and is available as a single serving for a suggested retail price of 69 cents and in three-packs for a suggested retail price of $1.99.

This candy treat actually whistles. The whistle slides like a trombone, allowing for plenty of interactive fun. Flavor varieties include blue raspberry, strawberry and watermelon. The suggested retail price is 25 cents for a single pop or 99 cents for a 2-ounce blister pack of four pops. The pops ship in display boxes of 48 individual pops; the four-packs come in a case pack of 12.

The Endangered Species Valentine box comes in two assortments, each with a suggested retail price at $9.99. Each box contains a total of 12 pieces and two flavors of ethically traded, shade-grown chocolate. Boxes featuring a chimpanzee and a sea otter on the cover include 72% cocoa supreme dark chocolate and 52% cocoa smooth milk chocolate. Those featuring a sea turtle and grizzly bear include 70% cocoa dark chocolate with blueberries and 70% cocoa dark chocolate with raspberries. A total of 10 percent of net profits of all Endangered Species Chocolate product sales are donated to help support species, habitat and humanity.

Imaginings 3 introduces its New Big Stuff Lip Pops in four new seasonal lip styles, with Bunny Lips for the upcoming Easter season. Offered in Watermelon, Green Apple and Blue Raspberry. As always, the mouth remains a toy long after the huge .8-ounce pop is gone. Packed in a 12/12 and 72-count gravity feed. Suggested retail price is 99 cents to $1.29.