Sometimes, the lines outside a store in Brooklyn, New York, get so long that owners have to call a bouncer.
People walk out with bags of loot that they guard as if they were carrying valuables.
Welcome to the Swedish gummies craze that has swept the United States, thanks to a big push from TikTok creators that has people salivating over a candy that fans insist is a cut above the standard gummies.
“Since everyone in New York is obsessed with Swedish candy, let’s go to Bon Bon!” said creator Beca Michie, standing outside the pink awning of Bon Bon Swedish Candy.
The platform is filled with videos of people displaying their colorful Swedish candy haul.
“This long-awaited Swedish candy shop has finally opened in the West Village,” said creator Becca Schneider of Lil Sweet Treat.
Leo Schaltz, co-founder of Bon Bon in Brooklyn, said he and his two business partners opened the store because they felt the options in the U.S. gummies space were lacking.
“We felt the American standards for candy weren’t what we were used to,” Schaltz said.
Schaltz and his two co-founders are from Sweden, where as kids they were only allowed to eat candy one day a week: Saturday.
“Saturdays were sacred, so we tried to recreate that,” he said. “It gives you goosebumps when you talk about it, like when I had the special one I used to have when I was little. It’s incredible.”
Schaltz and his team wanted to recapture that magic and turn every day into a sweet Saturday. Bon Bon, which opened in 2017, now has four locations that stay open until midnight and a thriving website.
Its popularity can lead to lines that wrap around the building.
“Sometimes the lines get too long and we have to bring in reinforcements — a candy bouncer,” Schaltz said. “He’s very friendly. He hands out samples. He’s not intimidating. So he fits the Bon Bon brand.”
Schaltz said TikTok can draw people into the store, but the quality of the ingredients keeps them coming back for more.
“Most of our candy is vegan. It’s gluten-free,” Schaltz said. “At the end of the day, it’s a quality product that comes from Sweden, which gives it a little bit of a premium feel.”
Elly Ross with her father in 2002. Inspired by her Korean heritage and her travels, Ross sources candies not only from Sweden, but also from all over the world.
The Swedish ingredients combine to create treats like cotton candy skulls, frothy pear ovals known as “bubs,” sour cola nipples and black licorice — a Swedish delicacy. Schaltz said they’re still trying to win over skeptical Americans with that one.
“It tastes amazing. You just haven’t had the right licorice,” he said. “We’re cautiously optimistic, but still confident that we’re going to change some hearts.”
Whether or not black licorice becomes an American staple, people are clearly ready to test their taste buds.
“Over the past year, I’ve seen Swedish candy go viral,” said Elly Ross, owner and founder of Lil Sweet Treat. “And to me, that was a sign that there was a gap in the market of people who wanted to try new candies, new textures, and expand their taste buds beyond what we have in convenience stores now.” She was working at an e-commerce startup when she walked past a small rental in the West Village.
“I saw the layout and I was like, ‘This is Lil Sweet Treat,’” Ross said. “This is the candy store.”
She documented her journey on TikTok, posting updates on the renovation, ordering candy and more, and has amassed more than 28,000 followers.
She opened the store this year and sold out of her entire inventory within a few days.
Supervisor Issy Victoriano said visitors come from all over the world to sample their candy.
“I’ve seen people who actually flew in to come here and try it,” she said.
Now that business is booming, Ross said she hasn’t forgotten the candy-obsessed girl she once was.
“I immigrated to the United States when I was young and I grew up with Korean snacks,” she said. “I would share them at recess and that camaraderie of sharing cultures through food was something I’ve always really loved.”
Inspired by her Korean heritage and her travels, Ross sources candy not only from Sweden but from all over the world. Her inventory changes weekly but can include alligator bites from Sweden, laughing pumpkins from Germany and tart blue raspberries from Spain.
She keeps a diverse inventory for loyal customers and TikTok followers, who she calls “candy connoisseurs.”
“A candy connoisseur is someone who is willing to try new things, who is willing to learn about different types of candy, and who is willing to just take the plunge and try something new,” she said.
Beyond TikTok, candy experts said there could be another reason gummies are popular: rising cocoa prices.
“I think chocolate is going to be expensive for a while. So I think that’s good for the gummy candy industry,” said David Branch, a commodities analyst for the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. “It’s going to take a year or two for this market to really settle down and cocoa prices to come back down to their historical levels, so I think gummies are here to stay.”
Commodities aside, Schaltz and Ross said nostalgia is a big factor in their success.
“Something I hear all the time from our candy connoisseurs is, ‘You made me feel like a kid again,'” Ross said. “I think people are really looking for that extra bit of joy and a way to add a little extra happiness to something as simple as grabbing a bag of candy.” Schmaltz said, “We’re all kids at heart. My co-founders and I truly believe that growing up is a trap. But owning candy stores definitely helps.”