Black Friday-Cyber Monday

It’s that time of year again! The holidays seem to sneak up every year. Although, we do get warnings when we see Halloween and Christmas decorations in stores long before their time, they still manage to come so quickly. If you aren’t prepared, it can be a scary last minute ordeal that ends with you wanting to tear your hair out. We’re here to help you avoid that end point. And we’re also here to help you save! With our Black Friday through Cyber Monday Special, you can get 10% off or Free shipping on any order over $150. At Checkout, use coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY10″ for 10% off or “BLACKFRIDAYSHIP” for free shipping at www.candypros.com.

Everyone loves to get candy any time of year–especially those hard to find nostalgic candies that some of your loved ones crave–so why not give them what they want for the holidays? We’re certain that you’ll find the perfect sweet treat for your friends and family this holiday season whether it be Pop Rocks, Razzles, Sixlets, Zotz, Wack-O-Wax Lips, Old Fashioned Candy Sticks, Chick-O-Sticks, Nik-L-Nip, Flicks, Honees, McCraws Old Fashioned Taffy, Abba Zaba, Bit-O-Honey, or any other hard to find candies, we’re the best source to find them!

Considering doing a holiday themed Candy Buffet Bar this Christmas? We’ve got you covered. This is a great way to impress your holiday guests this year. We have a wide selection of red candy, green candy, gold candy, silver candy and white candy to meet any Christmas candy buffet bar’s need. If you don’t want to go with the traditional Christmas colors, we also have each candy color categorized on our website so that you can put together any combination you desire–including if you plan to do a Kwanza or Hanukkah themed party.

If you’re having trouble visualizing what candies you would like to use in a holiday themed candy buffet bar, please visit a board we created on Pinterest combining bulk candy in Christmas colors: Candy Buffet Bar Christmas. Don’t forget, if you shop until Cyber Monday (11/28/11) you can get 10% off or free shipping on any order $150 or more. It’s a great deal considering we have the most competitive prices for bulk candy on the web! Happy Shopping Candy Lovers! =)

Candy Buffet Bars

Hello Fellow Candy Lovers!

So, being in the candy industry, we are surrounded by many creative ideas for weddings, events, and parties. As everyone knows, the new trend is to have a candy buffet bar at your wedding or event. Candy buffet bars can range from fun and festive to elegant and classy. The possibilities for this new fad seem endless as it has become an artistic centerpiece, and we’re always excited to see what our customers come up with.

Meant to Bee by Bridal Gown Blog Spot

We have one particular customer that has created an idea so adorable that we really want to share it with all of our customers also. Her blog is full of many fun, creative ideas, but we were particularly impressed with her “Meant to Bee” theme–her posts for this begin on September 29, 2011. We recommend reading through her blog for other fun, cost effective ideas. Bridal Gown Blogspot showcases many creative ideas and she is constantly having special giveaways for her followers–so get involved, and get inspired.

Bloomingdale's Candy Display by Love Candy Tables

We also want to congratulate Love Candy Tables for being featured in Bloomingdale’s at Fashion Valley in San Diego, CA. We remember the day she was in our warehouse selecting the candy for her Bloomingdale’s candy display with so much excitement. She has also been featured on MTV’s Quiero Mis Quince. We love being involved in the process, and want to make sure to recognize our customer’s talents and achievements. Love Candy Tables creative designer, Nema Hallak, has a brilliant eye for creating beautiful candy displays–we recommend visiting her website and contacting her for a free quote!

Just for stopping by our blog, we want to offer you 5% off of your next candy order of $100 or more with www.candypros.com. Use Coupon code “blog5″ at checkout.

Halal, Gluten Free & Kosher Candies

We have seen an influx of special requests here at Candy Pros. Whether it is questions regarding candy ingredients or asking for a list of candies that are gluten free. Whether it be celiac disease or religious guidelines, we spent much of the day here at Candy Pros sorting our candies in to diet categories for you.

 Halal Candy

Halal is an Islamic law, that is broken when animals are improperly slaughtered; alcoholic drinks are consumed improperly and any food contaminated with any of these products is eaten. Certified Halal candies will have a pork free gelatin and not contain any traces of beef or alcohol. Jelly Belly is a Halal candy company because they use no meat products and instead use soy gelatin in their manufacturing process.

Kosher Candy

Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of the Jewish Halakhic law framework, kosher meaning fit or allowed to be eaten. Kosher candies go through a rigorous test to make sure that no pork is included in the manufacturing process. The accreditation Kosher also signifies that the food was prepared in a Kosher way.

Gluten Free Candy

Gluten free candy has become a “craze” as of late, according to The Globe and Mail, “In less than five years, sales of gluten-free products have nearly tripled, rising in tandem with the increasing number of new gluten-free goods. Beyond crackers, breads and pastas, it’s now possible to buy everything from gourmet gluten-free cookies at independent bakeries to gluten-free pizzas.” However, despite the craze the need for gluten free food is born out of celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that has life threatening consequences on individuals that eat wheat and gluten products.  Luckily, there are a wide variety of gluten free candies for people to enjoy, from Airheads to Starburst!

ISM Trade Show is Approaching

So we are a few weeks away from one of the most exciting events in the candy industry. The International Sweets and Biscuits Fair, also known as the ISM candy show in Cologne, Germany runs from January 30^th-Feb 2^nd. It is the mega-show of mega-shows made for manufacturers, wholesalers, and candy lovers abroad; this event brings every candy lover together under one roof.

According to the ISM trade booklet, “ISM is the largest and most important sweets and biscuits fair in the world. Every year the international sector meets to introduce, discover and discuss the latest trends, the newest products and the most up-to-dates perspectives. The entire global market is reflected an ISM’s range of products, which is broader than that of any other comparable trade fair. All of the relevant target groups in the world of confectionery are brought together here. Small, medium-sized and market-leading suppliers make direct contact with the global trade to fulfill the needs of tomorrow’s customers with innovative ideas, creations and concepts.“

If you can brave the freezing Germany winter, this mammoth candy expo will surely not disappoint. The ISM show spans 159,329 Square Meters of candy showcases, so put on your walking shoes because you will be grazing beautiful new product showcases, food technology shows, and special “sweet seasons” shows, to name a few.

So if you are lucky enough to be around Cologne the end of January check out the beautiful candy expo. But if you are sticking around San Diego this year and still looking for an online wholesale candy San Diego expo, checkout candy pros!

Check out Candy Pros Feature on San Diego Living-Channel 6

On Monday, December 6^th Candy Pros was featured on Channel 6’s San Diego Living. The video is below:

 

On top of our feature, Chef Katherine came in to our warehouse last week, and we started gathering supplies for her candy creations.

She really turned candy in to an amazing snack with her creations. Here is her delicious Mexican Candy Apple recipe:

1 Granny Smith Apple

5 pieces of El Azteca Pica-Bola

Use as you like-Dulces Moreliates

Roll 5 Pico Bola candies in to one flat piece. Heat the Pica-Bola in the microwave for 15 seconds in plastic wrap.  Then, cover the granny smith apple with the softened El Azteca Pica Bola candy coating. Place assorted Dulce Moreliates decorations and spices as you please. Enjoy! Thanks Chef Katherine!

NEW! Chocolate Covered Jelly Belly Dips

Jelly Belly is releasing a new product line next month called Jelly Belly Dips. Jelly Belly is putting a new spin on their traditional Jelly Bean by dipping some of our favorite flavors in chocolate. One the many perks of working at a wholesale candy company is that sometimes we get the pleasure of testing the products before they are released. Luckily, Jelly Belly Dips did not disappoint us!

The Dips come in 5 extraordinary flavors: Very Cherry, Orange, Raspberry, Coconut, and Strawberry enclosed in rich, dark chocolate. After sampling the Dips, I feel that they definitely could be a hit with candy lovers everywhere. They are light enough for snacking and surprisingly, the chocolate enhances the sweet Jelly Belly flavor. The Raspberry and Strawberry were my favorite by far, because the flavors are naturally complementary.

These little kosher candy snacks come in at around 4 calories and will be a great way to celebrate the holidays. Scheduled for a December 1^st release date, so mark your calendars and check back at Candy Pros to order your Jelly Belly Dips.

Image Credit:  Progressive Grocer

Top 5 90’s Candy Commercials

 Don’t we all love the 90’s? Olsen twins, jean jackets and Nirvana pretty much define the 90’s but what I remember most were the commercials. If you see a 90’s commercial, you immediately know it’s from the 90’s because they were so unique to the decade. Candy companies like Mars and Hershey’s were advertising on TV more often in the 90’s than they are today. It’s really fun to see what has and hasn’t changed in candy commercials, here is a look at the top 5 candy commercials of the 90’s.

5. 1993 Reese’s Commercial “How ____ Eats a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup”

These commercials were classic! The possibilities were endless for Reese’s and the commercials made you want to grab some  Reese’s peanut butter cups. I remember the “there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s” commericals more than any other commercial campaign from the 90′s.

4. 1996 M&M’s Blue M&M

Do you remember M&M Mars PR’s successful campaign to vote for the next M&M color. The voting was between pink, blue, and purple to be the next color in M&M’s assortment. The color blue came out the winner and numerous successful commercials followed.

3. 1994 The Simpsons Butterfinger Commercial

The Simpsons were such a powerful marketing tool in the 90′s. They had such a strong following that it is no suprise that Butterfinger enlisted Bart Simpson to represent Butterfinger BB’s

2. 1995 Kit Kat “Give Me a Break” Commercial

We’ve all hummed the jingle for “break me off a piece of that kit kat bar.” This commercial takes 90′s jingles to a new level. Complete with flying graphics, cut off neon tank tops and a catchy song this commercial has all the elements of a perfect 90′s commercial.

1. 1990 Snickers Batman Commercial 

This is a hilarious commercial classic for Snicker’s. They have had a great deal of success with “hungry why wait?” campaigns in the 2000′s but personally, I like the “not going anwywhere for awhile?” themed campaigns like this one.

I hope these commercials were nostalgic and fun to watch. If you built up an appetite check out Candy Pros great selection of  Bulk Candy Bars.

8RNFVK52JB49 <!–f766033b92ad4c87b708e684081cc48f–>

Today Is National Candy Day

Today, November 4, 2010 is National Candy Day. For all of you detoxing from your Halloween candy hangover, the timing of this momentous holiday seems a bit…off. But for us, where candy is our job, we love it! Plus, November 4^th may be the perfect time for National Candy Day because all the trick-or-treaters still have leftover candy. Regardless, in honor of our (Candy Pros) favorite holiday we are going touch on the history of our sweet confections.

Where Chocolate came from?

Chocolate derives the cocoa bean, more specifically the cacao tree. It is noted that in Central America, the cacao pod was widely eaten because of its sweet, nectar like taste. Natives first discarded the seeds of the cacao tree (cocoa beans) because of its bitter and unpleasant taste. The first civilization to use cocoa beans was the Aztecs. They were true chocoholics, drinking the chocolate drink for health benefits. In 1592, Spanish explorer Herman Cortez found out about cocoa beans through his briefings with the Aztecs. Cocoa was brought back the Europe, sweeping the nation with claims of unbelievable health benefits. They deemed the magic bean, vital to curing everything from anemia to digestive problems. After the chocolate made its way to American farmers, the rest is history. Here is a timeline of the candy industry

Early 1700’s- Rock Candy Crystals were sweet treat of choice for Europeans

1847- The Fry’s Chocolate Factory in London created molded the first chocolate bar for consumption

1875- Milk Chocolate was invented by Henry Nestle and Daniel Peter

1880- Wunderle Candy Company creates candy corn

1900- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar was invented -“The Great American Chocolate Bar”

1920- Fannie May Candies opens its first retail candy shop in Chicago, IL

1928 – The popular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were introduced

1930-The Snickers bar-The best selling candy bar of all time was released by M&M Mars

1941- “M&M’s” Plain Chocolate Candies are introduced

1981- M&M Mars introduces Skittles.

It’s interesting to look at the developments and history of our favorite candies. The classic candies such as Reese’s and Snickers are timeless and will live forever. Have a Happy National Candy Day!

Image Credit : Cadbury

Candy Buffet 101

Candy buffets are the new “water cooler,” they are a hub for conversation and fun. They are rapidly becoming the most popular trend for events like weddings, birthdays and corporate parties. Candy buffets are an assortment of candies that are arranged on a table in a creative way.  The candies follow a theme, with color, flavor or texture and often become the conversation piece of parties. Most importantly, they are easy to assemble and can be a very inexpensive option, in place of deserts or treats. Working at Candy Pros I have done a good deal of research on candy buffets and will give you a few tips for making your candy buffet work.

• Keep it simple-Stick to a theme

Finding your creative “selling point” with your candy buffet is the hardest part. Determining the color scheme, what types of candy and where it fits in with the event is a daunting task.

• This Russian picture blog should be your candy buffet bible

It has all the elements of the perfect candy buffet. Most of them are quite simple but they all work because the artist’s level of detail. If you follow the candy buffet bible you will be creating dazzling, intricate works of art in no time.

• Little things go a long way

A neatly crafted label or a handmade bowtie can really set your candy buffet apart from the crowd. Spend some extra time to label and add accessories to your candy buffet.  Flowers and tablecloths are a crucial element of your candy buffets.

• Make sure you have enough of the right candy

The candy buffet is made for satisfying both, that sweet tooth and sweet eye. If you don’t have enough candy both of these will be left feeling incomplete. One way you can find help is by contacting a candy buffet supplier. They will have dealt with similar situations and will be able to assist you in your purchasing needs.

Good luck! A great candy buffet will be the talk of the town. It is a fun experience building and can be a great bonding tool. Leave a comment or question, if you need further assistance and I would be glad to help.

5 Candies Trick-Or-Treaters Hope For… But Never Get

Crunch bars and bite sized Kit Kats have been breaking trick-or-treaters hearts for years. This repeat candy found in the assorted “bulk” mix from most department stores gives trick-or-treaters the bare minimum of what they ask for. The variety in candy is what makes trick-or-treating fun, the thrill of finding those rare candies. If you are passing out candy this year, why don’t you make an effort instead of settling for the generic assortment bags? Buying candy in bulk doesn’t have to be expensive, and you can find rare candies that will be sure to make your house the talk of the town. Here are the top 5 candies that kids hope for, but never get.

Heath Bar

It’s not nearly as well known as Snickers, Kit Kat, or Reese’s but the amazing flavor in Heath Bars makes it an instant hit with trick-or-treaters. With so much generic chocolate being eaten in one night, the Heath Bar is sure to stand out with its hard toffee center covered in milk chocolate.

Chewy Spree

When you bite in to a Chewy Spree, it’s pretty much instinct to be expecting the same painful crunch as original Sprees. But no, you are greeted with a soft center that can be blissfully chewed; while un wrapping the next candy for a taste test.

Take 5

Take 5 is pretty much the ultimate candy bar. With pretzels, peanuts, caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate, it literally captures the whole Halloween experience in one bite.

Sour Patch Kids

First they are sour, and then they’re sweet. The Sour Patch Kids include raspberry, lemon, orange, and lime flavors and are a hit with trick-or-treaters because the love the sour zing!

Reese’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

The same genuine Reese’s peanut butter flavor covered in creamy white chocolate. White chocolate candies can be hit-or-miss, and Reese’s sure hit the bull’s-eye with these candies because they are delicious.

Regardless of what you do this year for Halloween, passing out these unique but delectable treats will create a neighborhood buzz. If you are in the spirit of spook, and don’t mind your doorbell ringing try passing out the 5 candies that kids actually want. If you want to buy bulk candy at the lowest possible price, check out Candy Pros.