Dare takes to the streets with mobile treats truck

Ignoring their parent’s warnings about strangers and candy, throngs of people lined up for free samples when the Dare Candy Co.’s “mobile treats truck” stopped by Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park one recent weekend.

A study conducted for the Kitchener, Ont. -based company found that 62% of Canadians admit to having a sweet tooth, which explains why Dare is distributing sweet treats in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

The company is inviting consumers to create their own “Treat Cone” with samples from five items from the Dare portfolio: RealJubes Red, RealJubes Black and RealJubes Sour, RealSour Sticks and RealSour Strips.

The RealJubes products are sold in a 385-gram package, with a suggested MSRP of $3.99 to $4.49, while the RealSour sticks/strips are sold in a 140-gram package, with a suggested MSRP of $2.99 to $3.29.

New packaging features the “Dare made better” badge, highlighting what Deborah Attwood, director of marketing for Dare Foods Limited, calls the “made better” attributes that modern consumers care about, such as no artificial colours or flavours, fat-free and gluten-free. The packaging also touts that its products gelatin and peanut free.

Dare also conducted research into Canadians’ candy preferences, with the discoveries including:

• • 54% of people in Calgary prefer to eat their candy one flavour at a time;

• • Millennials are seven times more likely to prefer red over black jubes (61% say they like red, compared to only 8% for black);

• • Baby-boomers are evenly divided on their preference for red and black candy;

• • 71% of Vancouverites bring candy along for their summer road trip;

• • Friends (47%) and romantic interests (41%) top the list of people that Torontonians are more likely to share a sweet treat with. Only 9% say they plan to share with a parent;

“Consumers want more from their snacks,” said Attwood. “Dare Candy delivers on top purchase motivators like no artificial colours or flavours and made with real fruit. We also deliver on growing allergen concerns such as peanut-free, gluten-free and gelatin-free.”

Canada’s sugar confectionary market (defined as an aggregation of mints, boiled sweets, pastilles, gums, jellies and chews, toffees, caramels, nougat, medicated confectionary, lollipops, liquorice and other sugar confectionary) is valued at $475 million according to data from Euromonitor, with Dare controlling an estimated 1.6% of the market.

According to the Canadian Sugar Institute, Canadians consume an estimated 51-53 grams of sugar (12-13 teaspoons) per day, representing approximately 11% of their daily caloric consumption.

The group also noted that consumption of added sugars – a group including all sugars, corn syrups, honey and maple syrups added to food and beverages – has been declining for 20 years, primarily reflecting a decline in soft drink consumption.