The Swedish Candy People

Just in time for Christmas, you can add more Dala horses to your holiday - and this time they're edible. 

  • We know Swedes have the biggest sweet tooth around. And the Swedish "lördagsgodis” (Saturday candy) ritual made choosing (and eating) pick 'n mix candy an overnight sensation — that it isn’t going anywhere.

  • These Dala Horse candies are not exactly like the ones the youth are painting this weekend at the ASI in Minneapolis, but maybe some lucky trick-or-treaters will be receiving them this Halloween. www.candypeople.com

  • It’s going everywhere, actually. Thanks to the Swedish candy company, Candy People, we can now get our favorite pick 'n mix fix from anywhere there is internet access. And just in time for the holidays, we can add their Dalahäst (Dala Horse) candy to our shopping cart.

  • Dala Horse gummies, AKA the new Swedish Fish (ironically Swedish Fish are actually made in Canada, though Scandy Fish are made the Candy People in Sweden), is the company’s first packaged product that is sold separately in the U.S. and Canada. While you may have been eating their pick 'n mix candy chosen from bins in various stores, it probably wasn’t clear that it was Candy People candy you were picking and mixing. But you were: Candy People is the market leader in Scandinavian confectionery distribution. The company — started 30 years ago in Malmö, Sweden — entered the North American market in 2013 with a full product assortment of more than 90 candies.

  • There are certainly other great candy manufacturers out there, but Candy People’s products are made with real sugar and natural colors, no high fructose corn syrup, trans fats or GMOs. Business has grown 300 percent each year since 2013, probably in part because it’s a “clean candy” with a great taste and is gluten- and gelatin-free. The Dala Horse gummies are also vegan. Certainly that appeals to a lot of today’s health conscious consumers of all ages looking for something sweet whose price isn’t sky high and flavor isn't compromised.

  • Vince Brandon, Candy People marketing expert based at the North America headquarters in Texas, says the product speaks for itself. “We can’t keep it on the shelves, and we’re just getting started,” he said, saying the company is gearing up for another year of exponential growth in the U.S. and Canada. That's great news — and a point of pride for Swedish America.

  • The fruit flavored gummy Dala Horse candy is only the first of their premium packaged candy in their new Signature Line, available now in any IKEA or World Market across the U.S. as well as at Amazon.com. In early 2017, there will be two more Swedish icons in their Signature Line: marshmallow moose and gummy Vikings are coming soon.

  • For now, look for your Dala Horse candy soon so you have it in time for Christmas — and buy extra, just in case you eat the first bag you intended to put in someone else's stocking.