In 2021, chocolate and candy sales were up 11% over 2020, and up 15.4% over 2019.
According to the National Retail Federation, easter consumers are expected to spend 20.8 billion on the holiday this year, with 90% of the planned purchases going toward sweet confections. Compared to Halloweens expected spending of only 10.1 billion, with only 30% of that begin spent on candy.
So just how do the country's largest confectioners keep up with America's inexhaustibly voracious appetite for Easter candy?
We looked into the manufacturing techniques of some of the most popular sweets*—Marshmallow PEEPS, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, and Cadbury Creme Eggs—to find out.
**A recent RetailMeNot.com survey suggests that Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Eggs are the most popular (26%). And even though you can get Reese's anytime, there is something different about those mini eggs that are better than a normal Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It's also no surprise that peeps only came in at 14% of the vote. (They also declined my request for an interview)
