State of the Industry Conference strikes an optimistic tone for the sector

A clear-cut sense of resilience and a moment to seize potential opportunities amid notable challenges appeared the prevailing mood of this year’s State of the Industry Conference in Florida.

Confectionery Production was on hand to report on this year’s event in Orlando, which yielded plenty of fine insights from across the sector, which has continued its march forward. (watch our exclusive review of the event below).

From the many conversations across its three days, it was clear that many companies and entrepreneurs had been feeling a certain degree of caution in regards to higher prices being felt in the past year, partly due to wider geopolitical issues as well as the imposition of tariffs, that had created some degree of uncertainty. 

Yet in spite of this situation, there appeared much typical enthusiasm for Sweets & Snacks Expo ahead, which calls on Las Vegas in just two months’ time, with a wide array of genuine innovations, as well as supplier equipment, systems and ingredients anticipated for this year’s major show.

Indeed, as we’ve reported in recent days, the US confectionery market continued its upward trajectory, registering $55bn in sales across categories in total, which was slightly up on last year, with non candy segments enjoying a notably strong performance. 

While chocolate sales remained a little down in some areas, which in part was attributed to challenges in the cocoa supply chain, and caution from consumers in relation to purchase of premium ranges, there was still a notable degree of hope in the room, that the industry would overcome its present hurdles.

Indeed, it has a historic track record of doing just that – namely as North American consumers, like many across Europe and the UK, have a strong emotional tie to candy and chocolate, that has carried the category forward, even in the most testing of conditions. 

That said, there has been no sense of there being room for complacency, which was very much reflected in many of the networking sessions and breakout gatherings at this year’s event in Florida.

For his part, John Downs, CEO and president of the National Confectioners Association behind the event, returned to lead the way in enthusiastic style, noting that the sector’s core small and medium-sized firms remained very much in its thoughts in terms of driving and improving policy, and responding to regulatory tests in the market.

From the conference floor, there was also a clear emphasis on generational shifts, which centred on how the industry can potentially reach out to younger Gen Z and Millennial consumers that are most comfortable on Tik-Tok and Instagram, with the former now becoming a major force in retailing. Linked to this were a couple of key presentations, from entrepreneur Gary Vee, and Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar, who both extolled the virtues of companies becoming as digitally savvy as possible, both to aid their own companies, and also drive the development of new innovations for the sector, which offered some well-balanced inspiration for attendees.

While the event’s 700 or so delegate remained realistic about conditions before them, there was plenty of optimism around the halls of the venue, no doubt enhanced by the celebrations linked to the 250th anniversary of the independence of the US.

This was cleverly encapsulated into a core banner of Sweet Land of Liberty, complete with its AI-assisted theme tune (see our video review above), which paid homage to the wealth of small and medium-sized enterprises that make up the vast bulk of the US confectionery industry.

These will be further celebrated at this year’s Sweets and Snacks Expo as it takes to the road in Las Vegas in just a short while, with plenty of excitement building for the show, with a wealth of new product ranges anticipated that will no doubt make it another event to remember.

Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production magazine

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