May 28, 2026
We may have left Las Vegas, but the memories of the packaging at Sweets and Snacks Expo 2026 didn’t leave us.
Here are the creative and innovative products, booths, and packaging stars that made us stop and take notice, even in a somewhat delirious sugar haze. Presenting the Kaleidoscope Awards—the best of the best in color, material, finish, packaging design, and structure in the category, right now at Sweets and Snacks 2026. The ones that meet consumers of all generations where they are, in the world we live in—with all its proteinmaxxing, fibermaxxing, GLP-1 conversation, and everything-optimization—delivering sweet emotion as only sweets & snacks can do.
Best Packaging Refresh
This one’s been on our radar for a while, but it checks so many boxes: matte finish (signaling handcrafted and authentic), chip-shaped die cut, warm flavor colors, stronger benefit claims, culture-inspired illustrations. It’s an elegant refresh for a mainstream brand that feels far more resonant with the local flavor consumers want now.
Best Premium Packaging
Hershey’s Salted Caramel Crème
This was a new product from our friends at Hershey, and the individual bar packaging was beautiful, with foil used for the variant name and at each end. Overall, the creamy colors complimented Hershey’s trademark chocolate brown, and the appetite appeal, accented with a wave of glossy caramel, was perfectly done.
Best Omnichannel Packaging
SweetTarts Ropes and SweetTarts Chewy DoubleTakes
This packaging is dead simple, and yet. When you consider that 63% of Gen Z says a convenience/delivery app is where they try a new snack for the first time (source: Gopuff), ecomm visibility matters like never before. So yeah, when you’re scrolling for a sweet treat late at night, these bright, bold, and youthful packs practically scream from space.
Best Appetite Appeal
The packaging at the show was a much-improved redesign for Verse, with the cups front, center, and more mouth-watering than before. We love a larger-than-life product shot (on a full flood of color, no less) that delivers rich flavor intensity, and the surrounding ingredient cues further seal the deal.
Best Novelty Packaging
We hadn’t heard of this brand out of Plymouth, MN, but we were blown away by the variety in their packaging. From what were effectively gummy Labubus to coffins to tackle boxes and so many other seasonal whimsies, the booth was a blast to explore. We would love to be part of their brainstorming sessions, just sayin’.
Best Use of Die Cut
Another packaging redesign, Valley Pop showed off our favorite die cut (trust, it was a really hard choice). It’s giving fresh popped, farm grown, nostalgic, and uncomplicated. The color system was noticeable and navigable, too, while the brandmark was strong but not overwhelming.
Best Flavor Mashup
Dare us to eat anything Dunkin’. And with Brownie Brittle? Come on! We already love the matte Brownie Brittle packaging, and the merger with Dunkin’s iconic orange and pink just makes sense. It feels premium, decadent, AND fun—essential for this category and Brownie Brittle’s consumer, who is looking for a little permissible indulgence.
Best Old School Design
El Patio Tortilla Chips (*Best Swag too)
It makes sense that this restaurant-to-retail brand feels old school—they pride themselves on their Austin heritage. El Patio was a surprising find, but stood out for its clean use of white, vintage brandmark and product font, streamlined communication hierarchy, and yeah, that merch. The bag took us right to sipping margs and slamming chips on a warm patio.
Best Vintage Packaging
The chokehold this packaging has on us. It’s so legendary, we loved to see it in the Tootsie Pop booth. Is there a place for it in today’s packaging, somewhere, somehow? There’s certainly still a place for it in our hearts, just as with so much classic candy. Sigh.
Best Flavor Extensions
This was one of my personal design winners from last year’s show, and the new flavors this year—Chili Crisp and Mexican Street Corn—richly extended the unique color palette and illustration landscape. Popcorn is an endless blank canvas for experimentation; Nomad has cracked the code on both compelling taste varieties and hip, bodega-style packaging.
Best Brand Extension
We always love to see what Jif will do next—there are so many spaces peanut butter can play in now. Snappers, the innovation at this year’s show, is so clever in so many ways: the name (like turtles—ugh!); the bold red bag that recalls the jar; the resealable format; the font that feels, well, snappy. The product depiction, with its handwritten callouts, is not a new idea, but the closeup is highly appealing. Adds to cart.
Best Brand Growth YOY
I was excited to see this product again at this year’s show, and with a much (much!) bigger presence. Sweet frozen lemonade in a squeeze pouch is a unique format, and the branding feels both kid- and adult-friendly at the same time. Mango was this year’s new flavor, and while they still aren’t quite in every Target nationwide, it’s fun to watch this story unfold—and imagine even more new product innovations for Scoot.
Best New Product Launch
Mars brand trü frü brought these frozen banana bites with Greek yogurt and granola to the show, and um, we had to be restrained. When a product innovation lives up to the promise of great taste, very little more is needed, but of course, the appetizing simplicity of trü frü branding, which has never needed much in the way of fanfare, doesn’t hurt.
Launch We’re Most Looking Forward To
Go Wandr (Bazooka Brands)
This product had been hyped a bit on LinkedIn, so we were disappointed not to be able to try it, but the world-building was well done in the Bazooka booth, complete with a passport photo-op and postcards from future flavor destinations (the premise of Go Wandr is that each flavor will be inspired by a different global candy, with the first being mochi from Japan). The initial packaging is eye-catching—will it change with each new variety? We’ll be watching!
Best Booth (TIE!)
PepsiCo Snacking / Mars Snacking
It’s only fitting that two of the world’s biggest CPG companies have some of the best snacks of all time—and they’re innovating at a breakneck clip. These booths were a joy to visit, and to see the branding at such a scale invites greater study and admiration. Good Warrior was especially well done, with excellent flavor cues and elevated fonts for jerky. For real though, we want to live in these spaces.
Best Story on Startup Street
Liddy Romero and her mom welcomed us with so much warmth to their booth, we were reminded that heartfelt stories are the real reason brands strike a chord. With her emphasis on traditional recipes from her childhood, a love of Hispanic culture, endless ideas for the brand and products, and ADDICTIVE flavors (I grew up on Mexican wedding cookies but the CHURRO? Oh my), this Startup Street brand is going places with heart and soul.
Best Photo Opp
Oh hey, it’s me, your Work Bestie. At a show with a zillion photo ops, this was our most hearted (and the real Vegas wedding sponsored by Sweethearts at the event didn’t hurt!). Just a really original brand moment, for an iconic American candy.
Flavor We Want to See More Of
Ube
Given the popularity of this flavor in the beverage space, we expected more of it here, but didn’t see much at all. Is it on its way? Or is it not a thing? Time will tell.
Best in Show
We’ve saved the best for last, and it’s a winner on many levels. Circ Protein Bites come in six flavors, with a simple, bright color system and branding that felt disruptive to the category. The real star of this story, though, is the patented package: a molded plastic channel that keeps each protein bite separate (no mushing or melting), and a resealable lid designed for portability and portion control. Slim and compact, it’s designed to slip into a purse, backpack, diaper bag, carry-on, or even pocket without compromising the product inside. And the booth? It gave light, clean wellness—not dense, dated protein bar. The overall effect of these combined elements was so unique that the brand felt like it was in a class of its own, and we can’t wait to see what the Circ team will do next.
Packaging tells you everything about where a category is headed. The best packaging at Sweets and Snacks Expo 2026 came from brands that showed up with intention, whether refreshing a legacy mark or launching something entirely new. They understood that the package isn’t just the container. It’s the first conversation with the consumer.
If you’re thinking about what your packaging needs to do next, we’d love to talk.
