Astro Pop®
When an established candy brand disappears from the market, it tends to be a one-two punch, hitting consumers not just in the sweet tooth but right in the nostalgia bone. That's what spawned the latest comeback of the space-age favorite Astro Pops, which debuted in 1963.
"It was kind of a selfish thing. It was my favorite candy growing up," said Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands. Kassoff noticed the pops had dropped off the market and spontaneously asked about buying the rights.
When he called Spangler Candy about the candy's disappearance, Kassoff was told it wasn't part of the company's "marketing mix." That explanation often causes products to disappear, Kassoff explains. Companies merge, and some lesser products get neglected when allocating the marketing budget. Or else the manufacturer changes the product so much over time that they alienate the consumer.
"With that, products just leave the market for no reason except a decision at corporate," Kassoff said.
Kassoff didn't acquire the Astro Pops machinery because it had been sold it for scrap, but Spangler offered the trademarks, formulas, and help getting the pops up and running again. The product is now distributed by Kassoff's company Leaf Brands (Kassoff also acquired the rights to Leaf, a brand established by an earlier generation of his family).
Up next from Leaf are more comebacks: Tart n' Tinys are debuting at the Sweets and Snacks Expo in June, and after that will come the return of Wacky Wafers in July, Hydrox cookies in August, and then Bonkers. Kassoff had to find someone who used to work on Bonkers, since the formula was lost somewhere along the changing of hands of its parent companies, when Life Savers was sold to Nabisco.
When an established candy brand disappears from the market, it tends to be a one-two punch, hitting consumers not just in the sweet tooth but right in the nostalgia bone. That's what spawned the latest comeback of the space-age favorite Astro Pops, which debuted in 1963.
"It was kind of a selfish thing. It was my favorite candy growing up," said Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Leaf Brands. Kassoff noticed the pops had dropped off the market and spontaneously asked about buying the rights.
When he called Spangler Candy about the candy's disappearance, Kassoff was told it wasn't part of the company's "marketing mix." That explanation often causes products to disappear, Kassoff explains. Companies merge, and some lesser products get neglected when allocating the marketing budget. Or else the manufacturer changes the product so much over time that they alienate the consumer.
"With that, products just leave the market for no reason except a decision at corporate," Kassoff said.
Kassoff didn't acquire the Astro Pops machinery because it had been sold it for scrap, but Spangler offered the trademarks, formulas, and help getting the pops up and running again. The product is now distributed by Kassoff's company Leaf Brands (Kassoff also acquired the rights to Leaf, a brand established by an earlier generation of his family).
Up next from Leaf are more comebacks: Tart n' Tinys are debuting at the Sweets and Snacks Expo in June, and after that will come the return of Wacky Wafers in July, Hydrox cookies in August, and then Bonkers. Kassoff had to find someone who used to work on Bonkers, since the formula was lost somewhere along the changing of hands of its parent companies, when Life Savers was sold to Nabisco.