Thursday, October 19, 2006

Krunchy Bears

Sometimes a candy is so gorgeous it stops me dead in my tracks. Not that it looks tasty, it’s just so darned photogenic. Intense colors, fun textures, inventive shape ... it’s all so compelling.

image

I’ve seen these bears in bulk bins all over the country and didn’t know who made them until I went to the All Candy Expo. Turns out Albanese Confectionery makes a lot of gummis, including the exotic flavors you’ll find at Dylan’s Candy Bar (banana was really interesting!) and the super cute Gummi Army Men. I even unwittingly had one of the huckleberry ones last year. An ‘A’ on a gummi bear’s tummy means Albanese (the best way to spot them in bulk bins), another difference is they’re also a little larger than a Trolli or Haribo bear.

imageThe most freakishly beautiful candies of their line are their Krunchy items. Krunchies are soft gummis coated in little crunchy nonpareils. The mix of the soft bouncy texture of the gummi combined with a little sour bite of the “sticky” element and then the crunchy candies is just plain fun. (But you know, it’s functional too, the candy coating also keeps them from sticking together.)

They make other varieties of the Krunchy items such as gummi rings, worms and hearts and most come in different colors for different holidays.

These gummis come in six flavors: Cherry (red), Lemon (yellow), Watermelon (pink), Apple (green), Orange (orange) and Raspberry (blue). As usual, the citrus ones were my top faves, but the apple and raspberry were ranking pretty high, mostly because gummis in that flavor aren’t that common. But the weirdest part was the watermelon one, it just had a weird bitter aftertaste to me ... and the stranger thing is that I had the same experience with the Sandy Candy watermelon flavor too, so maybe there’s just something that reacts oddly with me.

If you see them in bulk bins, fear not! They’re as tasty as they are pretty.

(Albanese has a limited web store but the prices are FANTASTIC, usually you pay a premium when you order right from the company, like M&Ms or Hershey, but they have gummi bears for $2.29 a pound plus shipping. However, they ask some strange and personal details like age and gender. Let me know here if you ever order from them. They also have a factory store in Indiana, which I plan to visit someday.)

Related Candies

  1. Albanese Gummi Butterflies
  2. Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears
  3. Sour Gummi Bears
  4. Gummi Lightning Bugs
  5. Rocky Mountain Huckleberry Gummi Bears
Name: Krunchy Bears
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Albanese Confectionery
Place Purchased: Ralph's (bulk bins)
Price: $3.99/lb
Size: 2 ounces
Calories per ounce: unknown
Categories: Gummi, United States

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:13 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I know this comment might make them seem less appetizing, but does anybody remember the Nickelodeon Floam toy? It kind of looks like that.

    Comment by Mila on 10/19/06 at 2:11 pm #
  2. That is so cool, they’re like gummi bear Mummies.

    Comment by GTO on 10/20/06 at 1:54 am #
  3. Would you like me to document a trip to the factory store?  It is around 45 minutes from my town and I have really been wanting to go—perhaps I could even pick you up some things?  I really want to do a tour.  My mom did a tour with her Red Hat Ladies and she loved it.
    I think this is the first time I have ever replied to one of your posts although I think I have read almost every one!  I am obessed with candy ever since I started reading a few months ago!  Thanks alot! LOL (just kidding)..

    Comment by Mary on 10/20/06 at 3:44 am #
  4. oh yum! like the raspberries and blackberries (doesn’t jelly belly make those?) yum. i love the texture contrast. mmm!

    Comment by Pam on 10/20/06 at 5:52 am #
  5. These had me until “Krunchy”!!

    It completely drives me up the wall when companies spell things incorrectly (to cutesy the name up, I guess).  Why, why, WHY must they do that????

    Totally irrational hangup of mine?  Yes.  Do I nevertheless avoid Krispy Kreme like the plague?  Yes.

    Comment by Lesley on 10/20/06 at 7:05 am #
  6. From the way they look, they remind me of the gummy rasberries and blackberries, too, but do they taste similar? (I don’t normally think “gummy” when I eat the rasberries/blackberries because I think the taste is more pronounced than typical gummy candy.)

    Comment by Jen on 10/20/06 at 3:31 pm #
  7. The best thing about these critters is the lone green non pareil on the pink and orange bears…

    Comment by J. Bo on 10/21/06 at 6:31 am #
  8. If you can ever make it Indiana it would be worth your while. I lived out 2min. from the factory and store. My wife and I have known the owners for years and thier candy is the best. They ship tons of thier ‘Bears world wide. The best flavor and texture that you will ever have. There Gummy Army Men are my sons favorite. Take a taste. Every year I go back to Indiana and this is my first stop. 1-2lbs of this and that. Great price! Great Taste!

    Comment by Marcus M on 6/12/07 at 10:50 am #
  9. i just bought these 2 days ago from hallmark because of the beautiful colors.  they looked like the little spring jelly beans from see’s that are so amazing. i have to say, i had a completely different experience than you did.  they all tasted like bitter sour watermelon to me with a definite red dye taste…even in the ones with no red (yellow and green).  yuck.

    Comment by jess on 5/03/08 at 10:33 am #
  10. OMG!! These RULE!!!... I had to post when I read what Jess stated…I thought just the opposite…See’s look pretty but have a bitterness to me but when I tried these Krunchy Bears I couldn’t believe how tasty they were with the gummie smoosh and crunch all at the same time. If you ever see them in a store - BUY THEM!! You’ll be plesantly surprised. (Green were my favorite)

    Comment by Charles on 9/02/08 at 4:19 pm #
  11. I have ordered from Albanese before.  The gummis are truly beyond compare.  Bethany at the candy factory (can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) is really easy to work with.  You can basically email her with a list of things you want, and she can take care of it through email.

    Comment by Melody on 1/15/09 at 5:05 am #
  12. These taste much better than you’d think - that texture is a fun kick!

    Comment by Nycteris on 5/19/10 at 11:26 am #
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