A quick reminder to all distributors living in hotter areas: Many customers switch to lighter, non-chocolate items in summer, and that’s a plus if you want to get around the dreaded ‘melted chocolate’ syndrome. If you are going to use chocolate products, use a ‘blue ice’ type of cooler to transport your product—just don’t let milk chocolate come into direct contact with the blue ice or the chocolate will ‘whiten’.  It’s still perfectly good, but customers might think that something’s wrong with it.  Now, let’s get on with a huge list of new products!

Granny B’s Cookies launches a full line of giant cookies, including pink-iced, peanut butter, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and other flavors.

Mauna Loa introduces incredibly good Bite Size Macadamia Nut Brownie Crisp Cookies, joining White Chip, Hawaiian Crunch, and Chocolate Chip.

Brownie Baker has expanded their product line with individually-wrapped muffins, brownies, cakes, and giant cookies.  The cookies are co-branded Nestlé Crunch, and Butterfinger flavors.

Those Keebler Elves just don’t stop!  Be on the look out for their new Droxies (chocolate sandwich cookies) as well as their popular new Bite Size Snackin’ Grahams.  They’re very tasty, and a good source of calcium.  Oh sure, that’s why we eat them, for the calcium...

Kellogg’s has a new line of cereal snacks called Snack-Ums, capitalizing on the popularity of their cereals: Big Rollin’ Froot Loops; Big Boomin’ Pops; and Rice Krispie Treats Krunch.  There will be heavy advertising nationally so be on the watch for them.  Also from Kellogg’s are Pop- Tart Pastry Swirls, now in Strawberry and Cheese Danish flavors.  These are great for customers who eat breakfast from your machines!

Austin Quality Foods has added a shortbread-type SeAnimal to their Dolphin & Friends cracker line.

The kitty’s grown!  Hershey’s KitKat now has BigKat, with KitKat taste in a standard chocolate bar size.

Heinz branded ketchup chips, and honey mustard & onion pretzel chips are the newest from Herr’s Foods.

Kings Delicious has three new snack mixes—Summer Harvest Snack Mix (ranch bagel chips, sesame sticks, peanuts, pretzels, and more); Granola Berry Crunch; and Spicy Cajun Mix.

Snyder’s of Hanover spices things up with Jalapeño Sourdough Hard Pretzel Pieces, joining their Honey Mustard & Onion, Honey BBQ, and Buttermilk Ranch. And in their chip line, they’ve added Sourdough Specials and Taco Fiesta Potato Chips.

Frito-Lay has new Doritos Baja Picante tortilla chips, with picante, tomato, onion, peppers, herbs, and cheddar cheese.  Olé!

Nut fans will want to know about G.O.R.B.S., new from Blue Diamond, the almond folks. It stands for Green Onion Roasted Blanched Slivered Almonds.

Nabisco has added a new 1 oz. size of their Air Crisps, in Cheese Nips and Ritz flavors.  Also from Nabisco, their top selling chocolate chip cookie Chips Ahoy has a 2 oz. bag with a limited-time savings coupon on each package.

Remember Creamsicles and Fudgsicles?  Those great summertime ice cream tastes are now available in Creamsicle Candy Twists from Promotion In Motion, in Oranges ‘N Cream, Chocolate Fudge ‘N Cream, and Strawberries ‘N Cream!

Watch out for this one:  Russell Stover is releasing single-serve S’mores, with the chocolate/marshmallow/graham cracker taste we all love—but without the stick and the campfire!