The Taste of Success: How Swedish Candy Brand BUBS Conquered North American Taste Buds

BUBS_all_cones_Photo Madeleine Hollender (1)
Photo: BUBS / Orkla

With Swedish candy trending across social media, BUBS Candy partnered with Business Sweden to ride the wave of popularity in a strategic way. Together, they transformed viral momentum into a smart, scalable market-entry plan built on data, partnerships and precision.

BUBS Candy, wholly owned by Orkla Confectionery & Snacks, is known for playful sweets. The Jönköping-based company found itself in the midst of a sugar rush in 2024, fueled by TikTok trends, YouTube taste tests, and influencer-driven demand. Swedish candy has since taken off in the US, a $54 billion confectionery market in 2024, according to The National Confectioners Association. Google searches for ‘Buy Swedish candy’ soared 75% and US imports followed suit.

Recognising this window of opportunity, BUBS looked to scale up in one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets for candy. But cracking this market meant more than good flavors; it required the right partners, local insights and a strategy tailored for growth.

“Our company – and I personally – have had a strategic interest in the US market for quite some time,”
Niclas Arnelin, Director of International Expansion at BUBS
“As one of the world’s largest and most dynamic consumer markets, the US presents significant long-term growth opportunities. The strong consumer response to Swedish confectionery, especially during the recent Swedish candy trend, further validated our belief in the market's potential and triggered a clear call to action. At that point, we engaged Business Sweden for strategic support. Importantly, our intention has never been to capitalise on a temporary trend – we are committed to building a strong, sustainable brand presence in the US over the long term.”

From Social Media Hype to a Tasty Strategy

Though demand was growing, BUBS was navigating a fragmented retail landscape with limited US infrastructure. Despite the size of the US market and growing interest from American buyers, a strategic approach was needed to minimise risks and lay the groundwork for scalable growth.

BUBS did not want to just follow the trend; they wanted to lead the market, and in order to do so, recruited support from Business Sweden.

 

Photo: BUBS / Orkla

Cracking the Core: Finding the Right Co-Manufacturer

At the heart of BUBS’ US strategy was a pivotal need: securing a co-manufacturer who could not only deliver at scale but also align with their quality standards and speed to market to meet demand. Business Sweden played a central role in making this happen.

The Business Sweden team curated a broad landscape of potential co-manufacturers, leveraging databases, industry insights, and prior benchmarks. From there, we led a structured selection process, based on geography, operational fit, and category expertise. Once a shortlist was developed, we facilitated direct introductions and helped navigate early conversations, bridging the gap between BUBS and its future US manufacturing partner.

This partnership is now set to become a cornerstone of BUBS’ official US launch, with the announcement of the co-manufacturing agreement with Mount Franklin Foods, a private-label confectionery manufacturer. The partnership represented a tangible milestone made possible by Business Sweden’s careful groundwork.

“Given the scale and complexity of the US market, identifying the right partner was a critical component of our expansion strategy,” adds Arnelin “Our ambition from the outset was to find a partner that could uphold the integrity of our Swedish heritage while manufacturing the unique flavor and texture that define our products. Business Sweden played a key role in this process, conducting an extensive market search that helped us narrow down hundreds of potential partners to a carefully curated shortlist. Ultimately, Mount Franklin Foods stood out as a comprehensive solution – offering both co-manufacturing capabilities and commercial partnership potential. They align with our values and ambitions, making them the ideal long-term partner for our US market entry.”

Building a Sugar-Coated Roadmap to Retail

With the manufacturing secured, Business Sweden then worked closely with BUBS to validate market potential, identify segment partners, and craft a detailed go-to-market strategy to tie everything together.

Business Sweden first mapped the geographic sweet spot for BUBS within the US based on consumer data, retail infrastructure, and alignment with company values of playfulness, quality and sustainability. This insight gave BUBS the clarity to focus its efforts where traction was most likely, thus saving time and resources by avoiding a scattered approach.

From there, Business Sweden zeroed in on how BUBS should bring products to shelf. We mapped the full grocery retail value chain, from boutique Scandinavian stores and ‘health-forward grocers’ to national distributors and brokers – independent agents working with food manufacturers and producers in launching, managing, expanding the sales and marketing of their products. 

 

Photo: BUBS / Orkla

“Understanding the complex and layered US grocery landscape is critical for success,” explains Abigail Richardson, Head of Try Swedish, USA, which connects Swedish food and beverage companies with global distributors and buyers to accelerate growth in new and existing markets. “Identifying the right entry point and selecting strategic retail partners helps demonstrate product velocity and build brand awareness. This focused approach not only connects BUBS with the right consumers early on, but also lays the groundwork to scale and sustain growth in larger conventional and mass retail channels with long-term credibility and insight.”

Building on this momentum, Business Sweden delivered a full go-to-market plan, tying together product, partners, and a tiered rollout. Through the support of Business Sweden, BUBS is now equipped with a co-manufacturing partner, a channel plan, and a clear, data-driven roadmap that turns social media buzz into retail success.

Wrapping It Up: Lessons Learned

Challenge
BUBS wanted to capitalise on the booming US demand for Swedish candy and needed support to establish its local footprint in order to meet the growing demand in the US.

Solution
Business Sweden delivered a tailored three-step approach, most significantly including the identification, evaluation, and introduction to a US-based co-manufacturer. Additionally, Business Sweden provided market analysis, channel segmentation, and a go-to-market plan to provide BUBS with the proper tools to hit the ground running once manufacturing was set up.

Result
BUBS secured a manufacturing partner and now has a clear, phased entry plan backed by data, operational alignment, and regional focus, poised for official launch in the US.

Value Impact
Business Sweden’s support transformed BUBS’ market entry from reactive to strategic, accelerating its US launch, reducing entry risk, and enabling long-term, scalable growth.

Project Team                  

  • Maria Känerud, Program Manager, Try Swedish
  • Abigail Richardson, Head of Try Swedish, USA
  • Rashna Buxey, Consultant, USA    
 

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