Hershey is debuting Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies as part of its partnership with basketball star Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies come in Original and Sour varieties. The Original features peach, berry punch and orange flavors shaped like the legendary player’s head. The sour version includes gummies shaped like Shaq’s legendary nicknames, Diesel, The Big Cactus and the Big Shamrock. They come in pineapple, mixed berry and watermelon flavors.
The extra-large size is a nod to the 15-time all-star’s self-proclamation of being the “biggest kid in the candy store.” Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies are rolling out to major retailers this month.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Shaq, a candy lover and cultural icon, to bring more fun to our gummy products,” Vivek Mehrotra, Hershey’s brand manager for sweets, said in a comment provided to Food Dive. “The gummy market is booming, growing nearly twice as fast as chocolate, offering us a dynamic space for innovation and creativity.”
Hershey first touted the Shaq gummies in February at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York gathering in Florida.
At the time, CEO Michele Buck said the offering provided an opportunity to tap into the basketball great’s “connectivity with consumers, especially young diverse consumers, who are our key target on the gummy segment.”
Demand for gummies spiked during COVID-19 as consumers snacked more at home. Since then, the popularity hasn’t let up. The gummy candy market is forecast to reach $750 million in 2032 from $495 million this year, a compound annual growth rate of 6.4%, according to data from Market Growth Report.
Hershey has spent millions of dollars to shore up its gummies production capacity, which is expected to surge 50% in 2024. As a result, the food manufacturer now has additional flexibility to boost innovation, invest more in promotions and get additional SKUs carried at retail.
Along with the Shaq gummies, Hershey’s Jolly Rancher brand earlier this year debuted Awesome Reds, a sour gummy mix with flavors like cherry, pomegranate, watermelon and fruit punch. This month, it is launching Jolly Rancher Ropes in two flavors – Green Apple & Watermelon and Blue Raspberry & Cherry.
Gummies have proven to be a popular platform for innovation among the major confection companies, including Hershey, Mars Wrigley and Ferrara. They have attributes such as being shareable and viewed by consumers as a more permissible indulgence.
The candy also allows companies to leverage the reputation of well-known and easily recognizable brands. For example, Jolly Rancher is known for its fruit-flavored hard candy, and companies can extend this brand into new categories such as gummies.