Gummy Candy Business: From Idea to Thriving Brand

Gummy bears are one of the most popular candy products worldwide. They feature chewy texture, fruity flavors, and fun shapes. The global gummy candy market has been growing steadily. It is mainly driven by increasing consumer demand for innovative flavors and healthier ingredients.

Because of the high demand and good profits, it is a good opportunity to enter this market. Whether you want to sell through an e-commerce store, partner with local shops, or distribute through health stores, there is a great possibility to reach a wide range of customers. But before starting your business, you should know

• Conduct market research
• Develop your business plan
• Choose ingredients for your gummies
• Get the right gummy-making equipment
• License and permits needed for food production
• Brand and packaging

Conduct Market Research

Know market demands and trends

It is essential to understand the market. You’d better do some research to know what the main customer demand is. Besides classic fruit-flavored gummies, functional gummies are also preferred. They contain vitamins, minerals, and supplements like CBD.

The gummy market is vast and has potential. It also includes vegan and organic options. Consumers today are more health-conscious. It leads to a rise in sugar-free and fortified gummies. This demand has expanded the gummy industry beyond just candy. Now it is a key product in the health, wellness, and supplement sectors.

To attract more customers, many manufacturers have innovations in flavors. Common examples include exotic flavors like pepper, sour coatings, and layered textures.

Identify your target audience

Then you should know what type of customers your products aim at. It helps you design products, packaging, and marketing strategies that more appeal to them. Take adults for example. Many of them care about health ingredients, because they choose gummies as an alternative to pills for daily supplements. For these audiences, you can use formulas with multivitamins, collagen, or energy-boosting. If your customers are fitness enthusiasts, gummies with protein, BCAAs, or electrolytes are better. They can support their workouts and recovery.

Analyze competitors and their products

You can look at the popular types and prices your competitors offer. Then you know better about your products and price range. A good product with a competitive price is more attractive to customers. Moreover, you can analyze how competitors present their products to get ideas for marketing. You may check their brand message, design, and packaging.

Moreover, you’d better check their product reviews. Look at the good points of their products and add them to your own. If you find bad reviews, avoid these problems when making yours.

Develop Your Business Plan

At first, you need to define your business model according to your budget. If you have a tight budget, a small-scale business is better. It even doesn’t require a vast working area, you can produce gummies in your kitchen with manual gummy making equipment. In this way, the initial investment could be greatly lower. And you have more flexibility in product customization. However, it limits the production capacity and the efficiency is also low.

You can write a list of cost in detail, such as the cost of materials and equipment, and calculate the total amount fee. It is necessary to compare it to your budget. Then you can adjust your business plan based on this comparison.

Choose Your Gummy Candy Formula and Prepare the Ingredients

Once you know your target customer’s preferences, you need to choose a suitable formula to make gummies. The formula determines the texture, taste, and appearance of the gummies. Take gummy vitamins for example. Before making, vitamins and minerals are the first to be considered. According to your customer’s needs, the right type and amount of vitamins should be selected. Then gelling agent is needed for a chewy texture. For normal customers, gelatin is widely used. For vegetarians or vegans, pectin is ideal.

Next, it’s time to enhance your gummy bears with flavors and colors. You can use natural fruit juices, flavor extracts, or even essential oils to achieve the taste you want. The popular ones in the market are fruit flavors like strawberry, orange, or lemon. Color agents include natural or artificial ones. Natural coloring is healthier but costs more. Some manufacturers also use sweeteners to enhance the flavor.  Sugar, honey and artificial sweeteners are all great choices.

Get the Right Gummy Making Equipment

After calculating the cost, you must be clear about what type of gummy bear machine you should choose. Manual or semi-automatic gummy making machines are ideal for home-based businesses and small batches. They are easy to operate and require small spaces. But they feature low efficiency. Fully automatic models are more suitable for large production. It costs a lot but produces high efficiency. This model can fully automate every step, including material mixing, pouring, molding, cooling, and packaging. It also offers multiple production lines to cater to different flavors or types of gummies.

When selecting, material properties should be considered. Different machines are suitable for different ingredients. For example,  if your product is vegan gummy candy, you need a machine that works with pectin or agar, not just gelatin.

License and permits needed for food production

Before selling your gummies, you must comply with food safety laws and obtain the necessary permits. These vary by country and region. For example, in the U.S., you may need to register with the FDA if producing food for interstate commerce. In addition, many regions require a food handler’s permit or food safety certification to ensure proper hygiene and handling of ingredients. If you use a commercial kitchen or factory, regular health inspections is needed to confirm compliance with sanitation standards.

Brand and Packaging

After production, eye-catching packaging helps you get more attraction and makes your products stand out. First, you should design a logo for your products. A logo is the face of your brand. So it should be simple, recognizable, and scalable for different packaging sizes. Next, choose a suitable packing type for your gummies. There are many types to choose from, including pouches, bottles, jars, boxes, etc. Then, you can print logos and interesting patterns on your packaging to grab attention.

Besides, don’t forget to print compulsory information on labels. It always includes product name, ingredient list, allergy warning, expiration date, etc.

The End

This is a simple process for newbies who want to start a gummy bear business. You can check it for reference and change slightly based on the real situation. If you need gummy making machines, iPharMachine is your good partner. We offer a series of types to help you meet your production needs.