According to a Dec. 19 news release from Hydrox manufacturer Leaf Brands, it started selling its non-GMO sandwich cookies on Amazon in early December, and it already has become the No. 1 new sandwich cookie on the site.
It also has been designated as an “Amazon Choice” product, which means Amazon recommends Hydrox as a highly-rated and well-priced product to its customers. Leaf reports that these designations were awarded just two days after the listing went live.
“We were simply shocked when we made number one in such a short period and even more excited we were chosen as one of their best products. According to the site, we made the top spots on pre-sales and product searches,” Leaf Brands CEO Ellia Kassoff says. “We set out to make a clear distinction between Hydrox and the other cookies on the market by moving to a ‘clean label’ formula in the highly competitive space, and we’re thrilled to see the product take off like it has.”
According to the Newport Beach, California-based company, its non-GMO clean label recipe has been key in helping it grow market share.
Garvey Daniels, VP of sales for Leaf Brands, said, “Many of the largest ice cream manufacturers, bakeries and candy makers in the U.S. have approached us to replace their current cookie with our non-GMO, ‘clean label’ Hydrox, and we see this as a growing trend in the market.
“…our focus is on making a superior cookie, and it’s paying off. We see this reflected in our growing requests for crushed Hydrox within the foodservice and industrial segments.”
In addition, sales of consumer packaged Hydrox cookies have increased by 40 percent this year, the company says, adding that they can be found on store shelves nationwide as well as online.
According to Daniels, another new product is next up for the company. Mini Hydrox cookies should be appearing on shelves in 2018.
The Hydrox cookie debuted in 1908, manufactured by Sunshine Biscuits, but left the market in 1999. Always free of animal fats, the new Hydrox cookie retains the dark chocolate flavor, crunch and less sweet character it was known for. Hydrox is made with cane sugar, and without any hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors or colors.
Leaf Brands, once the fourth-largest candy producer in North America, produced candy classics such as Whoppers, Jolly Rancher and Rain Blo Bubblegum, which were later sold to Hershey Chocolate & Confectionary Corp. in the late 1990s. Family members have revived the Leaf Brands name. Along with Hydrox, the company has reintroduced other iconic products like Astro Pop, tart n’ tinys and the newly released Wacky Wafers.
