The highly anticipated Sweets & Snacks Expo 2026 will return to Las Vegas from May 19–21, bringing together thousands of industry professionals, retailers, media members, and innovative brands from across the globe. Organized by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), the annual event has become one of the most influential trade shows in the confectionery and snack industry.
Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the expo is expected to feature more than 1,000 exhibitors and attract over 15,000 attendees, offering a major platform for brands to introduce new products, connect with buyers, and explore emerging consumer trends.
The event is widely recognized for highlighting the newest developments in:
- Premium snacks
- Better-for-you products
- Functional foods
- International flavors
- Packaging innovation
- Sustainable and clean-label products
In recent years, consumer demand for healthier snacks and elevated snack experiences has continued to grow, making the expo an important indicator of where the food industry is heading next.
In addition to traditional candy companies, the show increasingly attracts brands focused on wellness, organic ingredients, plant-based products, protein snacks, specialty beverages, and culturally inspired foods. Many exhibitors also use the expo to debut products before national retail launches.
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One of the major highlights of the event is the Most Innovative New Product Awards (MINPA), which recognizes standout innovation across multiple snack and confectionery categories. The awards have become closely watched by retailers and media looking to identify upcoming trends and breakout brands.
The expo also provides strong opportunities for media coverage and digital marketing collaborations. Influencers, reporters, and content creators attend to discover emerging products, conduct interviews, and share industry insights with consumers worldwide.
Prior to the main expo, the Supplier Showcase on May 18–19 will focus on ingredients, packaging, manufacturing, logistics, and other behind-the-scenes sectors that support the snack and confectionery industry.
As Las Vegas continues to strengthen its position as a premier destination for large-scale trade shows, the return of the Sweets & Snacks Expo is expected to generate significant excitement throughout the food and beverage industry.
For many brands, the event is more than a trade show — it is an opportunity to build partnerships, increase national visibility, and better understand the rapidly evolving preferences of modern consumers.
Featured Exhibitors
Tony’s Chocolonely
Tony’s Chocolonely is a Dutch chocolate company founded in 2005 with a mission to make the chocolate industry 100 percent slave-free by fighting child labor and exploitation in cocoa farming. The brand is known for its colorful packaging, thick chocolate bars, and intentionally uneven chocolate pieces, which symbolize inequality in the cocoa industry. Tony’s has built a strong reputation by paying higher prices for cocoa, working directly with farming cooperatives, and promoting ethical sourcing through its “Open Chain” initiative, while also becoming popular for creative flavors like Milk Caramel Sea Salt and Dark Almond Sea Salt.
Leonessa by Galil Brands
Leonessa by Galil Brands is a premium Italian-style cookie brand known for its elegant presentation and European-inspired flavors. Produced under Galil Brands, a New York-based specialty food importer and distributor, Leonessa offers café-style cookies designed to pair well with coffee, tea, and dessert occasions. The brand emphasizes high-quality ingredients and traditional baking craftsmanship, positioning itself as a more refined alternative to everyday packaged cookies. Galil Brands is widely recognized for bringing Mediterranean and European specialty foods to the U.S. market, and Leonessa reflects the company’s focus on premium international products with an authentic Italian-inspired appeal.
Kitchen & Love
Kitchen & Love is a health-focused food brand under Cucina & Amore that specializes in convenient, ready-to-eat meals and pantry products made with globally inspired ingredients. The brand is known for quinoa cups, grain medleys, hearts of palm pasta, jackfruit meals, preserves, stuffed dates, and other “better-for-you” foods designed for busy consumers who still want natural ingredients and gourmet-style flavors. The company emphasizes convenience without refrigeration, Mediterranean-style recipes, and healthier alternatives to traditional fast food. Their products are sold through major retailers like Target, Amazon, and specialty food distributors, and they position themselves as offering premium-quality foods at affordable prices.
Uglies
Uglies is a unique kettle-cooked potato chip brand created by Dieffenbach’s Snacks, a family-owned company based in Pennsylvania, with a mission to reduce food waste by using cosmetically imperfect potatoes that are still fresh and high quality. The brand transforms these “ugly” potatoes into crunchy, flavorful chips while promoting sustainability and supporting hunger relief efforts. Known for its bold flavors, kettle-cooked texture, and playful “Naturally Imperfect. Honestly Delicious.” slogan, Uglies has gained attention for combining great taste with an environmentally conscious message that resonates with today’s consumers.
Dry Brew
Dry Brew is a startup beverage brand launched in 2024 that focuses on “waterless coffee” — chewable coffee bites made with real coffee that deliver the caffeine of a cup of coffee without requiring brewing or drinking. The brand positions itself as a convenient energy solution for busy professionals, travelers, athletes, hikers, and people constantly on the go, with each chew typically containing around 65mg of caffeine. Dry Brew markets itself as combining the functionality of coffee with the portability of a snack, offering flavors such as Original, Double Shot, and Salted Caramel, while emphasizing convenience, shelf stability, and a modern performance-oriented lifestyle image.
Nebula Snacks
Nebula Snacks is an Austin-based snack company founded in 2020 that specializes in better-for-you chocolate products with no added sugar. The brand is known for its dark chocolate bites and baking chips made with organic 73 percent dark chocolate sourced from the Dominican Republic and sweetened with monk fruit and allulose instead of traditional sugar. Positioned as keto-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, and diabetic-friendly, Nebula Snacks aims to provide indulgent treats without the blood sugar spikes associated with conventional sweets. Founded by David Jacobowitz, the company has gained attention in the natural food industry for combining premium chocolate with modern health-conscious snacking trends. Nebula Snacks has also appeared at major industry events such as the Sweets & Snacks Expo, where its innovative zero-sugar-added products have attracted growing interest from health-focused consumers.
Chocxo
Chocxo is a premium chocolate company founded in 2014 that focuses on organic, lower-sugar chocolate products made with simple ingredients and sustainably sourced cocoa. The company is headquartered in Delta and produces products such as dark chocolate peanut butter cups, almond butter cups, coconut cups, and chocolate bars that are marketed as keto-friendly, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Chocxo emphasizes using fine-flavor cocoa beans that are naturally less bitter, allowing them to reduce sugar without relying heavily on artificial sweeteners. The brand has built a strong presence in the natural and specialty food market and is commonly seen at health-focused retailers and expos like Natural Products Expo West. They also highlight sustainability initiatives, including plastic-neutral certification through RePurpose Global.
Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks
Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks is a family-owned company based in Tillamook, Oregon, known for its beef jerky, smoked meat sticks, kippered beef steaks, trail mixes, roasted nuts, and other snack products. Founded in 1994 by Ken and Karla Werner, the business began as a small home-based operation on the Oregon Coast, where the founders made jerky in their garage and sold it locally. Over the years, the company expanded into a larger snack manufacturer while maintaining its focus on handcrafted flavors and traditional recipes. Werner offers a variety of jerky flavors, including teriyaki, sweet & spicy, garlic, jalapeño, and smoky BBQ, along with a range of protein-based snack products.
Rip Van
Rip Van is a New York-based snack company known for introducing the Dutch stroopwafel to the American market through a better-for-you approach. Founded in 2010 by Brown University students Rip Pruisken and Marco De Leon, the brand gained popularity with its signature wafels featuring a caramel-like filling with reduced sugar and higher fiber compared to many traditional sweet snacks. What began in college cafés later expanded into major retailers including Whole Foods, Costco, Peet’s Coffee, and Starbucks. Over time, the company broadened its lineup beyond stroopwafels into wafers, cookies, breakfast bars, and fruit snacks, while continuing to focus on convenient, lower-sugar snacking inspired by European treats.
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of Hawaii’s most recognized snack brands, renowned for helping introduce macadamia nuts to consumers around the world. Founded in Hawai‘i and named after the famous Mauna Loa volcano, the company has built a strong reputation for its premium dry-roasted macadamias, flavored nut varieties, and chocolate-covered treats that reflect the islands’ tropical flavors and lifestyle. Today, as part of the Hawaiian Host Group, Mauna Loa continues to expand its product offerings with modern snack innovations while highlighting macadamia nuts as a wholesome, plant-based snack option rich in healthy fats and crunch. Its iconic blue cans and Hawaiian-inspired branding have made the company a popular souvenir and specialty food brand recognized internationally.
Laurel Foods
Laurel Foods is an Oregon-based company known for producing premium hazelnut products sourced from the fertile Willamette Valley, one of the world’s leading hazelnut-growing regions. Founded through a partnership between local farming families, the company combines generations of agricultural experience with modern food manufacturing to create a wide range of products including roasted hazelnuts, hazelnut butter, cold-pressed hazelnut oil, protein powder, and chocolate spreads. Laurel Foods emphasizes clean ingredients, minimally processed foods, and sustainable local sourcing, while highlighting the rich flavor and high quality of Oregon-grown hazelnuts. The company also supplies ingredients to bakeries, confectionery brands, and food manufacturers, helping showcase Oregon hazelnuts to consumers across the United States and beyond.
