Mentos taps into top-trending flavour opportunity with playful new Sour Tones

Mentos, the confectionery brand behind the number one Fruit Single,^[1] is giving convenience shoppers a flavour experience like no other with the launch of Mentos Sour Tones, available to impulse retailers now.

The launch comes at a time when the Mentos brand is going from strength to strength. Worth £48m, the brand has grown by +10% in value and +12% in volume in the past 12 months.^[2]

Available in three vibrant and irresistible flavours – Strawberry, Orange and Apple – Sour Tones is launching in 37.5g roll and £1.25 120g price-marked bag formats. The range will first roll out to wholesalers including Dhamecha, Spar, Parfetts, United Wholesale Scotland, Filshill, and United Wholesale Grocers, followed by managed impulse stores.

Each Sour Tones chew starts with a zesty sour kick and finishes on a juicy, fruity high. Whether it’s the zing of citrusy orange, the punch of tangy apple, or the burst of sweet strawberry, Sour Tones delivers a flavour rollercoaster that keeps your customer’s taste buds coming back for more.

Sour Tones sits in the £99m hard chews sweet category,^[3] and has been strategically developed to help retailers drive sales from Gen Z shoppers, where flavour is the number one reason to try something new^[4].

Vegan friendly and made with natural colours, Sour Tones will be backed by an intriguing tease-and-reveal social campaign, as well as digital support in-store.

Commenting on the launch, Victoria Gibson, Mentos Junior Brand Manager at Perfetti Van Melle, said: “Sour continues to be one of the fastest-growing flavour trends, making up 12% of the market and worth £171m in sales. Sour-flavoured products are growing 4.5 times faster than the Total Market.^[5]”

“Sour Tones hits the sweet spot for Gen Z consumers while offering retailers a compelling opportunity to drive incremental sales and profits from this high-growth flavour space.

Reflecting on the opportunity for sour flavours in convenience, retailer Vidur Pandya, owner of Kislingbury Village Store & Post Office in Northamptonshire, said: “We stock a variety of sour-flavoured sweets across different brands and they are great sellers.

“We find how sour a product is creates a talking point in store too, connecting our staff with our customers. Mentos is a reliable brand for us and is certainly a footfall driver. I’ve spotted customers leave without buying anything on the rare occasions we’ve been out of stock, which certainly speaks to its brand loyalty.”