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Confectionery wholesaler

Sweet & Candy is a confectionary wholesaler in Deventer. After years of working for several different companies, Arno Hazelaar and a partner founded Sweet & Candy in 1996. In 2018, there was a management change. Arno Hazelaar and Rel Swaders now both make up the management team: ‘Welcome to Sweet & Candy!’

Sweet & Candy sells sweets to candy specialty shops, wholesalers, itinerant trades, theme parks and seasonal businesses. The company has focussed on scoop sweets and children’s products from the beginning. This has proved to be the right choice. Sometimes, supplies are in such high demand that they are sold out in one day.

One-stop shopping
Sweet & Candy offers candy and chocolate products to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, Southern Europe, Scandinavia, Great Britain, China and America. This is an excellent opportunity for customers to purchase all necessary sweets from one supplier.

E-commerce
Sweet & Candy’s turnover mostly consists of export, roughly 45% comes from sales within the Netherlands. Trading is done mostly through e-commerce. “An online portal, which includes all types of candy, helps the customer with his orders. The composition, nutritional values and possible allergens are listed with every product. Orders can be placed in an instant,” Hazelaar says.

Candy is an experience
Procurement and sales means looking ahead, which they do on a daily basis. Responding to hypes, such as Unicorn or Jurassic Park-products, and discovering innovations are their strengths. Candy is an experience and is a ‘fast moving consumer good’. The consumers are allured with attractive packages the company uses to serve its customers. The goal is to excite an adult with all the sweets, so he will purchase the products as if he were still a child.

In the future, Hazelaar and Swaders want to expand their sales market and keep capitalising on innovations. “Candy is always there for the customer. Use in moderation and enjoy it!”