Conscious CPG Voices: Better Sour brings global flavors to the candy aisle

How are “Conscious CPG” companies positioning themselves in today’s fast-changing consumer market—and how are they turning to the Newtopia Now as a vital new resource to advance their brand among key buyers and decision makers?

For this series, we asked the founders and leaders of 10 emerging brands who are exhibiting their innovations—many of them for the very first time at Newtopia Now—what factors drive their decisions today. Coming from diverse backgrounds, these entrepreneurs share at least one thing in common: The belief that gathering with peers, contemporaries, buyers, influencers, mentors, business leaders and others in an intimate setting is critical to learning about the marketplace, building relationships and growing your business and brand.

Bella Hughes, Cofounder, Better Sour

Iranian Americans Bella Hughes and Semira Nikou grew up in Hawaii and have been best friends for 37 years. They met at a Nowruz party, celebrating the Iranian New Year in their hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. Now, they are business partners, having launched Better Sour in 2023. Since then, the Austin, Texas-based, women-owned gummy candy brand featuring globally inspired sour flavors from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific has been a darling of the natural and specialty foods industry and media, growing from 100 doors to over 1,500 retail accounts within 12 months of launching. The products are 100% plant based, with 3g of sugar per bag. Better Sour was a 2024 Natural Products Expo West NEXTY Award finalist for Best Sweet Snack or Dessert.

Related:Represent: 7 products to discover in this Newtopia Now neighborhood

Enjoy the interview with Bella Hughes in her own words.

As a third-time CPG founder, I’ve learned that you gain more wisdom the longer you’re in the field. First, I launched an ice cream company. Then, with my husband Harrison Rice, in 2016 we founded Shaka Tea, which was acquired in 2022 by Irresistible Foods, the parent company of King’s Hawaiian. Since we were teenagers, Semira and I have wanted to start a business together. After my last company's successful exit, the timing was right to launch with Semira, who was an attorney, for us to finally make our dream a reality.

In Hawaii, we grew up enjoying tart fresh fruits, dried sour fruits and sour candy and snacks from the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Global flavors and natural confections are increasingly popular, so we decided to make a product celebrating tart fruit flavors from around the world, with more of a culinary, natural take on sour, inspired by our shared heritage and flavors of our childhood in the Hawaiian Islands. With a gummy center, what’s unique about Better Sour candy is that it is sour from within. Our gummies are vegan; we use no gelatin. Our products do not include any of the top 10 allergens and with only 3g of sugar per bag, our products are significantly lower in sugar than many other candy products out there. We have an incredible investor network and we are opening new retail doors every week.

Related:Conscious CPG Voices: Funky Mello turns aquafaba into plant-based indulgence

We love how thematic the Newtopia Now show is. We're proud to be a minority, women-owned brand. As Iranian Americans, we are part of a demographic group called MENA—Middle Eastern and North African Americans. We started the MENA CPG group, which held its first gathering in 2023 at Natural Products Expo West. We now have 40 to 50 members and we are hoping to gather at Newtopia Now. We launched Better Sour at Expo West in 2023, too. We have much respect for how New Hope Network supports diverse founders.

Through that thematic lens at Newtopia Now, we look forward to talking about our great-tasting, fast-moving candy that is going to make retailers money and help grow the category. But also, it is important for us to elevate, celebrate and support other MENA CPG founders. That also is our vision and in large part why we exist.

Find Better Sour at Booth 163 in Thrive.

Newtopia Now, New Hope Network's new trade show, is set for Aug. 25-28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. For more information and to register, click here.