Wholesale Dutch Licorice

Serious candy buyers know drop well. Casual ones tend to find it once, by accident. It runs from mildly sweet to aggressively salty, and the salmiak end (ammonium chloride) is an acquired taste with a fiercely loyal following. We carry 27 SKUs from just three brands. Those are Gustaf and Gerrit, plus Woogie. All come from Holland, in cases of 1.5 to 2.65 lb.

Gustaf: the anchor brand

Gustaf has the deepest line here, and it’s the name most North American buyers link to Dutch licorice. The Licorice Allsorts is the classic mixed bag, soft licorice in all sorts of shapes and textures. Some pieces have fondant layers and some are plain black. It’s one of the best-known European candies in the import market. There’s also a smaller 6.3 oz Allsorts that works for single-serve displays and gift shop impulse buys.

Past the allsorts, Gustaf’s range walks the whole salty spectrum with a built-in level system. Sweet Licorice Buttons are entry level. Soft Licorice Drops and Firm Black Licorice Cats come next, then Black Licorice Rockies with White Center in the middle. Salmiak Rocks Caramel Licorice Rolls are Level 2, and Salty Herring is Level 4. Salt-Dusted Licorice Starfish and Double Salt Licorice Buttons are both Level 5. That’s handy on a shelf, because you can arrange by intensity and shoppers sort themselves out.

Gustaf Hot Pepper Black Licorice Fire Trucks with a liquid center add some heat, which you rarely see in licorice. Novelty candy shops sell them to buyers after a reaction. Beehive Honey Licorice sits at the other end, sweet and mellow with honey up front, for customers who like the format but not the salt. Sugar-Free Licorice Bears give you a no-sugar pick within Dutch licorice.

Gerrit Broadway: the rolled candy format

Gerrit’s Broadway line is a different format from most licorice, a rolled candy log like a thin rope coiled into a disc. Broadway on Wheels Licorice and Broadway Strawberry Licorice Rolls (Dutch Twists) both come from it. The roll catches the eye on a shelf, and anyone who’s seen Dutch convenience stores will know it. The strawberry one is a fruit-flavored rope for people who aren’t hardcore salty-licorice buyers.

Woogie Dutch Black Licorice and Fruit Rockies

Woogie’s Dutch Black Licorice and Fruit Rockies bag mixes small licorice pieces with fruit-flavored rockies, which are compressed sugar. One bag speaks to licorice fans and non-fans alike. That helps when not everybody at home likes licorice.

Sugar-free and format variety

There’s a sugar-free item (Gustaf Sugar-Free Licorice Bears), and both bulk and bagged formats. Bulk suits candy bars, while the pre-bagged Gustaf formats go straight to the shelf. Cases of 1.5 to 2.65 lb don’t tie you up in specialty stock.

Who orders Dutch licorice wholesale

• European and Dutch specialty food importers have customers who come for the Gustaf line.
• Candy shops with a novelty or international section get discovery purchases from the salty level system and the liquid-center fire trucks.
• Gift shops and import grocers have long sold bagged Licorice Allsorts as a gift staple.
• Online candy sellers can reach European communities abroad and licorice fans who search for Dutch drop by name.

The Gustaf level system as a retail tool

Gustaf’s level system is a very practical way to merchandise. You label each bin or shelf spot, so customers don’t have to guess how salty something is. A ‘start here’ sign at the sweet end and ‘for serious salmiak fans’ at Level 5 gets people talking, and it nudges them toward trying more than one. Someone who likes Level 2 may come back for Level 3 next time.

If you’re introducing Dutch licorice to people who haven’t tried it, Sweet Buttons and Beehive Honey Licorice are where we’d begin. They taste properly Dutch without the salmiak punch that catches the unprepared. The Hot Pepper Fire Trucks sit at the other extreme. Heat and salt together get a reaction people remember and mention to friends.

Dutch licorice for online and specialty channels

Gustaf’s levels also give an online product page a ready-made story. List the items from Level 1 to Level 5 with a line on each, and you’ve got content that helps shoppers browse several pages. For specialty import sellers building category content, Dutch licorice has plenty to write about and rewards detailed merchandising.

Buying Dutch licorice for the first time

New buyers ask where to begin, and we’d say Gustaf Licorice Allsorts. It has the broadest appeal and the most name recognition among North American import buyers. After you see how it does, add Beehive Honey and Sweet Buttons for the mild end, then work up to the mid-intensity items as your customers get used to it. There’s no minimum order, so you’re not putting much money into a new category on day one.

Ordering

There’s no minimum order, and cases run 1.5 to 2.65 lb. Approved wholesale accounts get account pricing, and we ship within the US. The Holland candy catalog has Dutch gummies beside this licorice range. If you’d like to see Italian licorice next to Swedish, the wholesale licorice category shows them together. Danish and Finnish are there too. Begin with a single case through bulk candy by the case.

Frequently Asked Questions