Nerds Gummy Clusters
| Owner | Ferrara Candy Company |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 2020 |
Nerds Gummy Clusters are a spin-off Nerd candy product. After the candy was launched in 2020, it gained a cult following and became one of the largest products of the Ferrara Candy Company.
Features
[edit]Nerds Gummy Clusters have a gummy center similar to a prior Nerds candy, the Nerds Rope.[1] However, the latter was too messy to eat and did not hold Nerds well.[1][2] Instead, a gummy gel is melted and put into round molds to produce a sticky cluster.[1] A smaller version of the classic Nerd is made for the cluster, and the clusters move through beds of the smaller Nerds until they are completely covered.[1]
History
[edit]The Ferrero Group purchased Nestlé's American candy business in 2018, as Nerds sales were declining.[3][1] Ferrara Candy Company took control of the non-chocolate brands,[3] including the Nerds brand, and its scientists began to rework the candy.[1] For six months, the team worked on a new approach.[1] Despite mixed reviews in testing, the candy was launched in stores in 2020.[1][3]
The company did not initially spend significant amounts on advertising.[3] Later, the candy gained popularity in 2021 when Kylie Jenner posted an unpaid Instagram story where she said she was "obsessed" with the candy.[1] This resulted in a spike in Google searches and sales.[1] After Jenner's story, the candy went viral on social media.[1][2]
After the release of Nerds Gummy Clusters, Nerds annual sales increased from $50 million in 2018 to $850 million in 2024,[4] with the clusters making up 90% of Nerds sales.[3]
Flavors
[edit]Nerds Gummy Clusters consist of a variety of different flavors. Although they all have the same chewy, gummy inside and crunchy outside, the actual taste of the gummy and the Nerds flavors that surround them are what make the difference. The taste of all the different flavors can range from sweet to sour. According to Nerds Candy, they currently have two permanent flavors of their famous Nerds Gummy clusters named Gummy Clusters Very Berry and Gummy Clusters Rainbow.[5] The difference between them is that Very Berry has a fruitier taste, including the gummy and the nerds, while Rainbow has a fruity gummy, but the nerds provide a sour taste to the candy. Along with that, Nerds has released seasonal and limited-edition flavors. The seasonal flavors that they have released include Spooky (Halloween), Frosty (Christmas), a Valentine's Day flavor, etc. while the limited-edition flavors include Grape Strawberry Blitz, Cherry Lemonade Blitz, and Berry Punch Rush for the Super Bowl.[6][7] In addition, Nerds just recently released a new variation of the original Nerds Gummy Clusters in September of 2025.[8] They are essentially the same as the original candy, except when you bite down into one you are met with a gooey, juicy inside. There is currently only one flavor available named Strawberry Punch.[9]
Advertising
[edit]In 2024, the company created a 30 second advertisement featuring singer Addison Rae, which debuted at Super Bowl LVIII.[10][11] This was the company's first Super Bowl advertisement.[10] In 2025, the candy was featured in a second Super Bowl commercial with Shaboozey.[4] In 2026, the candy featured in a third Super Bowl commercial with Andy Cohen.[12]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Sanders, Hank; Hewett, Lucy (2024-10-29). "Inside the Colorful and Cultish World of Nerds Gummy Clusters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
- 1 2 Reilly, Kaitlin (4 February 2025). "Nerds Gummy Clusters made Nerds cool again. What's behind the obsession?". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Cohen, Ben; Vranica, Suzanne. "America's Newest Hit Candy Is Gummy, Crunchy and Printing Money". WSJ. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- 1 2 Mordacq, Jessica (11 February 2025). "Made in Forest Park, Nerds Gummy Clusters hit Super Bowl". Forest Park Review. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ↑ "Crunchy Gummy Yummy". Nerds. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ "Juicy News: NERDS® Unveils Mega Innovation with New NERDS Juicy Gummy Clusters™ | Ferrara". www.ferrara.com. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ Fink, Bailey (September 26, 2024). "Nerds Is Releasing 2 New Flavors of Its Fan-Favorite Candy".
- ↑ Mordacq, Jessica (2025-10-31). "Nerds launches new Juicy Gummy Clusters". Forest Park Review. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ "Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters". Nerds. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- 1 2 Steinberg, Brian (6 February 2024). "Addison Rae Leads Nerds Into Super Bowl Snack Battle". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ↑ Passy, Charles (2024-02-11). "How Nerds candy became cool again — and found its way to the Super Bowl". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
- ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2026-01-27). "Nerds Hopes Andy Cohen Sweetens Next Super Bowl Commercial". Variety. Retrieved 2026-02-19.