Living in Peru : your everyday companion

According to recent studies, annually each american enjoys about 12 kilos of sweets and candies, where 56% accounts for chocolates, 31% for candies and 13% for bubble gum. The growing tendency in the demand for those with energetic properties and low calories opens up an opportunity for Latin products that exporters cannot and should not ignore.

The sweets industry in the U.S. registered annual retail sales for about US$28,600 million between July 2005 and June 2006, an amount similar to the GPD of countries like the Dominican Republic, Tunisia or Syria. This reveals that the market size is not at all despicable. Additionally, in 2006 the U.S. import value for sweet products rose to US$2.5 billion, with the main suppliers being Canada, Mexico and China.

Sales in this sector may be divided in two categories: every day consumption and special seasons. Because of the products nature, on holidays the demand growths rapidly. In the year 2005 for instance, the holiday sales only amounted to US$6 billion where Valentine's Day was responsible of 15.6% of the total sales, 28.4% was due to the Easter holidays, 33.7% for Halloween and 22.2% for the Christmas holiday season.