Boulder-based Chocolove is bringing back its limited-edition Pumpkin-Shaped Bites for fall 2026 and adding a third SKU to the lineup: Milk Chocolate Apple Cider, featuring real apple purée and cinnamon in a creamy milk chocolate shell.
The seasonal bites — individually wrapped and sold in festive standup bags — now span three varieties: Apple Cider in Milk Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice in Milk Chocolate (with pumpkin purée, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves), and Peanut Butter in Dark Chocolate with salted filling. The format targets candy bowls, seasonal gifting, and everyday snacking occasions during the Halloween and early fall window.
Retail Footprint
The Pumpkin-Shaped Bites are available while supplies last at a wide network of conventional, natural, and drug channels — including Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, CVS, Harris Teeter, Hy-Vee, Hannaford, Raley's, Stop & Shop, and New Seasons, along with direct-to-consumer at Chocolove.com. The cross-channel placement reflects growing demand for premium seasonal confections beyond specialty retailers, a trend that has pushed better-for-you chocolate brands into mainstream grocery and drug sets.
Why It Matters for Snack Buyers
Seasonal confectionery shapes and flavors remain a strong impulse driver in candy categories. Research from the National Confectioners Association cited by Chocolove notes that most American consumers actively seek out Halloween treats in seasonal forms — a consumer behavior that convenience operators and grocery buyers have long leveraged to build incremental basket. Limited-edition runs with defined retail windows also reduce markdown risk while creating urgency at the shelf.
For snack and confectionery buyers watching the better-for-you candy segment, Chocolove's credentials are relevant: the products are Non-GMO Project Verified, free from artificial preservatives, and made with Rainforest Alliance Certified, traceable cocoa. Those attributes increasingly matter to natural and conventional grocery buyers building out their premium candy sections.
Sara Famulari, VP of Marketing at Chocolove, described the new Apple Cider variety as capturing "the magical feeling of crisp, cool air and changing leaves" through the combination of milk chocolate, real apple purée, and cinnamon — a flavor profile designed to complement the existing pumpkin spice entry rather than compete with it.
The Boulder brand, founded in 1995, now offers more than 50 SKUs across bars, cups, bites, and seasonal formats. Its year-round line — including Dark Chocolate Almonds & Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel, and Milk Chocolate Pistachios & Sea Salt — is positioned as a year-round snacking option alongside the seasonal push. Operators and buyers tracking seasonal confectionery trends should note the brand's expanding footprint across both conventional and natural trade channels as a sign of where premium chocolate is moving at retail.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
