Snack Iconic has announced DOVE® Chocolate Enrobed Pretzels — a milk chocolate and dark chocolate sweet-salty snack — with convenience retail distribution planned for 2027, making the c-store channel a core part of the brand's broader rollout strategy.
The Mamaroneck, N.Y.-based company is bringing the product to market under a licensing arrangement with Mars, pairing the DOVE® chocolate brand with a pretzel format that has proven reliable traction in the c-store snack set. Before hitting retail shelves, Snack Iconic is seeding the launch through a direct-to-consumer preorder it calls the First Crunch Club Premiere Package, priced at $119 and available now exclusively at SnackIconic.com.
The Preorder Package
The $119 Premiere Package includes eight 2.5 oz bags each of DOVE® Milk Chocolate Enrobed Pretzels and DOVE® Dark Chocolate Enrobed Pretzels, two limited-edition airtight collectible tins, two DOVE® Chocolate bars, premium gift packaging, and free shipping. Orders are expected to ship in January 2027. Founding preorder customers are enrolled as First Crunch Club Founding Members, giving them first access to future limited product drops from Snack Iconic.
"DOVE has an incredibly passionate consumer following, and we wanted to create a way for those fans to experience this launch that felt more special than simply waiting for the product to arrive on shelf," said Phil Gorman, Founder and CEO of Snack Iconic. "The First Crunch Club Premiere Package gives consumers first access to both varieties, collectible packaging they can continue to use, and a front-row seat to what we're bringing to market next."
C-Store Relevance
The sweet-salty snack segment is a consistent performer in the convenience channel. Chocolate-covered pretzels occupy a trade-up position in the candy-and-snack bay, typically retailing above standard pretzel or candy singles and drawing incremental basket rings from impulse buyers. The DOVE® brand name carries strong consumer recognition, which operators have found shortens the trial curve for new SKUs placed near the register or in the grab-and-go cooler adjacency.
Snack Iconic's plan to lead with a DTC preorder before pushing into retail is increasingly common among emerging snack brands — it generates early consumer data and social proof ahead of retailer sell-in conversations. For c-store buyers evaluating the line for 2027 planograms, the First Crunch Club preorder volume and member engagement metrics could serve as a proof-of-concept ahead of formal distribution discussions.
The convenience channel's candy and snack category has faced mixed velocity trends as consumers trade across price tiers, but branded chocolate products tied to equity names like DOVE® have held relatively firm at premium price points. Operators looking to strengthen the impulse-buy section of their snack sets will want to track DOVE® Enrobed Pretzels as 2027 distribution details firm up.
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.
