How to Open a Swedish Candy Store in the US (2026 Guide)
Swedish pick and mix has gone from a TikTok trend to a real retail category in the US. CandyKing, one of Sweden's biggest pick-and-mix brands, opened its first US store in New York in December 2025. Independent Swedish candy shops have opened in Boston, Utah and dozens of other towns. If you're thinking of opening one, this guide covers what you need to decide, what it costs to stock, and how the numbers work.
We're a wholesaler shipping from our warehouse in Sweden, so we'll be specific about sourcing. Everything else applies whoever you buy from.
Decide what kind of store you are
Most Swedish candy businesses in the US fall into one of four models:
- A full pick-and-mix shop. 60–150 bins, customers fill a bag and pay by weight. Highest margin per pound, highest setup cost.
- A pick-and-mix corner inside an existing gift shop, café, grocery or toy store. 20–40 bins on one wall. It's the lowest-risk way to test the concept.
- Pre-packed bags. You weigh mixes into 0.5 lb or 1 lb bags and sell them in-store, at markets and online. No bins, no scooping, and easier food-safety rules.
- Online only. You ship mixes nationwide. It's cheap to start, but you compete with every other online Swedish candy seller, so your brand and content matter more than the candy.
Many stores start with a corner or pre-packed bags, then add bins once they know what sells locally.
Check permits before you sign a lease
Unpackaged candy sold from bins counts as food, so you'll usually need a retail food permit from your county health department on top of a normal business licence. The rules vary by state and county. Ask the inspector before you build anything, especially about:
- Bins with lids, and scoops or tongs (no hands in the bin)
- Hand-washing access for staff who refill bins
- How you show ingredients and allergens for each bin
For bulk bins, FDA rules allow nutrition information to be displayed at the bin rather than on every bag. Customers still need to see the ingredients and allergens, so plan a clear label for each bin from day one. Every product page in our catalog lists ingredients, nutrition and dietary information, so you can build bin labels straight from it.
Work out your margin before you pick a price
The real number to know is your landed cost per pound: the candy plus freight and duties. Here's a worked example with two bulk boxes at today's catalog prices, shipped in a 100–149 kg order at our duties-paid air freight rate of $3.76/kg:
| Product | Box | Candy cost per kg | + Freight & duty per kg | Landed per lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUBS Dizzy Skulls | 2.6 kg, $35.00 | $13.46 | $3.76 | ~$7.81 |
| Aroma Big Hearts | 4.5 kg, $41.00 | $9.11 | $3.76 | ~$5.84 |
US Swedish candy shops typically sell pick and mix for around $16–20 per pound. At $16/lb, the BUBS box gives you roughly a 51% gross margin and the Aroma box about 63%, before bags, waste and staff. Mixing cheaper staples with premium brands like BUBS is how most shops protect their average margin.
Three things that eat into margin, so budget for them:
- Waste and tasting. Broken pieces, samples and the occasional customer "tasting". Many shops budget a few percent of stock.
- Bags, scoops and labels.
- Freight on small orders. Under 30 kg the per-kg rate is higher. From 30 kg you get the standard rate, and it drops at 100 kg and 150 kg.
Plan your opening stock
Plan your opening stock
A common starting point is one bulk box per bin, with two boxes of your fastest sellers. For a 60-bin store, that's roughly 60–70 boxes. Most of our boxes are 2.5–4.5 kg, so the first order typically lands around 200–250 kg.
A good opening mix for US customers:
- Sour gummies (30–40% of bins). Sour skulls, peaches and watermelon. These are what most US customers come in for.
- Sweet gummies and foam (25–30%). BUBS ovals, Aroma hearts and frogs, foam bananas and Santas.
- Fizzy and gum-style candy (10–15%). Fizzy cola, MAOAM chestnuts.
- Chocolate and caramel (10–15%). Bonbons and chocolate pieces.
- Salty licorice (5–10%). A must for Nordic customers and the curious, but most US shoppers try it once. Start small.
- Vegan and gelatin-free options. Label them clearly. Customers ask.
Our best-sellers list is a good shortcut for a first order.
Choose a supplier
You have three main ways to buy authentic Swedish candy:
- US-based distributors and marketplaces like Faire. Fast domestic shipping and simple invoicing, but you pay for the US warehouse step and the selection is smaller.
- Importing yourself from Swedish factories. Lowest unit cost, but you need large minimum orders, a customs broker, FDA Prior Notice filings and your own freight.
- A Swedish wholesaler shipping duties paid. That's what we do. You order bulk boxes from 480+ products online with no minimum order. We pack in Sweden within 1–3 business days, ship by tracked air freight, file the FDA Prior Notice and pay the import duties, so nothing extra is due on delivery.
Whoever you choose, ask about shelf life on arrival. We ship with at least 6 months. Also ask how they handle damaged boxes, and whether the per-kg freight price includes duties.
6. Display and marketing
Swedish candy sells on looks. Light, clean shelving, colour-sorted bins and good lighting turn your store into something people film. That's free marketing and the reason the trend spread. Post new arrivals, do "build my bag" videos and let customers vote on the next flavour.
Quick checklist
- Choose your model: full shop, corner, pre-packed or online
- Ask your county health department about a retail food permit and bin rules
- Work out landed cost per lb and set your price per lb
- Plan bins and your opening order (around 200–250 kg for 60 bins)
- Prepare bin labels with ingredients and allergens
- Place your first order
Ready to stock up? Browse our pick and mix catalog or check freight costs on the How to order page. Questions before your first order? Contact us. A real person answers, usually the same day.