Perfetti Van Melle will showcase its latest releases Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag and Mentos Jumbo Roll Feeling Berry Good at the 2025 Summit of the Americas, which takes place on 8-11 March in Miami.
The confectionery house revealed Chupa Chups Sour Pouch Bag with flavours Sour Strawberry, Sour Lemon and Sour Apple during the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last September.
According to Perfetti Van Melle Key Account Manager, Americas & Africa Eric Vermetten, the travel retail industry’s reaction to the sours flavour trend is “ever-growing”.
The new Feeling Berry Good Mentos flavour combination will be introduced to the Americas for the first time during the IAADFS event. Perfetti Van Melle will showcase its product portfolio with partner Otis Mcallister (Stand 100).
The rebranded Feeling Berry Good Jumbo Roll includes four packs of popular Mentos flavours – raspberry, strawberry and cherry.
In May, Perfetti Van Melle will launch the Mentos Gum gift pack featuring five flavours: Fresh Mint, Spearmint, Bubblefresh, Lemonade and Strawberry. Its production is in line with Perfetti Van Melle’s focus on sustainable packaging initiatives, saving over 7,200kg of plastic per year.
Vermetten said: “2024 was a good year for us in the Americas with strong performances of our two main brands, Chupa Chups and Mentos, which have all grown their market footprint.”
The company is working closely with its distributors and direct partners to introduce convenience, multi-pack and gifting products, relying on customer data for assortment optimisation.
Vermetten continued: “From international and domestic airports to border stores, our partners have done a great job in seizing market opportunities in North America and Latin America regions to grow our travel retail businesses there.
“2025 will be the year in which we will consolidate this success in US airports, by continued focus on assortment optimisation with all retailers. We see huge potential to grow shelf space in the grab-and-go till area with each of our retail partners – this will be a big focus for us as we invest in branding tools for improved visibility.”
Perfetti Van Melle also aims to use the Summit of the Americas to expand its scope beyond airports, including cruise business and border stores.
“Regionally we see opportunities in all parts of the Americas, but especially in Central America and Brazil; there are still some white spots to fill,” said Vermetten.
In the second half of 2025 the company plans to ramp up its activation programme in the Americas, with a focus on Latin America tourism hotspots such as Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Cancún (Mexico).
The activations will kick off in July with a LondonSupply partnership in Iguazu, Brazil and a new Chupa Chups retail design featuring a large football table and localised signage.
In August, the company will introduce pop-ups across eight locations in Panama and Punta Cana for both Mentos and Chupa Chups, in partnership with UETA (part of Duty Free Americas).
The product range will focus on children’s gifting. It will spotlight Chupa Chups Cool Friends Backpacks and Mentos Jumbo Rolls with dual-brand campaigns: ‘Yes to Fresh’ and ‘Forever Fun’.
Through November and December, Avolta is Perfetti Van Melle’s travel retail partner for dual-brand activations in Ezeiza (Buenos Aires) in Argentina, followed by Cancún.
A 360° high-profile promotion will be launched at Cancún International Airport Terminal 4, with a supporting campaign on Avolta’s Club platform. It will introduce Mentos and Chupa Chups gift with purchase offers to members through its website, newsletter and social media channels.
Perfetti Van Melle will also unveil regionally focused signage and wallbays in the Americas, including airhubs in the USA, Paraguay and Peru. ✈
