The element of surprise didn't always work in Jared Whetstone's favor. Whetstone, brand manager for Florida-based Atlantic Candy Co., said Toy Box, the company's signature surprise-inside chocolate product, didn't immediately resonate with retail buyers when it launched in late 2016. He also took it on ABC's "Shark Tank" that year but walked away without a deal from the show's panel of investors. With a milk chocolate shell and a collectible figurine only revealed by pulling back layers of packaging and a protective capsule, Toy Box seemed like it'd be a hit among kids. And it was, earning in 2017 Candy Industry's Kids Choice Award for Best Novelty Product. But the adults still needed persuading, Whetstone said. "I spent many pitches trying to convince store buyers that this category was going to be a real thing in the United States and that the choking concerns and misinformation that were out there at the time were unfounded," he said.
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