Swedish Candy in NYC: A Buyer's Guide
How to find Swedish candy in NYC, what to look for on a pick-and-mix wall, and how New York shops can stock imported Swedish candy by the case.
In New York City, Swedish candy turns up in Scandinavian delis and bakeries, European specialty grocers, and pick-and-mix candy shops, and the rest arrives by mail. We are not a New York store. We import into California and ship to NYC addresses and to NYC retailers who want to stock it.
Let us be straight about that up front, because most pages ranking for this search are not. We are a Swedish candy importer with a warehouse in Santa Fe Springs, California. We do not have a shop in Manhattan, we do not have a Brooklyn address, and we are not going to invent a list of New York stores we have never walked into. What we can do is tell you how the category actually works in New York, what to look for, and how a New York shop can stock the real thing.
How New Yorkers find Swedish candy
Scandinavian food, the old neighborhoods
Brooklyn's Bay Ridge and Sunset Park were Scandinavian neighborhoods a century ago, and that history is still the first thing people point to when a New Yorker asks where to find Nordic food. Some of that heritage survives in the borough's older delis and bakeries. Assortments in shops like these change constantly and candy is rarely the main event, so call ahead rather than making the trip on a rumor, and expect a small selection rather than a full range.
The same applies across Manhattan and Queens: New York has an extraordinary depth of European specialty grocers and import shops, and Swedish candy shows up in them intermittently. That is both the strength and the frustration of the NYC approach. Something is almost always available somewhere, and it is almost never the same thing twice.
Candy shops with a pick-and-mix wall
The pick-and-mix wall is the format Sweden exported before the candy did. In Sweden it is called smågodis or lösgodis: a wall of open bins, a paper bag, and a price by weight. American candy shops have adopted it enthusiastically, and New York has plenty of them.
Here is the useful trick. When you find a wall, ask which bins are imported. A large share of what fills American pick-and-mix is domestic candy in European-looking shapes. The Swedish and Dutch product is usually a handful of bins, and it is worth knowing which. Our guide to the smågodis pick-and-mix wall will tell you what to look for.
Ordering it shipped
For anything beyond a taste, mail is the honest answer, and it is how most people outside a handful of neighborhoods get real Swedish candy. Everything in our store is listed at public Tier 1 pricing with no login. Orders leave our California warehouse by UPS Ground, UPS Express, or UPS Ground Saver, so a New York delivery is a cross-country move. We do not promise a specific number of days, and if you are buying for a date (a party, a holiday, an event), order with room to spare.
For the wider picture, see where to buy Swedish candy in the US.
The Swedish Fish problem
No city has a stronger claim to being confused about Swedish candy than New York, because the most famous "Swedish" candy in America is on the counter of every bodega in the five boroughs, and it is not what Swedes eat. Swedish Fish as most Americans know it is made for the North American market, and the shape is a distant relative of a Scandinavian original. We wrote the whole story in are Swedish Fish actually Swedish and covered the genuine article in real Swedish fish, what Swedes eat.
This matters practically. If your reference point is a bodega bag, the real category will surprise you: softer foam textures, sharper sours, more shapes, less uniform sweetness.
What to try
If you want to know what the category actually tastes like, these are the honest starting points.
Sour Swedish Fish is the obvious bridge from what you already know, and it is gelatin-free. BUBS Cola Skulls from BUBS are vegan and gelatin-free, and BUBS is the brand a Swede would name first if you asked them on the street. Sura Colanappar, sour cola pacifiers, are gelatin-free and contain wheat and gluten, and the pacifier shape is one of those formats that simply does not exist on an American shelf.
For texture rather than flavor, Bulgari Marshmallow Ice Cream Cones from Bulgari contain gelatin and show off skum, the light foam candy that is the most distinctly Scandinavian thing in the category. And BUBS Goody Banana/Toffee ships as twelve sealed 90g bags, is vegan and gelatin-free, and is the easiest format to try without committing to a bulk case.
Where to start
One note on sizing, since it trips people up. Most of our range is packed in bulk cases, roughly 2 to 9 pounds, because we are set up to supply shops. The cases of twelve sealed 90g bags are the exception and the sensible entry point for a household. If you want the background before you buy, what is Swedish candy is the primer.
For NYC shops: how to stock it
New York is an unusually good market for this category: a dense population of people who travel, a strong specialty retail culture, and customers who already read Scandinavian design and food as a premium signal. What most New York shops lack is a supplier who imports the brands directly instead of reselling them. Here is how buying from us works.
- No order minimum. Order by the case, mix and match. A Brooklyn coffee bar can start with two single-bag cases and one bulk bag and see how it moves.
- Import-direct pricing. We buy from the manufacturers in Sweden and Europe, so case prices come in under most US distributors on the same brands.
- DDP, always. US labels and duties are already paid. There is nothing for you to clear and nothing to relabel.
- Public Tier 1 pricing on every product page, no login. Approved volume and strategic buyers move to Tier 2 and Tier 3, and NET payment terms are available to selected partners, based on order history.
- Accounts approve automatically when you apply, so you can place a first order the same day.
- Shipping is UPS Ground, UPS Express, or UPS Ground Saver from California, with pallet freight available on orders over $2,000, agreed by email. For a New York account, freight is the right call once you are buying a season at a time.
The one piece of advice specific to the East Coast: build a little more lead time into seasonal buys than a California shop would. Order your Halloween and Christmas assortments a few weeks earlier than feels necessary, and the same for spring.
The full commercial detail is in our wholesale Swedish candy guide. When you are ready, plan the assortment on the bulk order page or open an account at wholesale application.
Ready to order?
Whether you are a New Yorker who wants the real thing or a NYC shop that wants to be the place carrying it, the stock is the same and it ships from our California warehouse. Browse the store, size a wholesale buy on the bulk order page, or contact us and we will tell you honestly what makes sense for a New York order.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy Swedish candy in NYC?+
Look at Scandinavian and European specialty grocers and delis, and at candy shops with a pick-and-mix wall, asking which bins are imported. For anything beyond a small selection, order it shipped. We do not publish a list of New York stores because assortments change too often for a list to be useful.
Do you have a store in New York?+
No. We are an importer with a warehouse in Santa Fe Springs, California. We ship to New York addresses and supply New York retailers, but we have no physical location in the city and will not claim one.
How long does shipping take to New York?+
It is a cross-country UPS shipment from California by Ground, Express, or Ground Saver. We do not promise a specific number of days, so order with margin if you are buying for a specific date.
Is Swedish Fish actually Swedish candy?+
Not in the sense most people assume. The version sold across the US is made for the North American market. Real Swedish fish-shaped candy is a different product with a different texture and flavor, which is why the category surprises people on a first try.
Can a New York shop or café buy wholesale from you?+
Yes. There is no order minimum, wholesale accounts approve automatically on application, and everyone starts at public Tier 1 pricing. Orders ship DDP with US labels and duties paid, and pallet freight is available on orders over $2,000.
What sizes do you sell?+
Mostly bulk cases in roughly the 2 to 9 pound range, plus cases of twelve sealed 90g single bags. The single-bag cases are the practical option for a household or a counter display.
Keep reading
Gustav Lindqvist · Candy Master
Gustav grew up in Sweden on a strict Saturday-candy schedule, mixing his lördagsgodis bag at the lösgodis wall before he could spell salmiak. He has spent years tasting his way across Scandinavian candy, and now curates the range at TheSweetsTruck, from BUBS sour skulls to the saltiest licorice most people cannot finish.
Last updated 8/2/2026