If you remember this candy from the days of high school French club fundraisers, you’re not alone. Eiffel Bon Bons, distributed in the U.S. by the Foreign Candy Company (based in Iowa), come in both strawberry and apple flavors. These are the varieties available through retailers to the general public, but rumor has it that fundraising groups have access to three additional flavors (blue raspberry, watermelon and cherry). Having never lived in France, I can’t confirm that this is true. But rumor also has it that Eiffel Bon Bons are a popular European candy, having been around for the last 20 or so years.
When I opened the strawberry package, I was expecting something that tasted soft and creamy, but I got a tart bite of sugary sweetness. These tiny candy chews are about the size of gumdrops, and the consistency of tough taffy or a day-old marshmallow. But who can argue with that adorable little French candy man on the packaging? He stretches out his white-gloved hand as if to say, “Welcome to France. Eat this candy, and you will be transported to someplace magical and delicious!” That said, the candy itself may be a bit too chewy for some. Hard on the jaws, the candy pieces are tasty, leaving their fruity undertones on the palate long after they are gone. The apple chew was not as good as the strawberry, but that’s just preference.
These aren’t the kinds of candies I could scarf down all at once—I’d rather enjoy them over time. If I could reinvent the packaging, I’d put them in a box rather than a bag, so I could close it up and enjoy some of the candies later in the day. Available 1.25- or 4-ounce bags, these French-inspired chews are good enough to chew on a rainy day, but nothing to write home about. Still, the company’s idea to market through school language clubs is brilliant. If you make the product available only at certain times and in certain seasons (take, for example, Girl Scout Cookies, or Cadbury Cream Eggs), the candy addicts will come running, waving their dollar bills all the way. It’s a proven fact.