Go Bio! – Organic Gummi Bears
I don’t know much about Go Bio! other than that they seem to be some new brand on the block, and are based on my hometown in the Frigid North. For something as iconic as gummy bears, you would be shocked at how much variety and variations there are to the classic. Personally I am a big fan of the firm ones, so much so that I used to let my fresh squishier ones dry out and get stale so I had a bigger jaw exercise. It’s one of those things where it’s easy to do poorly than it is to do well, and when you do it well it’s not easy to tell it apart from the competitors.
To be clear, these are not to be confused with their vegan Gummi Bears. They contain gelatin, but are organic and don’t have any artificial flavours or additives. As I usually say, I’m more about flavour, so let’s see what they can do. It’s a small pouch, but I am hopeful they make up for lack of quantity with quality. Each of these little bad boys has a nice firm feel when I try to give them a squeeze, so that’s a good sign.
The flavours here, as far as I can taste are strawberry, lemon, apple, blackcurrant, orange and passion fruit. The most shocking thing about this is blackcurrant. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that the only thing that rivals my favouritism towards grape is blackcurrant. I am happy to say that these are actually really quite vibrant and strong flavours, and wholly unexpected for something that is supposedly organic and trying to go for that healthier market, these are really quite tasty. A big thing they say is that it’s more natural and that’s how they set themselves apart. I can say they’ve done quite a good job, and unlike some other brands, these don’t leave much of an aftertaste or make you feel bloated or nasty after.
The texture is where it’s going to be a bit hit or miss for some people, but it’s a huge hit for me. These are very firm, and I’d say they rival Haribo. They are as firm as the classic golden bears, not the softer or newer varieties where they’ve toned down the firmness and stiffness. These will make your jaw work, and I love it. Again, might not be for everyone but if you love the classic hard chew of Haribo, you’ll love these.
The biggest downside to these is price – for a small pouch of this size, it costs close to double of a pouch of something like Haribo, which also has close to twice the heft. That math ends up making these about 4x the price of something more mass market. If that’s something you are fine with or are willing to pay the premium for better ingredients without much trade off apart from the wallet share, these are a must try.
