Haribo – Goldbears Wild Berry
Goldbears are the hallmark product of Haribo, and it’s no wonder they will try and come up with as many spin offs or offshoot products adjacent to it. It’s basically their money printer line, unless they do something really stupid and screw it up. If they have, I haven’t seen it yet. An argument could be made for the sugar free bears being a major fubar, but the viral marketing off that is a success if you ask me.
A twist or variation (depending on how you look at it) of the classic Haribo Goldbears. This variety has five flavours, blueberry, strawberry, wild cherry, raspberry and blackberry. Some of these flavours aren’t part of the standard assortment, so it will be interesting to see how this goes. Even as a kid I tended to favour berry flavoured assortments over other ones.
Something about berry assortments and flavour mixes that just draws me in. When I see original or tropical, I sometimes get intrigued and interested, but something about seeing a berry mix just turns my brain primal and I want to try it regardless of the product. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for it, but for this particular one I can tell you the smell I associate with berry flavours is definitely being reinforced here.
The cherry is floral and slightly tart, but has a decent flavour to it. It’s not overly sweet and I guess that’s why it’s called wild cherry and not just cherry. Raspberry is quite floral but straddles the line between strawberry and cherry somehow. If you didn’t tell me it was raspberry, I might think its a mix of strawberry as well. The strawberry is greener than I remembered, but it still has the classic strawberry flavour that the standard mix has. Blueberry is a pretty floral flavour, and reminds me of a slightly milder version of a blueberry candy cane or hand candy. Something about artificial blueberry is so appetizing to me. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Blackberry is my favourite of the bunch, having a distinct blackberry flavour to it that’s ever so slightly smoky but offset by the sweetness. It’s the most distinct flavour and the most natural tasting.
The texture of these is just as hard as the regular one, so that’s a bonus. Well, bonus if you are like me and are a hard chew enjoyer. I can only assume you would be if you’ve gone through the trouble to buy these. Unless you were gifted these and these are your first experience with Haribo. In which case welcome to the club, or book an appointment with your dentist.
As I mentioned, Goldbears are a money printer for them, and this is another successful offshoot of the main product. All the flavours are tasty and appealing, and I could see myself getting these over the OG mix on more than one occasion.
