Photo credit: Maya Hernández

The bag customers at Sockerbit, a Swedish candy store, use to hold their delicious sweets is displayed. My favorites included their sour coke and lemon skulls and strawberry gummies.

Nestled in Beverly Hills, Sockerbit, a Swedish candy store, provides Californians a trip to Scandinavia through its wide range of gummies, chocolates and marshmallows. Lacking high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and trans fats, Sockerbit candies are a healthier alternative to sweets many Americans are used to, and it makes a difference.

Established in 2010, Sockerbit brings Lördagsgodis, or “Saturday Candy,” the Swedish tradition of picking out candy at the end of the week, to Los Angeles and New York. The storefront has seen a heightened number of customers since Swedish candy became popular on TikTok, with over 5,000 videos under #SwedishCandy.

I visited Sockerbit a few weeks ago after seeing dozens of TikTok videos of users trying and reviewing candy from Sweden. Right as I walked in the store, I noticed at least 10 shoppers filling their pastel bags full of sweets. It felt a little crowded inside the small storefront with many shoppers and a long checkout line. One wall featured licorice and chocolates, while the other was mainly gummy candies — both sweet and sour. Scattered throughout the store was candy directly from Swedish brands, such as salty licorice from Ahlgrens Bilar and caramels from Rollo Engelsk.

I grabbed a personal scoop and bag before approaching the bins of candy. It was easy to scoop and pick the candies I wanted and add them to my bag. The price of each purchase depends on the weight of the bag; filling about one-third of the bag cost me roughly $8.50.

I tried an assortment of their sour candies. The second the flavor hit my taste buds, I noticed the sour coating was very potent, but it was refreshing rather than tear-inducing. The sourest candy I tried was the raspberry bottle, which had a big kick but was still enjoyable. My favorites were the big skulls — I tried the coke with lemon flavor and the passionfruit flavor. The coke flavor was delightfully fizzy, and the passion fruit had a strong, yet not artificial, flavor. They were both sour with a rewarding sweet, gummy taste after. The strawberry gummies are small enough to pop into your mouth and a perfect combination of fruity and tart.

Almost all of the truly sweet gummies sold included cream or marshmallow, which I felt was a nice addition to the flavors, as it offered another texture and component to the taste. The fruity gummies, such as the strawberry pie, had a light taste that didn’t dominate your senses. The strawberry flavor was mild and the creamy marshmallow layer was a great accent.

The true Swedish Fish were not my favorite — the orange and lemon varieties had a bit of an overbearing sensation and a kind of chalky feeling that I was not impressed with. The plain strawberry marshmallows had an airy flavor that I enjoyed but were a bit chewier and denser than the Jet-Puffed marshmallows common in the U.S. that I am used to.

All of the candies I tried were unique in their own way. The ease in which I was able to choose my own mix and navigate throughout the store was lovely and, overall, the experience was great. As someone who is always looking for new desserts and treats to satisfy my never-ending sweet tooth, I would certainly recommend Sockerbit to anyone looking for Scandinavian candy or a healthier alternative that still offers a wide range for every type of customer. Adjö!