As a huge fan of all things sweet, the craze over Swedish candy certainly caught my attention as its popularity in the United States rose in early 2024. Compared to American candy brands, Swedish candy is made without corn syrup and with natural flavors, which makes Kändi an enticing and exciting attraction on Montana Avenue.

Kändi, a Swedish candy shop with another location in Studio City, recently opened within walking distance from my house. The moment I received a text from my friend announcing this new location, I knew I had to be there on opening weekend. 

The store’s bright pink exterior is certainly easy to spot among the many stores on Montana Avenue. Upon entering, cases filled with brightly colored candies line the walls. Swedish candy brands specialize in making their products unique in shape and texture; for example, the candy company Bubs’ signature candy comes in the shape of a skull. The interior was bubbly and enticing, making me eager to grab a resealable bag to fill with alluring candy.

 While shopping around, I tried to fill my bag with candies that I hadn’t tried before or ones that caught my eye so I could get a full range of flavors and textures. I was especially impressed by their array of black licorice, which is something many American candy stores don’t typically have.

While checking out, the employees were kind and welcoming as they weighed my bag. While the candy options are never-ending, the pricing is a bit steep. One-half pound of candy is around $9.50, which makes it relatively easy to accumulate a heavy bill at checkout. I got a decent amount of candy to try, and my total was around $15.

As a sour candy lover, I decided to try the arrangement of sour candies first. I started with the Bubs sour tutti-frutti diamond, which had a foamy, sweet inside and sharp, sour coating, making it a balanced bite. I then chose a Bubs bubblegum-flavored skull with a similar foamy texture and the same sour coating.

Of the sour candies I tried, my personal favorite was the sour watermelon skull, which had a chewy gummy texture and an almost salty watermelon flavor. The salty addition complemented the sour coating extremely well, and the texture was perfectly tough and chewy. 

I then chose to try the rainbow marshmallow, which was underwhelming, as it tasted like any typical marshmallow you can find at the grocery store. The strawberry marshmallow, however, had a tougher texture and a faint, natural strawberry flavor, which made it a very pleasant experience. The marshmallow racecar had the same chewy texture, but with a sweet vanilla flavor, so there was nothing noteworthy about it.

My least favorite was, shockingly, the pomegranate-raspberry Bub, which I had high hopes for. The gummy was really stiff and had a strange, artificial flavor, which I was not expecting based on the more natural-tasting gummies I had just tried. The caramel banana Bub was also strangely stiff but had a mix of confusing flavors that oddly worked together. 

The stale texture in some of the candies may have been caused by Kändi’s storage system; the candy is stored in drawer-style containers that have a sliding opening on top, which may prevent the candy from staying fresher because it is not properly sealed for longer periods of time.

The candy was overall very good and constantly had me reaching into the bag to try another piece. While some pieces of candy were a bit staler than others, the flavors and textures were all very unique. It was certainly an experience I wouldn’t be able to get from American candy brands, as most Swedish candy companies use vegan recipes and natural flavoring. 

If you ever find yourself walking down Montana Avenue and happen to see a bright pink building, make sure to stop by for a unique, sweet experience that will surely alter your candy standards.