Life is sweet for Alison Nadler Guerette ’03, the category manager of cookies and candy at Trader Joe’s. For her, a day in the office might entail sampling gummy candies and brainstorming a root beer–inspired cookie. It can also include working with the vendors who help create the brand’s iconic confections, analyzing sales data, and dreaming up Trader Joe’s take on the Next Big Thing in sweet snack foods. “We carry a lot of amazing items, and we have new, exciting offerings launching all the time,” Nadler Guerette says. “I’m doing the tough job of tasting a lot of candy and cookies daily to ensure our customers are getting only the very best.”
The work of making sure products are market-ready — in how they land both in customers’ shopping carts and on their palettes — makes Nadler Guerette an expert on Trader Joe’s seemingly infinite variety of offerings. “Our team selects only the products we know the customers will really respond to and love, but you can still get decision fatigue when you’re looking at a big shelf,” she says. “I wanted to share some items that surprised me — in a good way — the first time I tried them.”
Cocoa Truffles: They’re a longtime item, but I just think the eating experience is so special. It’s a solid chocolate item, but it really melts in your mouth. I actually keep them in the fridge, because then they melt slowly, and they’re good with a hot beverage. They’re more of a classic, French-style truffle that some people might not be familiar with, [and] I just think they’re excellent.
Five-Seed Almond Bars: They’re in a subtle package; you might miss it if you’re not looking for it. It sounds kind of like a hearty cookie. It has all these seeds in it — flax, poppy, sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin — but it’s surprisingly delicious. It has that kind of “health factor,” but it’s just a really good cookie. Whenever I [have] them in the office and someone’s never [tried them], they taste them and they go, “Oh my gosh, these are so good. I had no idea.”
Brookie Caramel Candy Clusters: The caramel is really the special thing. The vendor makes them in the traditional way, with a copper kettle. … This is some of the best caramel I’ve ever tasted, in these. And then it’s chocolate and broken up bits of brownies and chocolate chips, and there’s sea salt on top, so it’s a little salty sweet.
Double-Chocolate Wafer Cookies: They’re inspired by a well-known brand, but I think ours are just extra special. They’re little, layered waffle squares, and they’re just a perfect snacking size. They remind me of these wafers I had when I was a kid, so I think the eating experience is very nostalgic for me, but the double chocolate really comes through, and they’re not cloyingly sweet.
Scandinavian Swimmers: They’re just steadfastly delicious. They have this amazing texture. They have all-natural colors and flavors, but they’re vibrant and [are] the cute little sea shapes. They’re just excellent, delicious gummies.
