Among fruit sweet buyers, JUGGLE and Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles were too close to separate statistically (37% vs 42%, base 305).
71% of consumers found JUGGLE appealing and 68% rated it unique, with fewer than one in ten finding it unappealing.
The £2.50 price point was not a barrier, with more consumers saying it made JUGGLE more appealing (39%) than less appealing (30%).
JUGGLE Confectionery is mad about fruit juice. So much so that, rather than drink it, they turned it into sweets. Their intensely fruity jellies are made in the UK with 33% real fruit juice, fewer and simpler ingredients, and plant-powered recipes, with fibre and vitamin C in every pack. The brand's promise is simple: juice, not junk.
Stickybeak first came across JUGGLE at Taste the Future, the innovation showcase at Food & Drink Expo 2026 at the NEC in Birmingham. Juggle was a standout, reaching the final four and winning the Confectionery category. It also took home the consumer vote for best new product.
We've followed the brand's progress into UK retail ever since. This year, all three JUGGLE flavours, Berry Blast, Citrus Kick and Tropical Burst, have been shortlisted in the Confectionery category of The Grocer New Product Awards 2026.
Fruit sweets is a category built on habit. Shoppers reach for the names they grew up with, and few are more familiar than Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles.
For a new challenger, impressing buyers and judges is one thing. Earning a place in the shopping basket is another. JUGGLE wanted to know whether consumers would choose it over brands they already trust, whether its juice-not-junk story would cut through, and whether its £2.50 price point would hold up on shelf.
JUGGLE ran a Stickybeak concept test with 400 UK adults aged 18–64, most of whom had bought fruit sweets in the past three months, ensuring feedback came from category-engaged consumers.
The first part of the test measured appeal, uniqueness, price perception and purchase intent for JUGGLE Berry Blast. Consumers were then shown four packs side by side - JUGGLE Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles, YUMMA and Candy Kittens - and asked which they would choose, and why.
Testing showed that JUGGLE could hold its own against the biggest name on the shelf.
Among fruit sweet buyers, JUGGLE and Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles were too close to call - a remarkable result for a brand consumers had never seen before. Across the full sample, Juggle cleared more than three times the votes of YUMMA or Candy Kittens.
The concept landed strongly too. Seven in ten consumers found JUGGLE appealing, and most saw it as genuinely different from what's already on shelf. The £2.50 price point proved no barrier, and younger shoppers and young families leaned furthest towards JUGGLE.
The reasons behind the choice told the clearest story. Rowntree's won on habit, with shoppers pointing to familiarity and trust. JUGGLE won on its product - simpler ingredients, real fruit juice, standout packaging and the appeal of something new. In consumers' own words:
"Higher fruit juice content, fewer ingredients and no junk"
"They don't look artificial like the others"
"This appears to be something new and healthier"
Even some Rowntree's loyalists were tempted, with one saying "I think JUGGLE is an exciting product too."
JUGGLE now has independent consumer evidence to sit alongside its industry recognition - and the confidence that its juice-not-junk proposition can compete with the biggest names in the aisle.
.png)
