Newsletters: 

http://www.yelp.com/browse/reviews/picks?edition_id=yhjU9xXM7AHG_KbWRq71Tg

The people have spoken and the latest survey results are in.  The Milkshake Bar is the was the most popular favorite candy bar (that’s the Good News..).  But the Bad News is that it’s gone – like in Gone With The Wind.  Yes folks – it’s NEVER coming back…We have absolutely NO idea if (or when…) any manufacturer will bring it back.  But don’t shoot the messenger – we often try to chase down what our customers request.  We are not always successful.  So, keep sending in those emails or just walk into our retail store at 1096 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY.

Losing a great tasting candy bar brand always breaks our hearts too.  We all have our favorite candies.

Don’t despair!  We have an extensive inventory of Retro Candy and “other hard-to-find” candy brands.  We can’t be all things to all people – but we try.  Some times you just have to move on – a situation similar to our Buffalo Bills.  They may be our favorites, they may break our hearts, but we always look forward to the future.  Hope springs eternal (we hope…)

On the other hand, Tom The Boss sometimes becomes Tom The Tester (of new recipes that is…)  Lately, he has been on a tear to invent new creative chocolate confections.  Last week, he stumbled upon (literally…) a great new product that we now call Bella Sweet Heats.  Using Premium Merckens Chocolate (either milk or dark chocolate) plus more than a hint of cinnamon flavor – he produced what we now call Bella Sweet Heats.  The lingering flavor of cinnamon makes it a very unique treat.  Other hard candies may give you a blast of cinnamon flavor…Atomic Fire Balls, Hot Tamales or Hot & Fiery also offer a cinnamon flavor – but NONE of them build on a flavor foundation of Merckens Premium chocolate.  Hey - maybe those Incas or Aztecs were going in the right direction but were seriously distracted (and eradicated…) by the invading Spaniards.  

Think of it this way…somebody has to move ahead and innovate.  Check out our new Bella Sweet Heats, the get back to us.  Better yet – stop into our retail store and perform your own taste test!  It’s never too late to add another Bad Habit!

The British Are Coming!

Actually, the British have landed...British candy bars have been added to the Bella Mia Candy product catalog.  Many of our customers appreciate the difference between candy bars from Canada versus the USA.  Now they (and you...) get to savor the flavor of what the British (aka The English...) have known all along.  Candy bars from the UK are harder to find (at least for us...) but easy for you to enjoy. 

 Yes - they might be a little smaller and, Yes - the packaging and labels might be a little different and, Yes - they actually do use the Metric System to weigh their candy bars - BUT don't let that stop you!  Visit our British Candy section of the store.  Here is a quick summary of the newest "goodies"...

Fry's Turkish Delight - 51g (1.8 oz.)

Cadbury Eclair Roll - 53g (1.9oz)

Cadbury Flake Bar - 32g (1.1oz)

Mars Topic Candy Bar - 47g (1.7oz)

Mars Bounty Dark Chocolate - 57g (2.0oz)

Nestle Lion Bar - 55g (1.9oz)

Maynards Wine Gums Roll 52g (1.8oz)

Need to take a short break?  Then sneak-a-peek at these candy bar videos...

Fry's Turkish Delight:

Cadbury Eclair Roll:

Cadbury Flake Bar:

Mars Candy Bars:

Nestle Lion Bar:

Maynards Wine Gums:

As those Brits like to say:  "Long Live The Queen!..."

Inquiring Minds Want To Know...It's A Tie!  Well, almost...Our current web site visitor survey indicates that there was not a clear preference when it comes to flapping your gums...or chewing your favorite gum.  Some folks like the licorice flavor and some like big bubbles.  It's been a long time since my college Statistics course and the infamous Chi Square and T-Statistic - but my inner teacher tells me that there was no obvious winner.  My favorite?  Any traditional chewing gum especially Dubble Bubble Chewing Gum.  Classic chews.  Classic taste. 

YOU might have a favorite flavor but after that initial blast of flavor - whether clove or licorice - what's left.  For Me?  I'll take a classic chewing gum any day.  I still can't blow a decent bubble but I still try every chance it get.  And don't get me going on cracking my gum in Study Hall!   Yikes!  I still have nightmares about Sister Theresa and her 12 inch ruler. Wack!

Sweetest Day Is Almost Here!

Sweetest Day is celebrated each year on the third Saturday of October. Although many people think of this as a second Valentine’s Day, Sweetest Day is actually a day to celebrate all the people who make your life special.  It’s an occasion to make someone happy, an opportunity to celebrate and give gifts to relatives, friends, and associates.  It all began back in 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio.  Movie celebrities gave away boxes of candy to newspaper boys while others gave candy boxes to people in hospitals.  It didn’t take long before this candy holiday became so popular that the city of Cleveland officially declared the third Saturday of October as Sweetest Day.

Think of it this way – how much of an excuse do YOU need to give someone a box of candy?  Bella Mia Candy hopes that you consider our Premium Sponge Candy  as an easy way to acknowledge someone who may have been helpfulness or just plain kind hearted.  You can approach Sweetest Day in the same way as Valentine’s Day and consider our Chocolate Truffles or any of the Canadian candies.  And since Halloween is also this month - any of our Monster Cereals make a great seasonal addition to your morning cereal bowl.  Yes - The Count, Frankenberry and BooBerry are still available.

Sweetest Day is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Great Lakes region and the Northeast.  We hope that it continues to grow in popularity across the United States as “our” people relocate to other parts of the country and bring our regional celebration to their new homes.  Many of our customers in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin begin to stock up now for the Holiday season – and Fall is now stating to show up with cooler mornings and evenings, shorter days, apple cider, mums everywhere plus the first hints of color in the trees.  Fall in Western New York is a wonderful season that offer a few more warm days, plus a lot of cool and crisp ones too.  But when you turn up the thermostat and tune in the Sunday football games – you really appreciate having a few of your good friends plus a few of your favorite candies around the house!

Want something just a little different for your next Tailgate Party?  How about Bella Bacon Bits-N-Chocolate – not all of the pigskin is in the shape of a football.  Try some today!

Chocolate might be one of the most popular sweets of all time.  Women crave it, men hoard it, and Aztec kings were said to have been the first to eat it.  So why do we love chocolate so much?

#1. It melts in your mouth - Chocolate contains fat but that should be no surprise.  Cocoa butter in chocolate gives it a rich, creamy consistency that transmits cocoa's flavor perfectly.  It also has a melting point that's just a bit lower than the average human body temperature, which gives you that "melt-in-your-mouth" feeling every time you pop a piece of chocolate from the Bella Mia Candy Store into your mouth.  This might even be described as a true moment of ecstasy - but that would be up to you to decide!

#2.  It has just the right chemistry - According to a study by the University of Michigan, chocolate contains chemicals called opioids.  Opioids are also found in opium which can dull pain and give you a feeling of well-being.  Therefore, people who eat chocolate produce natural opiates in their brains that can soothe their nerves and make them feel good. 

#3. Chocolate also naturally contains "uppers" like caffeine, sugars, and phenylthalymine, which will make your heart pound a little harder, your breathing come a bit more quickly plus give you a feeling of alertness.  This effect is not dramatic enough to be uncomfortable in most people, but it's mild enough to produce a pleasant "high" which is often equated to the feeling of being in love.  So that's what "LOVE" feels like! 

#4.  Chocolate equals love - Speaking of love, women crave chocolate more often than men do.  Women are also on the receiving end of chocolate as birthday and Valentine's Day gifts.  Almost everyone associates chocolate as a romantic gift.  It's not considered to be a mundane or day-to-day food.  Chocolate and Sponge Candy can show up on those personal or special occasions.  Chocolate = love + romance.   

#5.  It's really good for you - Dark chocolate contains chemicals that lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.  Flavanoids and antioxidants in dark chocolate have been shown to make a difference in cardiovascular health.  Scientists now recommend that you have a chocolate cookie or biscuit so your body gets more of those life-lengthening chemicals.  Skip those cookies & milk since some studies show that milk cancels out the healthful effects of eating chocolate by preventing those helpful chemicals from being fully absorbed in the body.  Hey - nobody said the science of chocolate was going to be simple!

#6.  It's great for your sex life - Even the Aztecs believed that chocolate has aphrodisiac properties.  There might be some truth to those old legends.  Recent studies have shown that women who eat a little bit of chocolate a day have significantly more sex than women who don't.  Possibly because their boyfriends who show up at their doorsteps have a box of Truffles in hand - but I digress...Could be that those brain-soothing chemicals found in chocolate encourages the brain to release more of those "feel good" chemical as it's eaten.  Chocolate just makes us feel good - which is a key ingredient for a healthy sex life.  The Moral of This Story?  Feel good, Look good, have good sex!

Remember NOT to overindulge in chocolate.  It does contain high amounts of saturated fats and sugars that can cause health damage and obesity if you eat too much.  So, if you pace yourself - and eat in moderate quantities - chocolate can be a "miracle food".  So the next time you have to give up something for Lent or take up a new diet, think twice before giving up Canadian chocolate.  It not only tastes good -  health benefits from chocolate can give you a great excuse to keep on enjoying it.  To quote Spock:  Live Long & Prosper!

Why isn’t Chris smiling?  Afterall, he discovered America – well, it was way back in 1492…He proved that the earth was round.  Seems like a reasonable accomplishment to me.  Nothing worse than sailing off the edge of the World (either old or new...) to ruin your day.  I would bet that some Premium Sponge Candy or Canadian Chocolates would cheer him up.  Oh Boy! Chocolates in the Fall.  Just a little something extra to share with the indigenous locals.  Sure - you can smoke a Peace Pipe with The Boys all you want – but  the Bella Mia Candy Store recommends a box of our Premium Sponge Candy or a few pieces of hard to find Canadian Candy to make things just right.  You can always argue whether $24 is a fair price for Manhattan after the sugar kicks in!

Mr. C actually did quite a bit of sailing around and some folks think he made it as far as Iceland and Guinea.  Who knows for sure.  That was quite a while ago!  One thing that is a sure bet is that when Columbus and his crew of 90 made their first voyage to the New World – they all piled into the Niña, Pinta, and the flagship, Santa Maria.  Somebody should have given him a better map and compass (or possibly a few bowls of Monster Cereal) to set him straight.  What looked like the East Indies was likely somewhere along the East Coast of North America.  His poor navigation might have been related to his “low blood sugar” – or possibly his seafaring diet.  You won't believe what those guys had on their menu!

Typically, when you are exploring around the New World – your menu selections would have included water, vinegar, wine, olive oil, molasses, cheese, honey, raisins, rice, garlic, almonds, sea biscuits, dry legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, salted and barreled sardines, anchovies, dry salt cod and pickled or salted meats (beef and pork) and salted flour.   Good Grief!  What?  No candy?  Count me out!  I guess if you were really lucky and caught some fish – you might have had a treat.  I think Swedish Fish would have been better for morale.  But hey – that’s just me…

This year Columbus Day falls on October 12th – a Monday.  A great day for Public Employees to kick back and enjoy the moment and order up some Retro Candy.  Remember when the Federal Government finally declared it a public holiday on the second Monday in October?  If you don’t have that day off – you might want to call in sick and unwrap a candy bar or two…or three.  Remember to plan ahead a few days to allow for shipping and delivery.  We are located in Buffalo, NY – so it doesn’t take too long to get your order delivered to your dorm room or living room!

In any case, thanks for stopping by the Bella Mia Candy Store.  Take your time and look around.  We feature premium Sponge Candy, Retro Candy, Canadian Candy and bulk candy at discount prices.  We also have a few odd and bizarre items that might tickle your fancy or just your taste buds.  Live on the edge and try out a few Scorpion Suckers with The Boys.  Beats a bowl of dry salt cod any day!

 Something bugging you?  Perhaps our long cold winter in Western New York getting you down?  Is there a threat of mudslides or fires in your backyard?  January's heating bill got you freaked out a little bit?  Want something to take your mind of your dwindling 401(k)?  Bella Mia Candy may have the answer if you live in Western New York or Ontario, Canada.

Just across the Niagara River in Canada, those crazy Canucks have organized a "Bug-A-Licious" insect eating event.  Whooeee! Tasty and inviting with professional chefs at your beck and call.  This event makes that hair you found your soup on your last trip to a decent restaurant look like small potatoes.  Turn the tables on the insect world without use of insecticides.  Take a bite out of Nature before Mother Nature takes a bite out of you this summer.  This might help even the odds a little on your next summer picnic in the park.

Looks like fun for all ages with cooking demonstrations with insects.  Inspired by edible insects that have been included in regional diets for thousands of years - this event gives you an excuse to take your Special Someone out for a treat.  If you have some concerns about eating insects - how about adding some chocolate or candy coating to help the "medicine" go down a little easier.

But if you decide to attend this event, send our Boss an email Tom The Boss just to let us that you survived this ordeal or just how tasty those little bugs can be.  Can't make to Canada next weekend? Then you can still get into the spirit of this Canadian festival and check out our Bug Candy selection at the Bella Mia Candy Store.  Our chocolate and candy coated "critters" will put up much less of a fight as you chew them into submission.  Show Mother Nature who is the real Boss!