An average Swede eats about 15 kilograms of candy per year and Sweden has the highest candy consumption in the world, largely due to the tradition of “lördagsgodis” (Saturday candy treat) and the wide selection of pic-and-mix candies.
Who doesn’t remember the anticipation of the candy bag you got to buy on Saturday-or that kind parents had already picked up for you? How tempting were those little chewy yellow bananas, the salty fish, the white sugar cubes, the raspberry hearts etc.
Nowadays, we can buy pick-and-mix candy at IKEA in Bangkok, but unfortunately, the selection isn’t very big, and the candy often feels like it has been sitting there a bit too long.
I have some good news. There is now a small candy kiosk at Icon Siam, that will offer us 80 different kinds of pick-and-mix, as well as the popular Aladdine chocolate boxes and if we are very lucky, we also might find my favorite chocolate Guldnougat (Gold Nougat, a very specific product by Marabou) among other popular Swedish chocolates.
On a grey Tuesday afternoon, 20 May 2025, I decided to take a trip down to IconSiam to meet the two men behind SOFTA. Just a few days ago-about 3 to 4 days, to be exact – we finally got our beloved Swedish pick-and- mix candy here in Bangkok.
Located on the sixth floor near “Harbour Land” you’ll now find 80 varieties of Swedish candy-so dearly loved by us Scandinavians-along with the classic red Aladdin chocolate box and a range of delightful Marabou chocolates, including Mintkrokant, Apelsinkrokant, Schweizernöt, and the timeless Milk chocolate.
The men we have to thank for this are childhood friends from Filipstad: Gustaf Ryhed and Kenny Rundh. These two enterprising young men have played sports together and shared many creative ideas over the years. Both started working at a young age – Gustaf has been active in the hotel and restaurant industry, while Kenny, a frequent visitor to Thailand, had long been brainstorming ways to bring something new to the Thai market. After much consideration, he concluded it was time to put Swedish candy on the map in Thailand – an idea we Scandinavians warmly welcome.
The pandemic delayed their plans somewhat, but it also gave them the opportunity to thoroughly plan how best to realize their vision. As many of us know, starting a business as a foreigner in Thailand can be a complex and time-consuming process. Gustaf and Kenny encountered several obstacles along the way, but they never gave up.
When I asked why they chose IconSiam as the location for their candy corner, they explained that there simply weren’t many other places with space available. While areas like Sukhumvit and, to some extent, Sathorn might host more Scandinavians, they hope that once Thai locals fall in love with the candy too, they might expand to places like EMSPHERE – which I personally think would be a perfect fit. Imagine if hotels also joined in, offering a small candy corner in their lobbies.
Just picture coming back to your hotel room after a long day, craving something sweet or sour, and discovering a vending machine in the lobby offering a small jar of pick-and-mix candy -pure joy! This could be a great idea for hotels, especially those with many Scandinavian guests.
Currently, the IconSiam store employs three full-time staff and two additional helpers. Their Thai manager has proven to be a great asset-communication and getting things done is much smoother when you speak the language, as any non-Thai speaker here can attest to.
Now the question remains: will our Swedish candy become part of Thai daily life?
Early feedback shows that “licorice” may not be a Thai favorite (yet), but the sour candies are already a big hit.
For now, Gustaf and Kenny are still living in Filipstad (a city known for its Wasa bread), but who knows-maybe they’ll decide to settle permanently in Thailand if the candy business takes off. Will Thai children start looking forward to a Saturday candy bag just like we did when we grew up? Let us hope.
It remains for me to wish the guys all the best.
In the meantime, pick up your Saturday sweets at IconSiam and enjoy every bite!
