La Porte, IN, May 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sour Punch®, one of America’s first sour candy brands, kicks off Summer 2018 with the “Embrace Your Punch” Tour at some of the biggest events happening around the country. The journey embarks May 18, at the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama where visitors will have the opportunity to experience a unique pop up event and sample one-of-a-kind Sour Punch® Twists designed specifically for the tour.  These special flavors will include Blue Raspberry, Green Apple and Strawberry among others.

“We hear time and time again that candy makes people happy, but beyond delivering delicious treats to make people smile we believe our purpose goes beyond that,” said Kristi Shafer, Vice President of Marketing at American Licorice Company. “We all have a responsibility to make this world a better place, and at our company we continue looking for ways to have a positive impact on our employees, our communities and the environment. This year, we’re embarking on a project with a local club in our community and professional athlete Norris Frederick to deliver a more important, longer-lasting smile through a message of self-love and appreciation of others. Our goal is to not only deliver smiles with delicious treats, but more importantly a sweeter message from the heart, Embrace Your Punch. Love yourself and everything that makes you unique and appreciate those differences in others.”

The event will feature an elaborate Sour Punch® themed-exhibit, with a uniquely built container as the centerpiece from which Sour Punch® ambassadors will distribute complimentary samples of the treats, along with other promotional items.

The “Embrace Your Punch” tour will conclude on National Sour Candy Day in Chicago on Wednesday, July 18 at Tribune Plaza. Sour candy lovers can celebrate with the Sour Punch® team with free samples, themed activities and photos with the brand’s Pun-Chi® character.

The official locations for the 2018 Inaugural “Embrace Your Punch” Sour Punch® candy tour are:

• Hangout Music Festival (Gulf Shores, AL) 

Friday May 18-Sunday May 20, 2018

• Alpharetta Arts Festival (Atlanta, GA)

Saturday May 26-Monday May 28, 2018

• Taste of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)

Friday June 8-Sunday June 10, 2018

• Philadelphia Phillies Game (Philadelphia, PA)

Monday June 18, 2018

• Richmond Movies in the Park (Richmond, VA)

Friday June 22, 2018

• Giant BBQ Battle (Washington, D.C.)

Saturday June 23-Sunday June 24

• Coney Island Fireworks Night (New York, NY)

Friday June 29, 2018

• Boston Harborfest (Boston, MA)

Sunday July 1, 2018

• National Sour Candy Day at Tribune Plaza (Chicago, IL)

Wednesday July 18, 2018

About the Sour Punch® Brand
As one of the first brands to enter the U.S. sour candy market in 1990, Sour Punch® candy began with sour, fruit-flavored straws. Today, whether fans love straws bites, or twists, they can count on Sour Punch® candy to deliver sweet-yet-sour bliss in every bite. With its signature sour coating, every flavor can be the best flavor. American Licorice Company, makers of Sour Punch® Straws, continues to look for ways to broaden our mission of Corporate Social Responsibility. We want our impact to reach beyond lessening our carbon footprint, supporting locals with a community garden, high school mentoring programs and countless donations and service hours. So, we took a step back and looked within to see how our brands could have a purpose for good. During the reflection process for our Sour Punch® brand, an amazing message of “Embrace Your Punch” emerged. This message is about self-love and embracing what makes YOU and each and every one of us different. It’s about appreciating and celebrating those differences. We want people to focus on choosing kindness and what a profound difference that could make if we all made that choice a little more often.

About American Licorice Company
The American Licorice® Company, privately owned and operated since 1914, is one of the original licorice manufacturers in the United States and one of the oldest candy companies in the industry. We bring happiness to consumers with our classic Red Vines® candy, the top-selling licorice twists in the western United States. In 1990, we expanded into the sour candy market with the launch of Sour Punch® Straws. These iconic straws with their signature mouthwatering crystals satisfy anyone’s sour craving. We continue to make our other nostalgic favorites such as Super Ropes® and SNAPS® candies. 

American Licorice® Company is headquartered in La Porte, Indiana with a second manufacturing facility in Union City, California.

For more information, including updates on the “Embrace Your Punch” tour please visit www.sourpunch.com.

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