Almond Roca, WA candy classic, will debut first new flavor in half-century

For the first time in decades, Almond Roca will debut a new flavor: hazelnut, in the form of a Mountain Bar, coming this summer. This innovation is set to be limited-time-only, running for a year unless candy consumers demand more.

The maker of Almond Roca, Tacoma-based confectionery Brown & Haley, last introduced a retail flavor variation in 1972 with its Peanut Butter Mountain Bar. While the company has tested other ideas since, the Hazelnut Mountain Bar will be the first to go to the full retail market, director of marketing Kathi Rennaker said Monday. Company team members are hoping it's a success "because they want to keep eating it," Rennaker said.

The Hazelnut Mountain Bar will be available in July or August, Rennaker said. A pistachio Roca will also be available for a limited time for the 2026 winter holidays.

In production since 1923, Almond Roca is something of a tradition in the Pacific Northwest, with the original version's gold-foil wrapping holding a log-like candy with a crunchy toffee center coated with chocolate and dipped in diced almonds. The candy has also found an audience beyond the region over the years, now reaching 65 countries as an import.

In its second century, Brown & Haley remains family-owned, and the company still makes its candies in the former shoe factory near the Tacoma Dome that has been its headquarters since 1918. While Big Candy is dealing with backlash over lower-quality ingredients - with Hershey's, for example, announcing a return to real chocolate in its products by 2027, according to Confectionery News - the classic Almond Roca has contained real chocolate, butter and sugar rather than corn syrup all along.

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