Haribo vs Black Forest Gummy Bears – What Brand is Best?

Two of the favorite gummy brands available at grocery stores today are Haribo and Black Forest. Below we will discuss some of the major similarities and differences between these candies to help you find the best one for your snacking needs.

There is a poll at the end of this article where you can vote for your favorite between Haribo vs Black Forest if you have one. We look forward to seeing what readers think is the best gummy bear product!

Note that the two gummy bear products shown in the photo above are the products we compared. Both Haribo and Black Forest make a variety of gummy products. You can see a list of their products toward the end of this article.

Taste Test

Based on our taste test, Black Forest is the clear winner. All Black Forest Gummies tasted like their intended flavors. Each gummy had a natural fruit flavor without being overpowered with sugar. The taste of real fruit or pretty close for a candy, coupled with the right amount of sweetness, and chewiness made us believe that Black Forest are the best gummy bears money can buy.

Haribo are good gummy bears for anyone that likes a lot of chew when eating candies. You exert a lot more energy chewing them than you do the softer Black Forest. Furthermore, it seems that it takes a lot more chewing time for the fruit flavors to be released in the mouth with Haribo. When the flavors are finally noticeable, they just aren’t on par with the vibrant fruity flavors of Black Forest.

Appearance

Haribo Gummies (pictured left) feature much slender bear bodies compared to the plumper Black Forest candies (pictured right). Additionally, Haribo has a much glossier surface compared to the semi-glossy texture of Black Forest.

Above is a zoomed-in photo of each gummy. Sadly, the Haribo (pictured left) looks more like a monster or blob than a bear. The Black Forest (pictured right) does resemble a bear, maybe even like a loveable teddy bear. The Black Forest undoubtedly wins in regard to appearance between the two brands.

Flavors

Here are the flavors and their corresponding colors for each gummy bear product. Haribo offers raspberry which is not a flavor in Black Forest. Black Forest has apple and cherry which aren’t flavors in Haribo Goldbears.

Ownership & History

Haribo – Haribo is a German company that is approximately 100 years old. A confectioner named Hans Riegel started the company in Bonn, Germany. The first two letters of the founder’s first and last name along with the city were used to create the company name, Haribo (“Hans Riegel Bonn”). The first Goldbear gummy bear was created a couple of years after the launch of the business. Haribo candies are currently available in 100 countries with 16 locations producing candies.

Black Forest – Black Forest is a brand of the Ferrara Candy Company. They are the company behind several other popular candies such as SweeTarts, Brach’s, Laffy Taffy, Nerds, and Fun Dip. They also own several cookie brands like Keebler and Famous Amos. Black Forest offers both conventional and USDA-Certified organic fruit snacks and gummies.

Nutrition

The nutrition facts are very similar for Haribo vs Black Forest. Black Forest does have 15 grams more sodium. Given the similarities, we would suspect that nutrition does not play a major role in people selecting one of these candies over the other.

	Haribo (Original)	Black Forest (Classic)
Serving Size	13 pieces (30g)	9 pieces (30g)
Calories	100	100
Fat	0g	0g
Sodium	5mg	25mg
Total Carbohydrates	23g	23g
Sugars	14g	15g
Protein	2g	2g

Ingredients

Haribo – Glucose Syrup (from Wheat or Corn), Sugar, Gelatin, Dextrose (from Wheat or Corn), Contains Less than 2% of: Citric Acid, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Carnauba Wax, White Beeswax, Yellow Beeswax, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1.

Black Forest – Corn Syrup, Sugar, Gelatin, Citric Acid, Apple Juice from Concentrate, Sodium Citrate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Coconut Oil*, Colors (Black Carrot Juice, Beta-Carotene, Spirulina Extract, Turmeric), Carnauba Wax*. *Adds A Trivial Amount Of Fat.

Products Offered

Here are the assortment of products that each brand offers. Haribo certainly has the better variety but Black Forest does offer organic options.

Poll: Haribo vs Black Forest

Do you prefer Haribo or Black Forest Gummy Bears? Vote below!