Saturday Candy, Swedish Style. Inside Godis in Nyon
Updated: 30 minutes ago
How two Swedes brought their favourite childhood ritual to the land of chocolate
In Sweden, Saturday is candy day. Families head to the shop, grab a bag and fill it by weight with whatever they fancy. It’s called lördagsgodis, literally translated to Saturday candy, and for Benny and Adam it was the highlight of their childhood week.
“That was everything we were waiting for,” says Benny.
These days you don’t have to wait for Saturday, or travel to Sweden. Their shop, Godis, opened first in Lausanne. It proved so popular that a second branch followed in Nyon’s La Combe centre. The name literally means candy in Swedish.
The story behind Godis
Godis started with a conversation between reps. Benny had been living in the region for several years when he heard a couple speaking Swedish at the gym. He introduced himself, and a friendship followed. At some point he asked Adam what he missed most about home. The answer came quickly: midsummer and Swedish candy. He felt exactly the same, and the topic kept coming up. “I’ve been here for a while. Nobody has done anything like that. I can’t find Swedish candy anywhere,” he remembers saying. “Do you want to open something with me?”
From Lausanne to Nyon, and Paléo
Cut to now and they run two shops and an online store. This summer they also took their pick-and-mix to Paléo, selling ready-made bags of liquorice, sweet and sour, and Swedish classic mixes in three sizes.
Why Swedish candy in Switzerland?
Switzerland already has a world-famous sweet tooth, so it’s fair to ask whether the region needs imported candy. The answer is that Swedish candy doesn’t compete with Swiss chocolate. It sits in a completely different category.
Think chewy, fizzy, sour and fruity gummies, marshmallow foams, and liquorice in more forms than most of us knew existed. Where Swiss chocolate is about richness, Swedish pick-and-mix is about variety and texture.
The Swedes take it seriously, eating around 17 to 18 kilos of candy each per year. One of the main explanations is the pick-and-mix concept introduced in the 1980s. Recently the trend has gone global: Swedish candy has gone viral on social media, driving demand so high that producers have struggled to keep up.
For the two founders, though, it’s simpler than any trend. It’s the taste of home, and they wanted to share it.
Did you know? The story of Saturday candy
Saturday candy started as a dental health tip. In 1959, Sweden’s government recommended limiting children’s candy to once a week, on Saturday, to protect their teeth. Over time it stuck, and not just for children. Today it’s a routine for both children and adults, and an event to look forward to during the week. Most Swedes still buy their Saturday candy by weight from candy walls in grocery stores.
Inside the shop
Pick, mix, weigh
The Nyon shop stocks around 300 varieties. That’s modest by Swedish standards, Benny laughs. Back home, some shops offer more than 10,000. Nearly everything is bought in Sweden and arrives by truck in bulk. A few Finnish and Norwegian favourites make the trip too as well as chips and drinks. Candy is sold at CHF 3.49 per 100 grams.
Ask how it differs from a supermarket bag and he has a ready answer: “It’s like comparing a pizza to a pizza.” Both count as pizza, but you notice the difference once you try them.
A grown-up guide to salty liquorice
Then there’s the liquorice. Godis carries around 35 kinds of salty liquorice, a Nordic passion that tends to divide a room. It also challenges the idea that candy shops are for children. In Lausanne, where the customers are mostly adults, salty liquorice is one of the biggest sellers.
Benny’s own favourite is the S-märke from Swedish brand Candy People, which is vegan and gluten-free. If 300 choices feel like a lot, asking the team where to start is a good idea.
The founders built Godis around one idea: “There should be candy for everyone.” Then comes a more realistic version:
“Maybe it’s not for everyone, but there’s something for someone.”
That means vegan, gelatin-free and gluten-free options, and much of the candy uses natural flavourings. There are also sugar-free bags: a 50 gram bag (Pändy range) contains around one gram of sugar and 70 calories, and our host admits he gets through quite a few. Near the till you’ll also find a zero-sugar Swedish soda with added vitamins.
Let’s be clear: it’s still candy, just a better-quality candy. Ingredients vary across the range, so if you have specific dietary needs, check the labels and don’t hesitate to ask.
And Halloween?
We visited just before Halloween, fully expecting the shelves to be emptying fast ahead of trick-or-treat night.
“Not so much, people don’t want to buy this candy and then give it away!”
After half an hour choosing between sour, fruity and salty, we understood exactly why.
In Sweden, you’d have to wait until Saturday. In Nyon, you can go any day of the week.
Photo credit : Betty @newin_nyon
Good to know
Where: La Combe centre, Nyon
Opening hours (Nyon): Monday to Friday 9am–7pm; Saturday 9am–6pm
Price: CHF 3.49 per 100g
Also in Lausanne: Avenue de la Gare 22, 1003 Lausanne (the larger shop)
Order online: www.godis.swiss
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