Storekeepers in Israel are having a hard time facing their pint-sized customers at the moment because the country is running out of a dire necessity in the Israeli culinary experience. Suppliers are rapidly running out of Krembos and Manbos.
These edibles are fragile chocolate-covered marshmallow treats wrapped in brightly-colored foil.
It’s a popular winter treat in Israel, where children (and some adults!) eat the sugary treats instead of ice cream in the cold weather.
Every year, the demand for these sugar bombs increases. Israelis eat approximately 50 million Krembos during the winter season every year, according to Israel’s Channel 2 news. Manufacturers are working “day and night” to replenish the supply, according to the report.
Strauss Group Ltd. and Feldman Ice Creams are the major producers of the treats, and they say they’ve been hard at work to meet the demand. In a statement to media, Strauss said, “as every year during the winter months, Israelis snatch up Krembos, with demand growing annually. We are doing our best to meet demand, and we are producing hundreds of thousands of Krembos daily. We will continue to work around the clock to sweeten the winter months for the many Krembo fans across Israel.”
Likewise, Feldman said in its own statement that it is “happily following the increased demand in the market for our product, compared to last year. We have increased production, and we have learned that many consumers prefer Feldman Krembos because of their superior taste.”
Annual Krembo demand in Israel each year is for some 50 million individually wrapped units, and the average Israeli eats 10 Krembos each season,” according to Feldman.
