The Great Candy Cane Shortage Continues!

We see many elements of the holiday season as vital—for example, ice skating, decorating, baking, cooking, spreading kindness, and candy canes. 

Candy Canes symbolize the holiday season; seeing them in any other season is strange, but ironically, they sell year-round. They are used to decorate trees in baking and add flavor to our holiday season, and some even crush them to use as garnish for a cocktail or topping for baked goods.

Candy Canes being such a crucial element to the holidays also means they hold status and priority on our holiday shopping lists. 

Unfortunately, this demand for candy canes has created a shortage for this upcoming holiday season.

In the candy world, businesses have been hit with rising prices and supply chain issues. In addition, last year, the candy industry faced the “Great Candy Cane Crisis of 2021“, a mass shortage of candy canes, and it’s sad to say we are still feeling the effects a year later.

We should change the name to the Great Candy Cane Crisis of 2022. Last year the candy cane shortage was partially caused by a fungus, verticillium wilt, which can wipe out entire fields of mint at a time.

Another reason is the supply chain issues we have faced in the aftermath of the initial COVID lockdown. 

Production of Peppermint Oil has been down by 25 % in the past few years, making the stock of oil substantially lower than it is supposed to be. This shortage, in turn, affects the production of items such as the beloved red and white striped Peppermint Candy Canes! 

This ingredient shortage of global resources has impacted production and stock from all types of businesses, including, unfortunately, the candy industry.

These supply chains are made internationally, and setbacks are made through countries’ supply chain issues and our own. These ripple effects will happen for years, and the impact of production delays will worsen before it, hopefully, gets better.

This year candy canes are hard to find but especially the mini ones (our personal favorites). 

Candy Canes are a crucial element of the holiday season, and with a little bit of forward planning, you should be able to, yet again, enjoy a candy that has been bringing holiday cheer for decades.

If you need large quantities, we encourage you to order early. You can even contact us and arrange for a later delivery date too!

As the ol’ expression goes, “an ounce of prevention will beat a pound of cure.”