Candy: The Sweet History

By Beth Kimmerle

I spent three years solid eating candy and then three years writing about it.

In the mid 90s, I worked for a big American candy company and did something called product development. I developed candy with a confection research and development team. I worked on new packaging with box and wrapper designers. I flew around the world inventing, buying and eating candy.

Like Charlie Bucket, the main character in the fabled candy tale, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I visited the factories where a variety of candy was made. I became somewhat of a confectionery historian and candy ephemera collector. I had a very sweet time.

I realized while working that candy has an amazing history and many candy makers have fascinating lives. I noted that the candy industry was shifting from “mom and pop” owners to becoming dominated by huge outfits. I decided it was high time to catalog these amazing candy makers along with their “American Dream” stories. I set out to showcase the rich packaging and tell how candy flavors, advertisements and their confection icons are part of American history and culture. The result is my book called, Candy: The Sweet History.

Candy is a book mainly about the history of American candy that is still with us. However, I have a section called “Gone But Not Forgotten” dedicated to candies that are no longer available such as Marathon Bars and Wacky Packages.

The book profiles candy makers and their fascinating histories. Companies like Hershey, Wrigley, and M&M Mars, the ones you have surely heard of. I also look at the small and independent regional confectionary producers such as Chowards, Annabelle Candy and Sifer’s.

The history of candy goes back thousands of years when ancient people realized that sweets made for a special treat. For the most part, early sweets were made with honey and confections and were limited to dried fruit and nuts coated in this sticky substance.

However, once sugar from sugar cane caught on as a sweetener, different cultures created their own versions of candy from spicy to savory, and sour to salty.

Candy is made from sugar cooked in water along with added flavors and ingredients. Heating and cooling the sugar at different rates or temperatures make different types of candy.

In the Middle Ages, sugar was introduced to Europe from Asia and India. Sugar was a costly delicacy available only to the wealthy and to royalty. Most consumption was reserved for special events and aristocratic parties.

Realizing the demand for sugar, big countries invested in offshore plantations to grow the stalks or cane. As sugar became a major farm crop and could be produced at a faster rate, it became less expensive and widely available.

By the 1650’s, with sugar accessible to a larger audience, hard sugar candies like sticks, lozenges and drops were enjoyed in Europe and the new American colonies. However, candy making was limited to small producers as manufacturing was difficult and many ingredients were still costly. Candy remained a luxury item.

As industrial advances developed, candy production developed rapidly into an important industry. Penny candy could be easily produced and sold loose, or by the pound, from glass jars in drugstores and general stores.

Meanwhile, sugar prices continued to decrease allowing home based candy makers to refine their skills and add candy making to their cooking repertoire. Flavors like peppermint and lemon were popular for hard-candies prepared at home. Brittles, taffy and caramels, along with simple hard candies, were being refined in homes and candy factories alike.

By the late 1800s, candy making entered into a new realm with the addition of an ingredient called chocolate. Before this time, chocolate was primarily used to create hot chocolate as a drink.

As chocolate was so popular, advances were made to offer chocolate as a solid, not just a powder. Chocolate was an ingredient that could be molded into a bar, used as a flavor or as a coating. This allowed American candy makers the ability to use chocolate in a variety of different ways.

And did they ever….

Milton Hershey was the first American to bring the chocolate bar concept to a mass production level and, essentially, he introduced chocolate to the masses. His Hershey’s Sweet Milk Chocolate bar was introduced in 1900 to astounding success. His original milk chocolate candy bar continues to rank as one, if not the, best selling American candy bar.

In 1913, an American company called Standard Candy created the first amalgamated candy bar by adding multiple ingredients to form one piece of candy. Their Goo Goo Cluster, a Southern favorite combined milk chocolate, caramel, marshmallow and nuts.

The 1920s were a booming time for candy bars. WWI soldiers has tasted candy like Tootsie Rolls in their daily rations and continued to eat the sweet stuff when they came home.

In addition, during the depression, candy was seen as an inexpensive and healthy meal replacement. In the 20’s candy bars like Baby Ruth, Milky Way and Mounds became popular favorites.

With the popularity of movies, candies like Milk Duds and Goldenberg Peanut Chews were introduced in bite size pieces. They were created for theater audiences to snack on while viewing their favorite show; hence, they were the creators of what we refer to as Concession Candy.

In 1940 M&M’S were developed as a way to keep chocolate from melting in high temperatures and as a response to slack summer candy sales. The bright colored pellets remain a favorite!

The 1960’s were indeed a fun time for candy. Graphics on wrappers depicted talking candy characters alive with crazy colors. Citrus candies like Lemonheads and Sweet Tarts became strong sellers.

In 1976 Herman Goelitz introduced flavored jellybeans. Jelly Belly jellybeans offered consumers unique flavors in a mini bean and were an instant hit.

The new millennium brought with it new exciting candy and flavors. As new candy is introduced we continue to celebrate the candy that has been with us for generations!

My TOP 5 American Favorites:

Abba Zabba
Fresh Peanut Butter embedded in chewy vanilla taffy—Yum!

Goldenberg’s Peanut Chew
A really classic candy with simple flavors of molasses and fresh peanuts covered in dark chocolate. Delicious!

Hershey Reese Peanut Butter Cups
Enjoyed since 1923-- best served in their miniature version, slightly chilled. Try them with baked into a cookie!

Tootsie Pops
How many licks does it take? I wouldn’t know. I can never wait. The hard-candy shell covering the classic Tootsie Pops are still an unbelievable lollipop when served up fresh!

M&M’S
No matter how you slice it, these candies that melt in your mouth and not in your hands are severely munchable. They are now available in a rainbow of colorful options.