candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Ferrero Group Ferrero SpA (), more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba, Italy. manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate produce ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company Farley's & Sathers Candy Company was created as an umbrella company to roll up many small companies, brands and products under a common management team.pan candy (such as Lemonheads,

Atomic Fireball The Ferrara Candy Company is an American candy manufacturer, based in Chicago, Illinois, and owned by the Ferrero Group. The company was formed from a 2012 merger of the Illinois-based Ferrara Pan Candy Company and Minnesota-based Farley's & S ...

s,

Red Hots The Ferrara Candy Company is an American candy manufacturer, based in Chicago, Illinois, and owned by the Ferrero Group. The company was formed from a 2012 merger of the Illinois-based Ferrara Pan Candy Company and Minnesota-based Farley's & Sa ...

, and

Original Boston Baked Beans The Ferrara Candy Company is an American candy manufacturer, based in Chicago, Illinois, and owned by the Ferrero Group. The company was formed from a 2012 merger of the Illinois-based Ferrara Pan Candy Company and Minnesota-based Farley's & Sa ...

) and those of Farley's & Sathers (such as

Brach's Brach's () is a candy and sweets brand of Ferrara Candy Company. History In 1904, Emil J. Brach invested his $1,000 life savings in a storefront candy store. He named it "Brach's Palace of Sweets" and it was located at the corner of North Avenu ...

,

Chuckles Chuckles are jelly candies coated with a light layer of sugar. They come in five flavors: cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and licorice. Each package of Chuckles contains one piece of each flavor. The candies are made with corn syrup, sugar, modi ...

,

Jujyfruits Jujyfruits are a chewy, gumdrop-like starch-based candy, manufactured by Heide Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrara Candy Company. Jujyfruits began production in 1920. They were popular in movie houses along with Heide's other gummy candy, Juj ...

, and

Now and Later Now and Later is an American brand of fruit-flavored taffy-like candy manufactured by Ferrara Candy Company. The candy is formed into squares packaged in colorful paper. Twelve flavors are currently available in both Traditional and Chewy var ...

). In November 2017, The Ferrero Group announced that they were going to acquire the company, which was finalized in December 2017. In 2018, Ferrara's parent company

Ferrero SpA Ferrero SpA (), more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba, Italy. manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate producer ...

purchased

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

's U.S. candy line for $2.8 billion and handed responsibility for most products to Ferrara. Former Nestle products now distributed in the U.S. by Ferrara include

Butterfinger Butterfinger is a candy bar manufactured by the Ferrero SpA, a subsidiary of Ferrero. It consists of a layered crisp peanut butter core covered in a chocolatey coating. Invented by Otto Schnering of the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923, the name ...

, Crunch,

Baby Ruth Baby Ruth is an American candy bar made of peanuts, caramel, and milk chocolate-flavored nougat, covered in compound chocolate. It is distributed by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero. History In 1920, the Curtiss Candy Comp ...

,

Raisinets Chocolate-covered raisins are a candy consisting of individual raisins coated in a shell of milk, dark or white chocolate. Varieties and brands In some countries, they are also known as Raisinets, which is the earliest and one of the most p ...

, Nips,

Laffy Taffy Laffy Taffy is an American brand of taffy candies produced by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero. The candies are small (about ), individually wrapped taffy rectangles available in a variety of colors and artificial fruit f ...

, and hard candy (such as

Spree Spree may refer to: Geography * Spree (river), river in Germany Film and television * ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace * ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery * "Spree" (''Numbers' ...

and

Everlasting Gobstopper The Everlasting Gobstopper is a gobstopper candy from Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. According to its creator Willy Wonka, it was intended "for children with very little pocket money". It not only chan ...

) formerly produced by Nestlé under the

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor ...

brand. Two notable exceptions are Nestlé's

Kit Kat Kit Kat (stylised as KitKat in various countries) is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, United Kingdom, and is now produced globally by Nestlé (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988), except in the United Stat ...

and

Rolo Rolo (pronounced /ˈrəʊləʊ/), referring to the roll-styled chocolates, is a brand of truncation (geometry), truncated cone-shaped or conical frustum-shaped chocolates with a caramel inside. First manufactured in Norwich, Norfolk in the United ...

lines which are licensed to

the Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

. Ferrara announced it was moving its world headquarters to Chicago in 2019.

History

The Ferrara family had been bakers in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Salvatore Ferrara emigrated from

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...

to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1900. In 1908, he opened a bakery at 772 W. Taylor, in the heart of Chicago's "Little Italy" neighborhood. He sold candy-coated almonds known as "confetti" (or

Jordan almonds Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan River ...

), a popular treat at Italian weddings. When candy sales became greater than pastries, Ferrara partnered with two brothers-in-law, Salvatore Buffardi and Anello Pagano. They built a two-story brick building at 2200 W. Taylor and began producing a variety of panned candies. The second floor of the building was devoted to the revolving kettles that produced the pan candy, with all of the machines being driven by a giant wheel. The candy was dropped to the shipping department below through a hole in the floor. The private equity firm

Catterton Partners L Catterton is a U.S.-headquartered private equity firm. Since 1989, the firm has made more than 250 investments in brands across all segments of the consumer industry. L Catterton is led by its co-Chief Executive Officers, J. Michael Chu and S ...

, owner of

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company Farley's & Sathers Candy Company was created as an umbrella company to roll up many small companies, brands and products under a common management team.mellowcremes in the U.S.; it is the largest producer of candy canes, the largest seller of conversation hearts and produces a large portion of the jelly beans that are consumed in the United States. The company has 21

starch mogul A starch mogul is a machine that makes shaped candies or candy centers from syrups or gels, such as gummi candy. These softer candies and centers are made by filling a tray with cornstarch, stamping the desired shape into the starch, and then pou ...

s, of 40 in the U.S. as a whole. The company has between 700 and 800 pans operating at any given time. The company claims that it produces 1 million pounds of

gummy candy Gummies, gummi candies, gummy candies, or jelly sweets are a broad category of gelatin-based chewable sweets. Gummi bears, Sour Patch Kids, and Jelly Babies are widely popular and are a well-known part of the sweets industry. Gummies are availabl ...

per week in four manufacturing plants, two in the U.S. and two in Mexico. The company employs approximately 6,000 people.

Timeline

* 1860s: Henry Heide Candy Company begins business * 1890s: Farley Candy Company established * 1904: Brach's Candies begins production in the backroom of a Chicago store. Brock's Candy of Chattanooga begins production of penny candies, peanut brittle and jelly candies. * 1908: Ferrara Pan Candy is formed * 1919: Bobs Candies is formed * 1930s: Sathers Candy Company begins operations * 1962: Lemonheads introduced * 1980s: Trolli Gummis begins production in the U.S. * 1994: Brach's Candy purchases a controlling interest in Brock's Candy of Chattanooga * 1995: Favorite Brands International created with purchase of Kraft Caramel, Marshmallow, Dinner Mints and Peanut Brittle businesses. Henry Heide, Inc is sold to Hershey Foods. * 1996: Favorite Brands International acquires Farley Foods, Sathers Candy and Kidd Marshmallow businesses * 1997: Favorite Brands International acquires Dae Julie and the Trolli Gummi businesses * 2002: Catterton Partners form Farleys & Sathers Candy Company made up of assets from the former Farley Foods, Sathers Candy Company, and the Kraft Taffy business from Kraft; Chuckles and several other Henry Heide brands purchased from Hershey Foods. * 2005: Farley & Sathers acquires the Trolli Gummi business, which had been part of the Favorite Brands group of products, from Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, which had acquired it as part of a larger group of businesses from Kraft. Bob's Candies is acquired. * 2007: Farley & Sathers acquires Brach's Candy * 2012: Catterton Partners purchases Ferrara Pan Candy Company and renames the company Ferrara Candy, a shorter name with better name recognition * 2017:

Ferrero Group Ferrero SpA (), more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba, Italy. manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate produce ...

acquires Ferrara Candy Company

Products

* Atomic Fireball: A round,

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

-flavored hard candy invented by Nello Ferrara (1918–2012) in 1954. They are a form of jawbreaker. The outer layers of the candy are a bright red color, while the interior layers are white. Atomic Fireballs have been adopted by Flight Controllers in NASA's Mission Control as the "Console Candy of Choice". * Black Forest: A brand of fruit juice snacks and treats in various shapes; Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms and other varieties. *

Bobs Candies Bobs Candies are a brand of candy manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company. History Bobs Candies was founded as the Famous Candy Company in Albany, Georgia, by investor Robert E. McCormack in 1919. He changed its name to Bobs' Candy Company in 192 ...

: Soft mints and sticks, candy canes and mint "lumps". * Boston Baked Beans: A sugar-coated peanut candy. *

Brach's Brach's () is a candy and sweets brand of Ferrara Candy Company. History In 1904, Emil J. Brach invested his $1,000 life savings in a storefront candy store. He named it "Brach's Palace of Sweets" and it was located at the corner of North Avenu ...

: A candy and sweets brand that produces and has invented many iconic candies, including candy corn, Conversation Hearts, Jelly Bird Eggs, Star Brite Mints, Royals, Bridge Mix, malted milk balls, Double Dipped Peanuts and others. *

Chuckles Chuckles are jelly candies coated with a light layer of sugar. They come in five flavors: cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and licorice. Each package of Chuckles contains one piece of each flavor. The candies are made with corn syrup, sugar, modi ...

: A soft jelly candy, covered in sugar in five original colors (red, orange, yellow, green and black). They are now made in a number of varieties and seasonal selections. *

Fruit Stripe Fruit Stripe is an artificially and naturally flavored fruit chewing gum. The individual pieces of gum have stripes marked on them, and it is packaged in zebra-striped wrappers, which also act as temporary tattoos. History The "Five Flavor Gum" ...

: A fruit-flavored chewing gum created in the 1960s. Also comes in a bubble gum variety. * Jaw Busters: The original 1919 jawbreaker. As they dissolve, they change color and flavor with each of the five layers. *

Jujyfruits Jujyfruits are a chewy, gumdrop-like starch-based candy, manufactured by Heide Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrara Candy Company. Jujyfruits began production in 1920. They were popular in movie houses along with Heide's other gummy candy, Juj ...

: Small, chewy, fruit flavored candies that come in various fruit shapes and flavors such as raspberry, orange, lemon, lime, and anise. Also available are

Jujubes Jujube ( or ; also known as jube or juju) is a gummy type of candy drop. History A recipe for "pate de jujubes" was published in 1709. The recipe called for gum arabic, sugar, and the date-like jujube fruit. In 1853, both "ju ju paste" and "j ...

, which are a firmer candy dating back to 1920 in the traditional flavors of lemon, lime, violet, cherry and lilac. *

Laffy Taffy Laffy Taffy is an American brand of taffy candies produced by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero. The candies are small (about ), individually wrapped taffy rectangles available in a variety of colors and artificial fruit f ...

: Rectangular taffy named for the jokes which are included on each wrapper. Flavors include banana, strawberry, sour apple, cherry and grape. Tangy Taffy, a similar product, was previously purchased by Nestle and is now marketed under the Laffy Taffy brand. * Lemonhead: Introduced in 1962, Lemonheads are a round, lemon-flavored candy consisting of a sweet coating, soft sour shell, and a hard candy core. Other varieties include Appleheads, Grapeheads and Chewy Lemonheads & Friends varieties. * Nerds: Introduced in 1983, Nerds are a little pebble-like candy with a crunch, usually contain two flavors per box, and each flavor has a separate compartment and opening. Larger packages may contain various colors—sometimes referred to as Rainbow Nerds. *

Now and Later Now and Later is an American brand of fruit-flavored taffy-like candy manufactured by Ferrara Candy Company. The candy is formed into squares packaged in colorful paper. Twelve flavors are currently available in both Traditional and Chewy var ...

: Bite-sized squares of taffy in 19 different fruit flavors. They come in Original, Chewy and Splits varieties and are packaged in both multi-pieced bars and assorted jars. *

Rain-Blo Rain-Blo is an American brand of bubble gum that comes in a variety of fruit flavors, introduced by Leaf Confectionery in 1940, and acquired from Hershey Foods by Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, merged with Ferrara Pan in 2012, becoming the Ferr ...

: The first bubble gumballs ever made, where the color on the outside matches the flavor on the inside. * Red Hots: A small

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

-flavored candy created and trademarked by the Ferrara Pan Candy Company in the 1930s. *

Super Bubble Super Bubble is a brand of bubble gum produced by Ferrara Candy Company first introduced in 1946 by the Thomas Weiner Company led by Douglas Thomas and Russell Weiner in Memphis, Tennessee. The recipe for the original Super Bubble flavor came f ...

: Individually-wrapped bubble gum first introduced in 1946 in original, grape, apple and watermelon flavors. *

Trolli Trolli is a German manufacturer of confectionery. Its American arm was sold in 1996 and became a confectionery brand used by Ferrara Candy Company. Trolli sells gummy candies, marshmallows, and soft licorice gums in over 80 countries and has fac ...

(U.S.): Gummy candies that are both sour and sweet in unusual shapes.

References

External links

* {{Ferrara Candy Confectionery companies of the United States American chocolate companies 01 Food and drink companies based in Chicago Manufacturing companies based in Chicago Forest Park, Illinois American companies established in 1908 Food and drink companies established in 1908 1908 establishments in Illinois American brands Brand name confectionery Ferrero SpA 2017 mergers and acquisitions American subsidiaries of foreign companies