Smarties Candy Company (formerly Ce De Candy, Inc.) is a confectionery company well known for its namesake candy,
Smarties
Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé.
Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of abou ...
.
Edward "Eddie" Dee founded Ce De Candy in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
, in 1949.
[ Dee emigrated from England to the United States.][ ]
Edward Dee's granddaughters, Sarah Dee, Jessica Dee Sawyer and Liz Dee serve as co-presidents of the company. Smarties Candy Company operates plants in Union Township, New Jersey, and in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian operations were initially in on 993 Queen Street West in Toronto in 1963 and moved to Newmarket in 1988. The old Toronto factory (c. 1907 east wing as fabric mill, c. 1920s west wing addition joined by central wing housing central heating and incinerator) is now the Candy Factory Lofts
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English), is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet ...
(conversion 1999). Its US headquarters are in Union Township.[ It is one of the few remaining family-owned, mass-production confectionery companies in the United States.]
History
In 1949, Edward Dee, a second generation candymaker from England, first began producing candy rolls in a rented New Jersey factory in Bloomfield with one wrapping machine and one tablet presser which was a repurposed pellet-making machine. Dee, a Cambridge University graduate, called his product "Smarties" to "encourage people to pursue an education." His family produces a similar candy in England through Swizzels Matlow
Swizzels Matlow Limited, branded as Swizzels, is a confectionery manufacturer based in New Mills, Derbyshire, near Stockport in the United Kingdom.Manchester Evening News 5 April 2012 Thursday Confectioners are making a lot of lolly The compan ...
Co.[ Initially, Dee took the candy by car to small grocery and tobacco stores.][ He later moved his American operations to Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1959 and then again to its current location in Union Township in 1967.]
Ce De Candy's Canadian operations were first established in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, in 1963, and were later moved to Newmarket in 1988. The Canadian candies go by the name Rockets to avoid confusion with Nestle's candy-coated chocolate Smarties
Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé.
Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of abou ...
.[ The company now produces Smarties around the clock in its two factories producing over 2.5 billion Smarties candy rolls per year.][
In 1991, ]Mr. T
Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A-Team'' and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film ''Rocky III''. He is also known for his ...
and Ce De Candy collaborated to form Crusade for Kids.[ It encouraged kids to stay in school and say "no" to drugs.][ Crusade for Kids raised funds for the ]Children's Defense Fund
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on child advocacy and research. It was founded in 1973 by Marian Wright Edelman.
History
The CDF was founded in 1973, citi ...
charity. In October 2010, the company vice president of sales and marketing was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame.
In 2011, the company changed its name from Ce De Candy, Inc. to Smarties Candy Company after its most famous product.[ The company launched its "Smarties Think" campaign in 2013 to promote education and help classrooms in need. Since 2013, the company has donated $200,000 through ]DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is a United States-based nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. The organization has been given Charity Navigator's highest rating every year since 2005. In January 201 ...
to provide school supplies. The company completed a 674 kW solar project in 2016, adding 2,100 solar panels to the roof of their New Jersey factory. In October 2017, the company's president of 40 years, Jonathan Dee, stepped down and Liz Dee, Sarah Dee, and Jessica Dee Sawyer assumed the role of co-president. That same month, Smarties announced the #LittleSmarties campaign to promote intellectual curiosity which features historical figures including Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best know ...
, Marie Curie
Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...
, and Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...
, as well as a partnership with DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is a United States-based nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. The organization has been given Charity Navigator's highest rating every year since 2005. In January 201 ...
to support classrooms in need of funding.
Products
The company also produces Mega Smarties, Giant Smarties, X-treme Sour Smarties, Tropical Smarties, Love Hearts, Smarties 'n Creme, candy necklaces, Smarties Pops in three sizes, and other candies,[ including Breath Savers.][ All Smarties products are peanut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.]
While generally considered an everyday staple, groups also give out Smarties to encourage people to buckle up and drive safely. Among these are Tampa Bays' Students Against Destructive Ideas (SADD) and Dum Dum or Smartie initiatives in schools.
References
External links
*{{Official website, https://www.smarties.com/
Companies based in Union County, New Jersey
Confectionery companies of the United States
Privately held companies based in New Jersey
Food and drink companies established in 1949
Family-owned companies of the United States