Just Born, Inc. is a family-owned

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

-based candy company that manufactures and markets a number of candies including Goldenberg's Peanut Chews,

Hot Tamales Hot Tamales is a cinnamon-flavored candy introduced in 1950, currently manufactured and marketed in the United States by Just Born. The name derives from the sometimes spicy flavor of tamales. It was the top-selling cinnamon candy in 1999. Vari ...

Mike and Ike Mike and Ike is a brand of fruit-flavored candies that were first introduced in 1940 by the company Just Born, Inc. The origin of the candy's name remains unknown, but there are many conjectures. Mike and Ikes were originally all fruit flavor ...

Peeps Peeps are a marshmallow confection marketed since 1953 in the United States and Canada in the shape of chicks, bunnies and other animals as well as holiday shapes — by Pennsylvania-headquartered Just Born Quality Confections. Originally ...

, Teenee Beanee jelly beans, and

Zours Mike and Ike is a brand of fruit-flavored Candy, candies that were first introduced in 1940 by the company Just Born, Inc. The origin of the candy's name remains unknown, but there are many conjectures. Mike and Ikes were originally all fruit f ...

. Advertising its products with the slogan "a great candy isn't made... it's Just Born," the company was ranked as the 10th largest candy company in the United States, as of 2013.

History

Russian-Jewish immigrant

Sam Born Sam Born (September 10, 1891 – March 23, 1959) was an American Businessperson, businessman, Candy making, candy maker and inventor. Biography Born to a History of the Jews in Russia, Jewish family in Vinnytsia, Vinnitsia, Russian Empire (now Vi ...

(1891-1959) came to the United States in December 1909. In 1916, Born was awarded the "

key to the city The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

" of San Francisco for inventing a machine that mechanically inserted sticks into

lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are ava ...

s. During 1917, Born started a small retail store in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. He displayed in his store window an evolving line of daily made candy, advertising its freshness with a sign that declared ''Just Born''. The original company symbol showed a baby resting in a candy measuring scale. Sam Born is also credited with the invention of chocolate sprinkles, known as " jimmies," and the hard coating on ice cream bars. During 1923, Born started his own manufacturing company in New York City. Irv and Jack Schaffer, Born's brothers-in-law joined the company to help market and sell the confections. During 1932, the trio relocated operations to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The company bought a four-story, 224,396 sq. ft. building, built during 1920, from a bankrupt printing company. Sam Born's son, Bob Born, joined the company during 1946, and would later become president for more than 30 years. He was part of the two-man team that mechanized the process forming Peeps, allowing a substantial increase of production, causing Just Born to become America's largest manufacturer of seasonal marshmallow confections. During 1953, the company acquired Rodda Candy Co. of Lancaster County; a manufacturer of jelly beans, as well as a seasonal (Easter) "martello" candy: Peeps. Just Born later mechanized the product manufacture and eventually generalized its advertising for year-round sales. During 2003, the company purchased the Goldenberg Candy Company, retaining its Philadelphia factory. Just Born originally re-branded Goldenberg's

Peanut Chews Peanut Chews are a family of a U.S. candy bar products manufactured by Just Born. They consist of peanuts and molasses covered in chocolatey coating, and are available in original dark chocolatey flavor and milk chocolatey coatings. The bars a ...

as a Just Born product, deleting references to the name Goldenberg, which the company later restored.

Union and pension disputes

On September 7, 2016, members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 6 voted to strike on Sept. 2 after unanimously rejecting the company's most recent contract offer. Most workers resumed their jobs on September 30, although no final agreement had been made. At the basis of the dispute is the company's attempt to withdraw future employees from a multi-employer pension fund named the Bakery and Confectionery Union and Industrial International Pension Fund. Such a withdrawal requires the employer to pay a US$60 million withdrawal fee (to fund future retirees), which Just Born has gone to court to avoid paying.

References

External links

*
Peeps documentary

Hot Tamales official website
{{Just Born Chocolate companies based in Pennsylvania Companies based in Northampton County, Pennsylvania American companies established in 1923 Confectionery companies of the United States 1923 establishments in Pennsylvania Manufacturing companies established in 1923 Privately held companies based in Pennsylvania Family-owned companies of the United States