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Brach's () is a candy and sweets brand of
Ferrara Candy Company The Ferrara Candy Company is an American candy manufacturer, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, and owned by the Ferrero SpA, Ferrero Group. The company was formed from a 2012 merger of the Illinois-based Ferrara Pan Candy ...
.


History

In 1904, Emil J. Brach invested his $1,000 life savings in a storefront candy store located at the corner of North Avenue and Towne Street in Chicago, Illinois. He named it "Brach's Palace of Sweets". With his sons Edwin and Frank, he started with one kettle. Investing in additional equipment he was able to lower his production costs and sell his candy for 20 cents per pound, well below the more typical 50 cents per pound his competitors were charging. By 1911, his production had reached 50,000 pounds per week. By 1923, Brach had four factories operating at capacity. He then invested $5 million in a new factory, beginning construction in 1921. Built at 4656 West Kinzie Street, it consolidated production into one building. At the time, the company was producing 127 varieties of candy and had a capacity of 2,225,000 pounds per year. Over the years, the Kinzie plant was expanded, and investments in new processes and equipment were made, including a chocolate grinding plant and a large panning operation. In 1948, an electrical spark ignited corn starch, causing a massive explosion on the plant's third floor that killed 11 employees and injured 18. Much of the factory's north side was destroyed. Reconstruction brought the plant's capacity up to more than 4 million pounds of product per year, and it employed 2,400 workers, in . It was recognized as the largest candy-manufacturing plant in the world at the time. At its peak, 4,500 employees worked there. The plant was abandoned in 2003 when new owners took over operations, and production was moved primarily to Mexico. In August 2007, an administrative building was blown up for the filming of ''
The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...
'', with the rest of the complex being demolished in 2014 and currently remaining as parking space. Prior to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Brach's produced several candy bars, including a chocolate-covered, honeycombed,
peanut butter Peanut butter is a food Paste (food), paste or Spread (food), spread made from Grinding (abrasive cutting), ground, dry roasting, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, ...
''Swing Bar'' as well as a mint and almond nougat bar. After the war, Brach's concentrated on bulk and bagged candies as Halloween Trick or treating became a popular activity. Brach's promoted its candy corn and other fall-themed candies, available in single-serve, pre-packaged packets. In 1958, Brach's introduced the Pick-A-Mix concept. Customers could choose from a wide selection of items in bulk containers, scooping their choices, and paying one price per pound. This was adapted from the barrels seen in general stores at the time. Pick-A-Mix brought the dying traditional method of buying candy at the local corner or general store into the era of the modern supermarket. In 1966,
American Home Products Corporation Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. was a pharmaceutical company until it was purchased by Pfizer in 2009. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as John Wyeth and Brother. Its headquarters moved to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, a ...
purchased the company. In 1986, the last year of ownership by American Home Products, it accounted for two-thirds of the U.S. market for bagged candy and 7% of the $9 billion U.S. candy market. It employed 3,700 and had an estimated pretax profit of more than $75 millionAmy Feldman. "Arrogance Goeth Before A Fall", ''Forbes'', September 30, 1991. on sales of $640 million. In 1987, Klaus Jacobs purchased the company for $730 million, and by the end of 1989, it was in serious trouble. Losses that year were an estimated $50 million and sales had decreased to $470 million. By 1993, sales had dropped to $400 million though losses were reduced somewhat to $26 million. All this occurred during a period when overall per capita candy consumption in the U.S. had increased 25%. By May, 1994, Brach's moved its headquarters from the plant property to a penthouse office in one of Chicago's wealthiest suburbs, saw a loss of nearly 900 jobs (42% of the workforce at that time), and suffered a loss of key customers and market share.Robert Ginsburg, Xiaochang Jin, and Sheila McCann. ''E. J. Brach: A Misadventure in Candy Land''. Midwest Center for Labor Research, May, 1994. Jacobs almost immediately fired Brach's top officers and gutted the leadership of its sales, marketing, production, and finance departments. Some of these positions were filled with executives from Suchard's European people with little experience in the candy industry. Former executives cited Jacobs's autocratic management style at Suchard and his inability to recognize the difference between American and European candy consumption habits. The name of the company was changed to Jacobs Suchard Inc., a name few retailers or consumers recognized, and product lines were trimmed from 1,700 to 400 in an attempt to cut costs. This alienated many of its largest customers, including
Walgreens Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...
and
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
, who found other sources, including Farley Candy. In addition to the cuts in product selection, Brach's also curtailed holiday promotional activities. In 1990, Phillip Morris purchased Jacobs Suchard for $3.8 billion, except for its U.S. subsidiary. A holding company named Van Houten & Zoon Holding AG was formed by Klaus Jacobs to run Brach's and other businesses. Disagreements with Klaus Jacobs on marketing and management strategies continued, particularly over commodity vs. branded (Brach's) products. In 1993 alone, Brach's saw three different CEO's, and continued to experience a high rate of turnover and dismissals within the sales and marketing departments. Many of Brach's sales personnel left to work for its competitors.Frederick Lowe. "Signs of Trouble Dogging E.J. Brach". ''Chicago Sun-Times'', February 22, 1994. In September 1994, Jacobs purchased the Brock Candy Company of Chattanooga for $140 million, a year in which Brock Candy had sales of $112 million and profits of $6.5 million. This was the second attempt by the two companies to join. The first time had been while E. J. Brach's was under American Home Products ownership. The merger attempt at that time was abandoned because of concerns of an antitrust suit. For a time the new company operated as the Brach and Brock Candy Company, later changed to Brach's
Confections Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...
. In 2003,
Barry Callebaut Barry Callebaut AG is a Swiss-Belgian cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer. It was created in 1996 through the merging of the French company Cacao Barry and the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and is currently based in Zürich, Swi ...
AG purchased the new company. The principal owner of Brach's, KJ Jacobs AG, was also a majority stakeholder in Barry Callebaut. As part of the deal, Barry Callebaut agreed to assume $16 million in debt, fund restructuring efforts for five years and paid a symbolic $1.00 for the company. In 2007, the company was sold to the Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, which in turn merged with the Ferrara Pan Candy Company in 2012 to form the
Ferrara Candy Company The Ferrara Candy Company is an American candy manufacturer, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, and owned by the Ferrero SpA, Ferrero Group. The company was formed from a 2012 merger of the Illinois-based Ferrara Pan Candy ...
.


Products

The company's first product was
caramel Caramel ( or ) is a range of food ingredients made by heating sugars to high temperatures. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons or candy bars, as a topping for ice cream and custard, and as a colorant ...
s, which it produced through a process that allowed it to underprice competition, creating a large demand. This product is still a company mainstay to the present day, along with a large variety of other products, including a line of everyday products and special seasonal offerings.


Candy corn

Brach's produces
candy corn Candy corn is a small, pyramid-shaped candy, typically divided into three sections of different colors, with a waxy texture and a flavor based on honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla. It is a staple candy of the fall season and Halloween in North ...
. Though primarily associated with
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
, it can also be bought year-round, though it is subject to seasonal availability. It is available in flavors such as pumpkin spice, s'mores and caramel.


Conversation Hearts

Brach's Sweethearts are small heart-shaped sugar candies sold around
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
. Each conversation heart is printed with a message such as "Be Mine," "Kiss Me", "Call Me", or "Miss You". They are now being made in a number of sizes and themes including
Emoticon An emoticon (, , rarely , ), short for emotion icon, is a pictorial representation of a facial expression using Character (symbol), characters—usually punctuation marks, numbers and Alphabet, letters—to express a person's feelings, mood ...
and Alphabet hearts.


Nougats

Brach's chewy sweet
nougat Nougat refers to a variety of similar confections made from a sweet paste hardened to a chewy or crunchy consistency.. The usual version in Western and Southern Europe is made from a mousse of whipped egg white sweetened with sugar or ho ...
s are available seasonally in different flavors. The flavors vary from year to year, but in recent years there have been peppermint, wintergreen, and cinnamon for the Christmas season; candy corn-flavored for Halloween, and ice cream-flavored for
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
.


Jelly Beans

Brach's Original Jelly Beans are an Easter season mainstay. In addition to the original mix, they are available in spiced, speckled, orchard fruit and sour flavors. For the 2015 Easter season, they also released tiny- and jumbo-sized versions of the classic flavor mix.


Chocolates

In addition to seasonal products, Brach's sells
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...
s, including Malt Balls, Double Dipped Peanuts, Chocolate Stars, Almond Supremes, and Bridge Mix. For Easter, the
Malt Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...
Balls are egg-shaped and covered in a speckled candy shell, in either a white, or pastel mix and are called Fiesta Malted Milk Eggs.


Other candies

Brach's also makes year-round candies, including Star Brite Mints, Caramel Royals, Lemon Drops, Spice Drops, and Maple Nut Goodies.


See also

*
Helen Brach Helen Marie Brach ( Voorhees; born November 10, 1911 – disappeared February 17, 1977) was an American multimillionaire widow whose wealth had come from marrying into the E. J. Brach & Sons Candy Company fortune; she endowed the Helen V. Brach ...


References


External links


Ferrara Candy Company websiteBrach's website
{{Farley's & Sathers Confectionery companies of the United States Brand name confectionery Farley's & Sathers Candy Company brands Ferrara Candy Company brands Companies based in DuPage County, Illinois Companies based in Dallas American companies established in 1904 Food and drink companies established in 1904 1904 establishments in Illinois