ST. GEORGE — While the exact history of Valentine’s Day is lost in time – believed to date back to third century Rome – the confectionery industry has become big business.
According to Statista.com, in the United States, consumers spent more than $44 billion on sweet treats in 2021 and will spend an estimated $46.5 billion this year. Factoring in the rest of the globe, the total population spent approximately $205.5 billion in 2021, a figure expected to top out at $206.75 billion next year.
Although chocolate sales command a dominant position in its industry, there are many other sweets to excite the taste bud.
A short history of candy
The English word ”candy” has been used since the late 13th century. It comes from Arabic “qandi,” meaning “made of sugar.”
Honey, candied fruits, nuts and honey were likely the sweets of choice. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Arabs and Chinese likely used variations on these ingredients to make an early form of candy. And references for using honey as a sweeter can be found throughout the Bible.
According to this website on the history of candy, one of the oldest hard candies is barley sugar, which was made with barley grains. Hard candies, especially sweets like peppermints and lemon drops, started to become popular in the 19th century.
One of the most popular types of confectionery that has stood the time of time is the lollypop – named for a pet horse – which was invented in 1908 by George Smith and is still a go-to option to fill the candy craving.
Susan Benjamin, candy historian, college professor, entrepreneur, author of 10 books, journalist and president of the West Virginia-based True Treats Candy is keen to focus on the cultural relevance of sweets.
“When I began researching candy there really wasn’t much done,” Benjamin said. “Candy traces back to the fundamentals … found in different societies.”
For people of a certain age they will never forget their first Hershey’s cholate bar, Benjamin added.
“What happened was that the success of candy was a marriage of marketing and industry starting about the mid-1800s,” she said. “Ultimately, they became an important (commodity) to sell to the untapped market of the working-class families.”
While the rich could afford high-end candies, it wasn’t until the five-and-ten or general stores that sold “penny” or “2-cent candy” that sales increased and the industry began to take off, Benjamin said.
Modern candy became popular during World War I when the U.S. Army commissioned a number of American chocolate makers to produce chocolate to be distributed to the Doughboys fighting in Europe.
When the soldiers returned home – the future of the candy bar was assured – and a new industry was born.
During post-World War I, as many as 40,000 different candy bars appeared on American store shelves. Many are still sold to this day.
Old-time candy still around today
Milk Duds
This candy was introduced by F. Hoffman & Co. of Chicago in 1928. The candy got its name because its maker found it impossible to get the chocolate-covered caramels to form perfectly round balls, so he called them “duds.”
Tootsie Roll
Leo Hirshfield, the founder of Tootsie Roll Industries, migrated from Austria and introduced Tootsie Rolls to an eager public on Feb. 23, 1896, from a small store in Brooklyn.
He named the candy after his daughter, Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie.
It was the first candy to be individually wrapped allowing it to stand out among its competitors. Because of this wrapping technique they did not stick together and saved retailers the time and effort of scooping them from bulk containers.
The company has grown from a small store in Brooklyn to a multi-million dollar manufacturer that is found in more than 75 countries, including South and Central America, Europe and Asia.
Some of the company’s other brands include Andes Mints, Dots, Sugar Daddy, Junior Mints, Charms, Charleston Chew, Dubble Bubble, Cella’s Chocolate-Covered Cherries and Blow Pops.
Tootsie Roll Industries has become of of the largest candy makers in the world. As of Feb. 4, 2020, industry analysts put the company’s net worth at $2.2 billion.
Good & Plenty
Created by the Quaker City Chocolate and Confectionery Company in 1893, Good & Plenty Candy is one of the oldest branded candies in the United States. A second candy – Good & Fruity – a multicolored, multi-flavor candy with a similar shape to Good & Plenty was also produced by the company.
Cracker Jack
In 1893, Cracker Jack was introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair.
F.W. Rueckheim and his brother, Louis, were the first to add peanuts to the popcorn. Louis Rueckheim discovered a process that kept the molasses-covered popcorn morsels from sticking together.
Cracker Jack got its name from a salesman who tried Cracker Jack for the first time. When Louis Rueckheim gave the popcorn to the salesman who yelled back, “Cracker Jack.” The words originally meant awesome or wonderful.
Cracker Jack sales continued to grow when they best became known as the snack to eat at a baseball game based on the famous Cracker Jack jingle.
The lyrics were written by Jack Norworth in 1908 while he was on a subway train. Albert Von Tilzer composed the catchy tune that people have sung ever since.
In 1912, the Cracker Jack Co. started to put “A Prize in Every Box.” The prizes helped to increase sales. Fast forward to more than 100 years later, anyone lucky enough who comes across a vintage, unopened box the payoff could be impressive.
Some of the 1915 vintage Cracker Jack boxes have baseball cards stashed away with some worth more than $60,000.
Note from the author: There are so many ins and outs on candy that could not effectively be contained in a reasonable size story.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.