Pop Rocks!

Hey everyone,
Well it looks like we won't be having a white Christmas this year which hasn't happened in a couple of years. Pop Rocks were the top seller today at Glacier Candy...Yummy!!! Pop Rocks is a carbonated candy with ingredients including sugar, lactose, corn syrup, and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that it creates a fizzy reaction when it is placed in the mouth. The idea of the product was patented by General Foods research chemist William A. Mitchell in 1956. The Pop Rocks candy was first offered to the public in 1975. Around 1983, General Foods stopped selling the candy. Some incorrectly believed that this was because of an urban legend that mixing Pop Rocks with carbonated soda could result in a person's stomach exploding. In fact the candy was withdrawn for reasons largely owing to its lack of success in the marketplace and to its relatively short shelf life. Distribution was initially controlled to ensure freshness, but with its increasing popularity unauthorized redistribution from market to market resulted in out-of-date product reaching consumers. In 1985, Kraft Foods bought the rights to the candy product and remarketed it as Action Candy through a company called Carbonated Candy. Since 1979, Zeta Espacial S.A., a company based in the municipality of Rubí in Barcelona, Spain, has manufactured, sold, and exported the product under the brand name "Fizz Wiz". In 2006, Dr. Marvin Rudolph, who led the group assigned to bring Pop Rocks out of the laboratory and into the manufacturing plant, wrote a history of Pop Rocks development. The book, titled Pop Rocks: The Inside Story of America's Revolutionary Candy, was based on interviews with food technologists, engineers, marketing managers, and members of Bill Mitchell's family, along with the author's experience. The candy is made by mixing its ingredients and heating them until they melt, then exposing the mixture to pressurized carbon dioxide gas (about 600 pounds per square inch) and allowing it to cool. The process causes tiny high pressure bubbles to be trapped inside the candy. When placed in the mouth, coming into contact with saliva the candy breaks and dissolves, releasing the carbon dioxide from the tiny atmosphere bubbles, resulting in a popping and sizzling sound and leaving a slight tingling sensation. The bubbles in the candy pieces can be viewed when aided by a microscope.

Candy Cane

Hey Everyone, well today was super busy here at Glacier Candy (last minute shoppers for Christmas). Today's biggest seller was the Candy Cane, a candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon (also known respectively as a peppermint stick or cinnamon stick); however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses. The candy cane is a traditional candy surrounding the Christmas holiday, particularly in the Western world, although it is possible to find them throughout the year. In its early form, the candy cane began as a simple white stick of sugar for children to enjoy, there was no "cane" shape or stripes to speak of. While it is uncertain where the first canes originated, it is clear that by the mid-17th century, if not earlier, its use had already become widespread across Europe. These sticks were made by confectioners who had to pull, cut, twist, and (in later years) bend the sugar sticks by hand, making it a time-intensive process. Candy cane production had to be done locally, since they were easily damaged and vulnerable to moisture. The labour required, and difficulty of storage, combined to make these candies relatively hard to get, although populur. The distinctive "hook" shape associated with candy canes is traditionally credited to a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany, who, legend has it, in 1670 bent straight candy sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's crook, and gave them to children at church services. The shepherd's staff is often used in Christianity as a metaphor for The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. It is also possible that, as people decorated their Yule trees with food, the bent candy cane was invented as a functional solution. In Europe candy canes were used to decorate Yule trees along with other items of food. In North America, the first documented example of the use of candy canes to celebrate Christmas occurred in 1847, when a German-Swedish immigrant by the name of August Imgard hung the candy canes from the branches of a Christmas tree. Christmas cards from the following decades show Christmas trees decorated with candy canes, first white canes, then striped ones in the 20th century. This then spread to the rest of the continent, where it continues to remain a popular Christmas tradition. The stripes are made similar in fashion to a barber's pole, with the red stripes twisting around the white stick of sugar. These signature stripes did not become part of the candy cane until the 20th century. It is uncertain who first started using the stripes, but evidence of their use only appears after the turn of the century. At around this time, candy makers began using peppermint as a flavor. Bob's Candies was the first company to successfully mass-produce and distribute candy canes while preserving their freshness. Lt. Bob McCormack began making candy canes as special Christmas treats in the 1920s. That decade also saw the company's use of cellophane as a wrapping to keep moisture from damaging the candies, and by the 1950s, they were using a candy cane machine invented by his brother-in-law Gregory Keller to mass-produce them. These two inventions made it feasible to mass produce, ship, and distribute candy canes. The following years saw further refinements in packaging and design to protect the candies from being broken, making it more practical to store them and ship them for longer periods of time.


Well until next time,
Kristina

Mary Jane's

Hello everyone, well the weather is warming back up and the sun was out today! Well at Glacier Candy today the big seller was Mary Jane's. In 1884, Charles H. Miller and his three sons founded a small business manufacturing and selling homemade candy. The building where they began making their candy had a notable past -- it was the Paul Revere House in Boston's Faneuil Hall/North End area. (Revere, who in 1775 made the ride from Boston to Lexington alerting the countryside that the British were coming, lived in the house with his family until 1800.)

After their father’s death, the Miller boys split the responsibilities of the family business. Charles N. Miller took charge of the manufacturing and wholesale operations while his brothers ran the retail store. In 1914, after a fairly successful business was established and the Charles N. Miller Company was one of some reputation, they began manufacturing Mary Janes. The molasses and peanut butter candy was named for their favorite aunt, Mary Jane.

The Miller Company tried several variations of the legendary Mary Jane mixture, but none could compare with the original. Over the years, Miller introduced several other candies, but none enjoyed the success of Mary Jane. Eventually, Mary Jane came to be the only candy produced by the Miller Company.

In 1990, NECCO (New England Confectionery Company) purchased the Stark Candy Company. As a part of Necco, the Peanut Butter Kiss and Salt Water Taffy, as well as the original Mary Jane lines have seen tremendous growth. Necco, under the Mary Jane name, has become the number one producer of Peanut Butter Kisses in the country.

Many adults can remember reaching up to the candy counter and seeing the charming Mary Jane girl that adorned every piece of this delicious and nostalgic candy. For 85 years, the legendary Mary Jane name has been synonymous with children, young and old alike.

Well until tomorrow,
Kristina

Candy Buttons

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted sooner. It seems with the holidays fast approaching that the store has been super busy (last minute stocking stuffers). Well today's top seller was Candy Buttons. Candy Buttons or Candy Dots are small rounded pegs of candy that are attached to a strip of paper. This classic sugar candy was originally introduced by the Cumberland Valley company. Necco acquired the brand in 1980, which made them the exclusive manufacturer of this product in the United States. Each strip of the candy includes three flavors: cherry (pink), lime (blue), and lemon (yellow). Candy Buttons come in two strip sizes: long and short. The long is 22 1/2 inches, while the short is 11 1/4 inches. Necco makes 3/4 billion candy buttons in the course of a year. It is also known as paper candy, possibly because the difficulty in removing the buttons usually resulted in the ingestion of the poorly waxed (but digestively harmless) paper along with the candy. Engineer and inventor George Theofiel Dib is credited with the invention of the candy button machine

Tootsie Pop

Hey everyone, well today's big seller for Glacier Candy was the Tootsie Pop. Tootsie Pops are a hard candy lollipop filled with chocolate-flavored chewy Tootsie Roll. They were invented in 1931 by Luke Weisgram, an employee of The Sweets Company of America. The company changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1966. In addition to chocolate (the original flavor), Tootsie Pops come in cherry, orange, grape, raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, blue raspberry, pomegranate, and now banana flavors. Another release of Tootsie Roll Pops, named Tropical Stormz, features six swirl-textured flavors: orange pineapple, lemon lime, strawberry banana, citrus punch, and berry berry punch. In 2003, sixty million Tootsie Rolls and twenty million Tootsie Pops were produced every day. In 1970, Tootsie Roll Industries aired an animated television commercial featuring a boy asking various animals how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A shortened version of this commercial still airs on television today.

Fun Facts:
~At some point, a rumor began that the lollipop wrappers which bore three unbroken circles were redeemable for free candy or even free items like shirts and other items. The rumor was untrue, but some shops have honored the wrapper offer over the years, allowing people to "win" a free pop.
~Another rumor is that wrappers with the "Indian star" (bearing an image of a child dressed as a Native American aiming a bow and arrow at a star) were redeemable for free candy. Another rumor is that the same wrapper gives you good luck for the rest of the day.
~Some stores redeemed lollipop wrappers with the child aiming a bow for a free sucker. This is really not being challenged as many can remember getting free lollipops in that instance. This was clearly up to the store owner, and not driven by the lollipop manufacturer.

Well until tomorrow,
Kristina

Smarties

Hello everyone, well it's another day closer to Christmas and it seems like everyone is trying to get last minute items. Today at Glacier Candy our top seller was Smarties which is made by Ce De Candy, Inc. It is a family business that started in England in 1932. In 1949, a Chairman came to America with the dream of making Ce De Candy, Inc. a part of our childhood traditions. Starting with only two wrapping machines, a rented facility and a lot of ingenuity, he succeeded! Smarties is now a household name, and generations of Americans have enjoyed their candy products since. Smarties is now made 24 hours a day in two candy factories located in Union, New Jersey and Newmarket, Ontario. Most people know of the company because of the original Smarties, but the Smarties brand has many other tasty products like Love Hearts, Candy Money, Tropical Smarties, X-TREME Sour Smarties, Bubble Gum Smarties, Smarties Double Lollies, Smarties Pops, Smarties Mega Lollies and Candy Lipsticks.

Fun Fact:
~They produce billions of Smarties rolls per year.
~Placed end to end, they would span over 85 thousand miles which is more than 3 times around the Earth! That’s a lot of great candy.

Well like Smarties says "Eat Smarties products to keep your world sweet!"; what a great philosophy.

Kristina

C. Howard's Mints

Even though it's sunny right now the cold weather is still here with a temperature of 5 degrees....brrr!! I'm just glad that here in Glacier Candy the heater is working and that everyone is in the Christmas spirit. Today's top seller so far is C. Howard's Mints and flavored gum which was started by Charles Howard with "Choward's Violet", a confectionery mint, in New York City during the early 1930s in a small industrial loft on Broadway. The next product was a purple colored gum tablet named "Choward's Scented Gum". The line was then expanded to include Choward's Peppermints, Spearmint's, and Lemon Mints. The gum & mint aroma is so strong that it is noticeable before the confection's wrapping is even opened. These candies are native to the state of New York and are particularly common on the east coast. While they do not have any hint of minty flavor, the common package contains "15 Mints". While having a slightly chalky consistency similar to that of the candy Pez, they are generally softer and tend to melt in one's mouth. At first sniff, the confection is almost unmistakably flowery and captures the spirit of a sweeter, simpler 1950's style of candy. Even the packaging itself is written in a font indicative of the mid-twentieth century. Also, because of its distinctive floral aroma and taste, it was quite common for children to refer to Violets as "soap candy." One candy Violet typically lasts for 1 to 5 minutes before completely dissolving, depending on the consumer's salivation and tongue friction as well as tooth pressure applied to the candy itself. If you've never had or smelled these before you are missing out I love walking by them and getting overwhelmed by the smells.

Until tomorrow....stay warm,
Kristina

McCraw's Giant Old Fashion Flat Taffy

Well it has been a freezing day here in Kalispell, but at least it's been roasty toasty here at Glacier Candy. Today's big seller was McCraw's giant old fashion flat taffy. In 1900 flat taffy was born on a whim. Its creators were in the popcorn business and decided to act on a suggestion that they should make taffy to sell with their popcorn. With some basic candy making supplies and a little work country store flat taffy was created for all to enjoy. In time flat taffy surpassed their popcorn and became the focus of their business. The timeless popularity of this taffy goes without question and can now continue to more generations of candy lovers.

Highlights:

~Favorite for over 100 years
~Available after being out of production for 2 years
~Still made the same way as the original

Well see ya next time,

Kristina

Ribbon Candy

Well it's another cold one here in Kalispell, MT but it's nice and toasty here at Glacier Candy. Looks like we'll be getting snow this weekend and we might just have a white Christmas. Today's hit seller was ribbon candy which is a a type of hard candy which in North America most often appears for sale around the Christmas holiday season. It acquires its shape by first being fashioned as warm sugar into flat strips. A strip is then folded back and forth over itself to form a hardened ribboned stick. The sugar is often colored to appear festive, and the candy often has a glossy sheen. It is commonly made with extracts, often of different mint or citrus flavors. It is usually thin enough to melt quickly in the mouth, but because pieces of it are usually larger than bite size, biting into a stick of it causes shattering and shards. Many types of ribbon candies also tend to become sticky easily, usually either due to body warmth from being held, or simply from room temperature and humidity. Because of what some consider to be its pretty appearance, it is often used like decor, put out on display in candy dishes or plates. I myself just like to eat it....well until next time catch you later alligator.

~Kristina

Candy Candy Wreath

Amanda here and today was a cloudy and bitingly cold day, but safely in the mall Glacier Candy is a cozy warm place surrounded by the spirit of Christmas. Everywhere you look Christmas cheer is in the air. From the giant tree to Santa Claus and even down to the Christmas candy. Today’s top seller is the Candy Cane Wreath which is a miniature wreath (only a few inches wide) made out of green, red, and white candy canes which are then shaped into a perfect circle and a bit of fake holly completes the wreaths beautiful design. These tasty and decorative treats are made by taking the classic candy cane recipe and following it until it comes time to shape it. At that stage instead of making a cane you make a circle instead next add a little holly and you’ve got yourself a cute decoration for the moment and a delicious treat to nibble on later.

Lollipops!

Another cold day in Montana and once again people venture to the mall. Today at Glacier Candy the big hit was Lollipops. There are many stories about how the lollipop was invented. Some believe that a form of it has been around since the
1800's Charles Dickens and other authors referred to a sweet lozenge without a stick in some stories. During the Civil War, it is believed that little pieces of hard candy were put on the ends of pencils for children to nibble. In 1908, George Smith claimed to be the first to invent the modern lollipop. Smith applied an idea of putting hard candies on a stick to make them easier to eat. He decided to name the treat after his favorite racing horse, Lolly Pop, and later trademarked the name. Lollipops were successful until the Depression. Smith stopped production on lollipops and the name fell into public domain. A Racine, Wis., manufacturing company claims credit for inventing the first lollipop machine. Racine Confectioners Machinery Co. answered an East Coast candy maker’s call to have a machine make hard candy on a stick in 1908. The company created a machine that automated the lollipop making process and could make 40 lollipops per minute. However, others claim Samuel Born was the first to automate the lollipop-making process. Lollipop manufacturing grew independently in California and in 1916 Samuel Born invented the Born Sucker machine. This machine automatically inserted the stick, which added to the popularity of the confection. San Francisco awarded Born the keys to the city for his invention. Over time, lollipops have had different looks. They have been traditional hard candy on a stick and hard candy on a ring, some include bubble gum or chocolate as a surprise center and some even spin or glow. Whether traditional or novel, the lollipop is still enjoyed by many people.

Fun Facts:
~The world’s largest lollipop was certified on June 25, 2002. It weighed 4,031 lbs (with stick), measured 18.9 inches thick and was more than 15 feet tall with stick (about as tall a a giraffe). It was Cherry Falvored.
~The word lollipop is used in many different songs including Lollipop Guild featured in the movie The Wizard of Oz, the Chordettes Lollipop and The Good Ship Lollipop from a 1934 Shirley Temple movie called Bright Eyes
~National Lollipop day is celebrated on July 20th
~The original lollipop machines made 40 lollipops in one minute. At that rate it would take 592 days to make enough lollipops to cover the 2,153 miles between Sugar Hill, Ga. and Sugar City, Idaho. Today’s machines produce 5,900 lollipops per minute and would take only four days to make the 34,103,520 lollipops needed to stretch the distance between the two cities.

Until tomorrow,
Amanda & Kristina

Another Day in the Candy Business

This is Amanda here and today in Montana is a beautiful day. The sky is crystal clear blue and the weather is quite chilly out. Due to the chilling air many are finding themselves drawn to finding a place to shop, relax, and get a little treat. At Glacier Candy which is stationed in the mall (where you can shop, relax, and definitely find a treat) many people have come through the door and been greeted by a variety of sweets to ease the cravings. Strangely enough some days you find a certain candy that sells more. It could be anything, but it seems on that day everyone wants that certain thing. Today’s big seller happens to be cut rock, which is an old fashion hard candy. This tasty old type candy is thick disked and every bite is festively designed with you in mind. The candy comes in a variety of flavors from cherry, citrus, spices, and mint and each is a delicious blend that takes you back to your childhood memories of Christmas time. For those who have never tried cut rock candy this is the time to venture out and create memories for this season. Seems the cold weather is making everyone a little nostalgic and excited for Christmastide.

Candy Pick of the Day!

My sister (Amanda) & I (Kristina) decided that we wanted to do a blog about what candy was a hot seller for our business day as well as give some cool info about that candy...so enjoy. Today's hot seller was zotz's which is a candy with a fizzy, sour center. At first, it looks and tastes like a regular hard candy; but if it is bit into or a hole is opened, sour fizz comes out. Zotz flavors include apple, cherry, watermelon, lemon, grape, and orange. This was a candy that was eaten in the 80's but is still a favorite with everyone. Now if you've never had one before you must try one and experience the little joys in life. Enjoy and well see what tomorrow brings.

~Kristina