Fairfield, CA,
08
November
2013
|
00:00 AM
Europe/Amsterdam

Candy corn from the makers of Jelly Belly

Jelly Belly Candy Co., headquartered in Fairfield, Calif., and its sister candy-making facility in North Chicago, Ill., are closely associated with the history of candy corn. While many in the candy industry believe a Jelly Belly ancestor invented candy corn, no one knows who first invented it. According to the oral tradition of the candy-making family, it was a candy-maker by the name of George Renniger at Wunderle Candy Co. of Philadelphia in the 1880s.

Candy Corn CauldronCandy corn was probably revolutionary in its time because of its three colors of white, orange and yellow.  In order to make a tri-color kernel, a candy-maker, called a “runner,” made three separate passes with 10 pounds of hot steaming fondant depositing a little bit of candy at just the right rate into cornstarch molded with the kernel shape.  These passes required great strength and endurance since the runner had to lift and carry the big buckets called “stringers” of hot cooked candy which appears to come out of the bottom of the bucket in “strings”. Today that job is done by machine, but candy corn is still manufactured in the same essential manner.

The Jelly Belly candy-making family began to make candy corn circa 1898 in their Cincinnati, Ohio factory then named Goelitz Confectionery Company.  The company has the longest history of making candy corn of any in the industry. The product was so successful it carried the company through two world wars and the Depression. Turn of the century ads and packaging of candy corn claim Goelitz as “king of the candy corn fields.” For seventy-five years, candy corn and what were called “buttercreams” were the mainstay of Goelitz business until another sensation, Jelly Belly® jelly beans, overtook the candy corn tradition in popularity.

Today, Jelly Belly Candy Company sells candy corn year-round online and in gourmet food shops and specialty candy stores, but it is still most popular in autumn. 

Fun Facts

  • One kernel of candy corn from the makers of Jelly Belly is just over 4 calories. A one ounce serving has 110 calories.
  • The Jelly Belly family of candy makers has made candy corn continuously since c.1898 and has been making candy corn longer than any other company in the United States.
  • About 9 billion kernels of candy corn are sold annually, according to the National Confectioners Association.
  • In the 19th century, candy-makers created fondant based candies into many novelty shapes.  Goelitz records show candies shaped into chestnuts, turnips, clover leaves, and many others, so a candy shaped like a kernel of corn fit right into the times.
  • The Original Gourmet Candy Corn® by Jelly Belly is certified OU Kosher, fat free, gluten free, and made in a peanut free factory.