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  It might be harder to find the familiar red and whites

Or candy canes.

For some, the striped, peppermint candy hooks are Christmas necessities. But if you’re a Sioux Falls shopper looking to stock up on the popular seasonal treats, you might be coming up dry - or with a fistful of fruity canes, instead.

While this isn’t on par with the great Irish potato famine of the 1800s, some stores are running short on the traditional red and white striped peppermint candy canes.

Candy industry insiders say it’s just the effects of demand during a busy holiday season. But there’s word that the candy cane shortage of 2007 is real - a direct result of the continued scrutiny on all things imported from China.

“I’ve heard that there is a shortage, and, yes, it is because of Chinese candy canes,” says Doug Schroeder, a buyer for Lewis Drug Stores. “A lot of your mass merchants, I won’t name names, but they are running a little short.”

He says Lewis doesn’t buy its candy canes from China and that his stores aren’t having trouble finding candy canes - Lewis buys American-made candy canes.

But stores that rely on Chinese imports to supply their candy are finding it difficult to stock the traditional peppermint candy canes. Thus, consumers are finding more and more of the rainbow-colored fruit-flavored candy canes that often are manufactured under familiar candy brand names such as Starburst or Spree.

Part of this is because many of these fruity canes are made in America. It’s also because this type of candy cane has become more common in recent years.

“So one reason you might see less of the traditional red and white canes is because there are other options,” says Jim Knight, vice president of marketing for Spangler, a candy company in Ohio.

A familiar name in the candy cane business, Knight says Spangler kicks out 2.5 million candy canes a day. Multiply that by - at least - 200 working days, and Spangler makes more than 500 million candy canes a year.

With those kinds of numbers, and the realization that Spangler isn’t the only stateside company making candy canes - Farley’s and Sathers is another prominent company - it’s tough to say we’re in the midst of a true candy cane shortage.

But walk around the candy aisles at some of Sioux Falls’ big-name stores, and you’ll have a hard time finding the traditional candy cane.

“It’s a situation where, I would say, that the majority of the product is coming from China,” Schroeder says of candy canes.

And why this is that?

“A lot of what we call ’sugar candy’ production has gone off shore because the world price of sugar is cheaper,” says Mary Ellen Kuhn, editor of Confectioner, a food and drink industry magazine.

Kuhn hasn’t heard of a candy cane shortage this year. But she says the scenario sounds plausible simply because of the off-shore candy production.

Like the multitude of Chinese-made toys and children’s products that recently have been pulled from store shelves, candy made in China is making U.S. consumers leery.

Because of safety scares, it can be difficult for retailers to sell anything with the “Made in China” logo this Christmas season.

Yet people still want their candy canes.

“I think every year, candy canes are pretty popular,” says Scott Soucie, store manager of Sioux Falls’ Target.

Soucie says his store hasn’t had trouble acquiring candy canes.

“Every year you get the same old story that candy canes are in short supply. The reality is candy canes are always in short supply,” says Jon Prince, owner of Candy Favorites, a candy wholesaler.

Prince says candy canes are always in high demand. His company has always been able to find enough to sell.

“This will not be a Christmas without candy canes,” Prince says.

That’s a good thing for Christmas romantics.

To browse our selection of candy canes on CandyFavorites.com, please click here

Grether’s Pastilles
More than you want to know about a great product

Grether’s Pastilles are perfect for throat dryness associated with colds, flu, overtaxing of the voice, environmental influences like heating and air conditioning, smoking, medications, age-related conditions, etc. The main active ingredient, glycerine, based on vegetable oils, creates a comforting, moisturizing protective coat on the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. People who stress their vocal cords by speaking a great deal or singing (among them Bill Clinton, Celine Dion and Sting) value the comforting relief given by the unique pastilles

Grether’s Pastilles have not only this soothing effect and an excellent flavor, they also have a remarkable history: the first mention of pastilles made from blackcurrant juice harken back to the 19th century in England, where the family business Allen & Hanbury Ltd, London got the long pastille tradition off to its start. The pastilles were available in Switzerland as early as 1910 under the original name Allenbury’s. In the early 70s, concurrent with the transfer of production from London to Switzerland, the brand was taken over by Doetsch Grether Ltd. Basel and renamed Grether’s Pastilles.

The demanding, time-consuming production process requires special knowledge and experience, and unique production facilities. Some of the ingredients are still ordered from the same suppliers who provided them for the pastilles’s inventor. The most important of these, Agar Agar, which gives pastilles their smoothness, makes mass production impossible. This gelling agent, produced from saltwater algae, must be soaked for many hours and then combined with the remaining ingredients and cooked. This fluid is then be left to settle to release its air. In the meantime, special wooden cases are filled with corn flour. The Grether’s Pastilles moulds, with the typical GP emblem, are pressed into the cornstarch and then filled with the pastille mixture.

During approximately 6 weeks of the first maturing phase, the corn flour soaks up the surplus moisture of the pastilles. When the required firmness is reached, they are separated from the cornstarch, sprayed with steam and dried overnight. They are now ready for the second, several-week long maturing process: the fruity aroma of the pastilles develops in air-conditioned rooms. So that none of the aroma escapes, the surface of the individual pastilles is coated with a tiny bit of beeswax and vegetable oil, which gives them their shine. Following a strict quality control regimen under the supervision of the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, Swissmedic, the Grether’s Pastilles are then packed in their air-permeable packaging, enabling them to breath and mature further to be ready for sale.

ROUND LAKE, MN, November 14, 2007 - Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. announced today the acquisition of Brach’s Confections from Barry Callebaut, AG.  Included in the Brach’s business and asset purchase are three factories located in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Winona, Minnesota; and Linares, Mexico.  Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Dennis Nemeth, President of Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, stated, “We are very excited about the addition of Brach’s to Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company.  Brach’s brands and products are highly regarded and well established.  The long traditions of quality and established brands clearly mark our continued committment to the candy business ad fits with our long-term strategy.  In addition to broadening our current portfolio of brands, this acquisition provides opportunities for growth and expansion in our manufacturing and operations”.

Headquarted in Round Lake, Minnesota, Farley’s & Sathers candy Company, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of quality confectionary and gum products, offering full line, full service opportunities to all classes of the trade in the United States.  The company’s success in the industry, experience with acquisitions, and significant capital resources established Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. as a leader in the confection industry.  Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company has developed its business both through internal growth and through the acquisitions of famous confectionary brands, including  FARLEY’S, SATHERS, JUJYFRUITS, NOW AND LATER, BOBS SWEET STRIPES, SUPER BUBBLE, FRUIT STRIPE, RAIN-BLO, TROLLI, and CHUCKLES.

Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. is a portfolio company of Catterton Partners.  Catterton Partners is one of the largest private equity firms in the U.S., focusing on providing growth equity capital in consumer industries.  For more information regarding Catterton Partners, please visit www.cpequity.com.  For more information on Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc., please visit www.farleysandsathers.com.

Clark bars, the signature item of one of the country’s largest candy empires, started with a small operation run by young entrepreneur David L. Clark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Mr. Clark entered the candy business in 1891 and spent a few years learning the trade before starting his own company, D.L. Clark Co., in 1886.

He manufactured candy in two back rooms of a small house with the help of a small staff.

Within a few years, he made enough money to open a small factory in McKeesport, where the company became incorporated

By 1911, the company had outgrown its factory, and Mr. Clark purchased a large building from a cracker manufacturer.

In the 1920s when the company was making approximately one hundred and fifty (150) different types of candy and gum, Mr. Clark decided to create a separate entity for the gum-making business.

He felt that the candy and gum operations would be more successful if the were run separately, so he opened the Clark Brothers Chewing Gum Co. across the street from his candy factory.

Following Mr. Clark’s death in 1939, his family continued to run the business until 1955. The company operated smoothly in Pittsburgh for several decades but ran into financial difficulties in the 1990s.

Eventually, the company was bought by New England Confectionary Co. and relocated.

Like many retro favorites, McKeesport Candy Co., was one of the first wholesaler in the nation to offer Clark Bars and still does so today via its web site at CandyFavorites.com

Did you know that Chupa Chupa’s were launched in 1958 by a Spanish businessman named Bernat Fontladosa and are now one of the best selling lollipops in the world

This famous lollipop is sold in over one hundred and seventy (170) countries and the company claims to produce over four billion lollipops yearly

The name, now familiar to almost any candy lover, comes from the Spanish verb “chupar” which translates to suck or lick

Little do people know that the famous floral logo was designed by a famous Spanish artist named Salvador Dali

The “Original” One Hundred Thousand Dollar Bar
Manufactured by Nestle

In 1950’s the hottest programs on TV were quiz shows like “The $64,000 Question,” “Twenty-One,” and “The Big Surprise.”

On the “Big Surprise”, one of the first trivia shows, the contestant chose a subject area and was asked to answer questions ranging in value from $100 to $100,000.

Due to the success of the “Big Surprise”, Nestle decided to launch a new candy bar to take advantage of the popularity of the successful television program

I 

Introduced in 1920 , the Baby Ruth candy bar has fueled one of the great candy mysteries with speculation as to where it got it’s name

Some say it was the great baseball slugger, while other’s claim it was President Grover Cleveland’s daughter.

Here’s another piece of candy trivia:

The fabled Baby Ruth and Butterfinger candy bar were originally made by the now defunct Curtis Candy Company

The company president, Otto Schnering, used a unique, albeit dangerous, marketing ploy of dropping these candy bars out of planes over major cities

The candy is no longer manufactured by the Curtis Candy Company and distribution is, more often than not, by truck but they remain one of America’s favorites candy bars