Chewy, chocolate Tootsie Rolls have been around for a long time- over 100 years! The first Tootsie Roll was made in 1896, when Austrian-born Leo Hirshfield opened a small candy shop in New York City. Hirshfield had some experience as a confectioner and personally prepared his entire variety of treats, including individually wrapped chocolate chews. These 1 cent candies, named after Hirschfield’s young daughter whose nickname was “Tootsie,” quickly gained popularity. Tootsie Rolls transformed Hirshfield’s humble shop into the booming, multinational Tootsie Roll Industries that we know today. Tootsie Rolls have certainly stood the test of time. People have been enjoying them for over a hundred years, and it’s very likely they’ll be around for hundreds more. The chocolate chew with subtle, fruity notes, has found its way to the center of the Tootsie Pop! For years, since Mr. Owl’s debut in the 1950s television commercial, people have wondered just how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll treasure in the center of each pop. While some have been able to control themselves long enough to patiently lick their way to the center, it’s no real surprise that others have “bit.” The chocolate chew, just visible beneath the hard candy exterior is a tempting treat, a yummy way to end snack time. The transition from hard candy to soft chew is enjoyed by children and adults worldwide. In addition to the original five lollipop flavors of Chocolate, Cherry, Orange, Grape and Raspberry, Tootsie Roll offers a sixth flavor which rotates between Banana, Pomegranate and Green Apple. Tootsie Roll was the first to create a lollipop with a filled center, and it’s certainly no wonder that Tootsie Pops are world’s best selling candy-filled lollies! Tootsie Pop miniatures, as well as a lesser known, but equally delicious variation of the Tootsie filled sucker, “Pop Drops”, are also available. These stick-less lollipops, or as the Tootsie Roll website calls them, “the totable Tootsie Pop treats,” are enjoyed for their smaller size and portability. In addition to the delicious original chew which is made in several different sizes, Tootsie Roll also produces a variety of fruit flavored chews, which come in assorted bags, including Lemon, Orange, Lime, Cherry and Vanilla flavors. An important factor in Tootsie Roll popularity is Tootsie’s dedication and attention to the consumer. Tootsie has continued Leo Hirshfield’s process of graining, which calls for the incorporation of yesterday’s Tootsie Rolls into each new batch. As the Tootsie Roll website describes, “there’s (theoretically) a bit of Leo’s very first Tootsie Roll in every one of the sixty four million Tootsie Rolls that Tootsie produces each day.” The same love and care has been cooked in since day one, over 100 years ago. In addition to providing you with a delicious candy that has a heartwarming background, Tootsie Roll provides you with a diet friendly way to satisfy your sweet tooth. The chews are fat free and only about 10 calories per Midgee sized roll. At merely 60 calories per fat-free pop, Tootsie Pops make a great long lasting sugar for the diet conscious as well. Tootsie Roll prides itself on the production of a treat everyone can enjoy; All Tootsie Roll products are Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free and Nut Product-Free. Tootsie Roll wants you to enjoy their sweets as an active participant in Tootsie Roll history! The website invites you to vote for your favorite flavor Tootsie Pop to take the permanent 6th flavor position, and also urges you to guess how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop- for a chance to win $50,000! The mystery of how many licks is likely to remain as hot a topic as it was when Mr. Owl first asked in the 50s!

As the Trident website warns, “Do not open around family, friends and the neighbors down the street. They’ll all want a piece…” and with so many crave-able , long lasting flavors, who can blame them? Who can resist the delicious flavor of Trident Gum - especially when it helps care for your teeth? Trident, the first sugar-free gum, was developed when scientists first took note of the relationship between sugar and cavities. The first gum to be tested in a clinical study for cavity prevention, Trident Gum provides a lot of dental health benefits- in addition to a happy mouth! Studies show that chewing a piece of Trident after meals can help reduce the chance of cavities and even strengthen teeth! In fact, Xylitol, the very ingredient used to sweeten the sugar-free gum helps to loosen plaque. Trident’s name comes from “Tri,” which means three, and represents the three enzymes found in the gum which help break down tartar and stimulate dental health (dent). But the best part about Trident is the mouth-watering variety of flavors to choose from! Whether you enjoy a classic mint flavored gum to freshen your breath after meals, layers of tropical fruit flavors to dazzle your taste buds, or intense flavor bursts to excite your mouth, trident is the gum for you. Vibrantly colored layers of bold tropical flavors come together to form the perfect stick of sugarfeee Trident Layers gum. With just one chew of Green Apple and Golden Pineapple layers, made with REAL fruit flavors, your taste buds are transported to a lush, tropical island. Cool, refreshing Spearmint Trident Xtra Care not only delivers clean, fresh breath, but the addition of milk derived ReCaldent also strengthens teeth while you chew. One bite into an innocent white square of Orange Swirl Trident Splash will pleasantly surprise you with a burst of sweet and tangy orange and cream flavor. Though this burst of filling is as tasty as your favorite candy snack, Trident Splash is always sugar free and perfect to enjoy any time the craving strikes. As Tridentgum.com says, “Sure, there may be better ways to protect your teeth. But a squadron of body guards is probably not in your budget.” Fortunately, Trident is available for our health, and certainly for our pleasure, in an array of flavors and varieties too large to list. This should make you smile! If you’re chewing Trident, you probably have a great set of pearly whites to flash. And you should keep on chewing, because Trident is working to bring smiles to children in need of better dental care across the US. Trident gum truly believes that “There’s a smile in every piece,” and that, with your help, more children can receive the treatment and education they need to maintain healthy teeth, which studies show is linked with greater success in school.

Snickers bars, the best selling chocolate bars in history, were first introduced in 1930 under two different names. In the United Kingdom, the bars were sold as “Marathon” Bars, but the name was changed to Snickers in 1990 to correspond with the United States candy name. With this name change, the Mars company experienced a swift spike in UK sales. Snickers Bar creator Frank Clarence Mars had experimented with making all sorts of different candy recipes since childhood. His passion for making sweets motivated himself and his wife to open a candy company based in their own kitchen. Before the Snickers bar, Mars and his wife had produced only one other candy through their small company, but they knew that their recipe for the Snickers bar was likely to become popular- and they were right! He and his wife named the Snickers bar after their favorite horse, Snickers. Following its 1930 introduction to the candy market, the Snickers Bar was a fast favorite which helped the Mars Company grow. What makes the Snickers Bar so delicious? The original version of the candy features nougat, caramel and peanuts covered in chocolate. According to the Mars website, Mars struck upon the winning recipe by simply adding the delicious chocolate coating to an already existing snack bar containing the other elements. Today, the Snickers Bar is marketed at the bar that packs the most punch to combat hunger cravings. The Snickers website opens as a large candy bar half zooms into focus. The inside view of the Snickers bar is fully loaded with an abundance of peanuts and caramel on a bed of fluffy nougat. Buildings and people sprout from the bar with construction like sound effects, in suggestion that this ample snack keeps society moving. Comical Snickers Bar commercials are also available for viewing on the website. Typically, these commercials feature people doing comically awful things, like brutally tackling an old lady (Betty White) during an otherwise friendly football game, because their hunger has gotten the best of them. The website urges you to snack on a Snickers Bar to avoid such lapses in judgment because “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry.” A neon sign icon on the Snickers website directs you to other available versions of the treat, including Snickers Almond, Fudge, Dark, 2 GO, and even an ice cream bar variety, a summer favorite. Recently, Snickers has combined its great tasting flavors, and their old UK name with extra protein and vitamins to make the Marathon energy bars. As the website describes, with Marathon energy bars “you can go the distance and enjoy the ride. Because life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.” Mars Inc. focuses their energy not only on producing delicious treats, but also on what it means to be a person in today’s world. The Marathon bar is all about providing you with a delicious way to keep doing what you love, a way to keep up with the demands of a busy, but enjoyable life. Right now customers are invited to visit the Snickers website to enter a special code found inside a Snickers wrapper to donate a meal to someone in need. As stated on the Snickers site, “it tastes good to do good.” It is more than likely that this focus on the human experience has to do with Mars, Inc.’s worldwide success.

Candy is making people happy once again. Traditionally candy has been a quick fix to bring happiness into your day. Now there are healthy choices to bring you this happiness. Diabetics and health conscious consumers are spending money on sugar free candy. As the focus on healthy food options matures in the United States it is only natural that sugar free candy takes the stage as a major market area in the confectionary industry. Those that are controlling their weight, managing caloric intake or sugar consumption are all contributing to this industries health. Hard candy, soft candy and chewing gum market sectors have all shown solid performance as consumer preference categories. Sugar free candy is here to stay and contributing to healthier snack options for both adults and children. This is largely due to the consumer change to healthy food choices as well as improved manufacturing and ingredients used to produce the products. Taste, shelf life and lower caloric content are all recent benefits to sugar free candies. As a result the distribution networks such as candy stores, wholesale candy distributors, convenience stores are all expanding their offerings of sugar free candy. Leading the industry is Lifesavers Sugar Free candy. While dollar sales are below 2008 the brand is still the top seller in 2009 with sales of over 15 million dollars. Werthers Sugar Free Original is a close second in industry sales and has shown a huge 26 percent increase in sales from a year ago. Lifesavers and Wethers currently own over 40 percent of this market. Another popular candy, Mentos Sugar Free Mints is also an industry sector leader but have a significant decrease in dollar sales from a year ago. Jolly Rancher has shown an increase in sales over 2008 and is also an industry sector solid contributor in sales.