Brach's facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ferrara Candy Company |
| Introduced | 1904 |
| Markets | United States |
| Tagline | Break Out the Brach's |
Brach's is a famous American sweets and candy maker owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. It is known across the United States for making holiday treats like bright orange candy corn and Valentine's Day heart candies. For more than a century, families have shared these colorful treats during special holidays and everyday celebrations.
History of the Brach's Candy Company
The story of this sweet brand began in 1904 with a man named Emil J. Brach. He took his entire life savings of $1,000 to open a tiny sweet shop in Chicago, Illinois. He chose a spot at the corner of North Avenue and Towne Street. Emil named his new store "Brach's Palace of Sweets."
At first, Emil worked alongside his two sons, Edwin and Frank. They started making candy by hand using just a single cooking kettle. Emil figured out that using modern kitchen machines helped him make candy faster and cheaper. Because of these smart choices, he sold sweet caramel candy for only 20 cents per pound. Other candy shops charged 50 cents per pound. People loved the low price and great taste, so business grew rapidly. By 1911, the family shop was making 50,000 pounds of treats every week.
Building a Giant Candy Factory
By 1923, the company had expanded into four separate candy workshops. Emil decided to unite everything under one roof by building a massive new factory on West Kinzie Street. Construction started in 1921 and cost $5 million, which was an enormous amount of money back then.
This giant building let the company make 127 different candy varieties. Workers could produce 2,225,000 pounds of tasty treats each year. The company added new machines over time, including giant tools for grinding smooth chocolate.
Accidents sometimes happened in large old factories. In 1948, a spark set off dry corn starch dust inside the building. The resulting blast damaged part of the building, but the company rebuilt it even bigger than before. After rebuilding, the plant covered 2,200,000 square feet of space and hired 2,400 workers. Eventually, up to 4,500 people worked there, making it the largest candy factory in the world.
The old Chicago factory closed its doors in 2003 when manufacturing moved to other facilities, including sites in Mexico. In 2007, filmmakers used the empty main building for an exciting explosion scene in the superhero movie The Dark Knight. The rest of the site was taken down in 2014 and turned into parking lots.
Changes in Candy Styles Over Time
Before World War II, Brach's made several popular candy bars. One favorite was the Swing Bar, which had crunchy honeycomb, sweet peanut butter, and rich chocolate. Another bar was made with chewy almond and mint nougat.
After the war ended, American neighborhoods changed how they celebrated autumn. Trick or treating became a major event for children on Halloween. Brach's noticed this trend and began selling bagged candies instead of single bars. They packaged colorful fall candies in small pouches that neighbors could easily drop into trick-or-treat bags.
In 1958, the company invented a fun shopping idea called Pick-A-Mix. In grocery stores, they placed large barrels filled with wrapped candies. Shoppers used scoops to pick their favorite flavors and mixed them together in one bag. Everyone paid one flat price per pound. This system made buying candy an exciting adventure for kids visiting the supermarket with their parents.
Business Growth and New Owners
A large firm called American Home Products Corporation bought Brach's in 1966. Under this team, Brach's grew into a candy giant. By 1986, Brach's made two-thirds of all bagged candy sold in America. It also earned about 7 percent of the entire American candy market.
In 1987, a businessman named Klaus Jacobs purchased the company. He brought in leaders from European chocolate makers like Suchard. These new managers tried to change how the candy was made and sold. They cut the product lineup from 1,700 items down to just 400 items. Big stores like Walgreens and Walmart could not buy their usual treats, so they started buying from other makers like Farley Candy.
In 1990, the international company Phillip Morris purchased parts of the Jacobs candy group. Klaus Jacobs kept Brach's and later bought Brock Candy Company in 1994. The joined business became known as Brach's Confections.
In 2003, chocolate company Barry Callebaut took charge of the brand. Later, in 2007, Farley's & Sathers bought the business. That group joined with Ferrara Pan in 2012, creating the modern Ferrara Candy Company.
Popular Brach's Candies and Sweet Treats
The very first sweet made by Brach's was creamy caramel. Emil Brach made them with a special recipe that was delicious and inexpensive. Caramels remain a classic company treat today, but the brand is also famous for seasonal sweets.
Candy Corn for Autumn
Brach's is the top maker of candy corn in North America. These small candies look like tiny corn kernels with stripes of yellow, orange, and white. While people love them most during fall, stores sell them throughout the year. The company also makes fun modern flavors like pumpkin spice, s'mores, and sweet caramel.
Conversation Hearts for Valentine's Day
During February, the company makes little pastel heart candies called Sweethearts. These tiny sugar candies have sweet messages printed on top, such as "Be Mine" or "Call Me." Modern versions even include short text sayings, Emoticon faces, and alphabet letters so friends can spell out words.
Soft Nougats and Chewy Candies
Brach's produces chewy nougat candies with festive designs in the center. The flavors change with the seasons of the year. Winter holiday nougats taste like cool peppermint, wintergreen, or spicy cinnamon. At Easter, the company has offered sweet nougats inspired by ice cream flavors.
Colorful Jelly Beans
Springtime brings bags of chewy Jelly Bean candies to store shelves. Brach's makes traditional fruit flavors along with sour, spiced, and speckled varieties. They make these beans in several sizes, from tiny bite-sized pieces to giant jumbo beans.
Chocolates and Classic Sweets
Brach's also creates many chocolate-covered goodies. These include chocolate stars, dipped peanuts, and crunchy Malt balls. For spring baskets, they make Fiesta Malted Milk Eggs shaped like speckled bird eggs. Other famous sweets include Star Brite hard mints, Lemon Drops, and spicy fruit drops.
See also
- Helen Brach
