Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company facts for kids

The Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company is a part of The Hershey Company, a very famous candy maker. Peter Paul is known for making yummy treats like Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars.

History of Peter Paul Candy

How It All Started

The Peter Paul company began in 1919 in New Haven, Connecticut. Six immigrants from Armenia, led by a man named Peter Paul Halajian, started it. Their first factory was in a town nearby called Naugatuck, Connecticut.

Their very first candy was called the Konabar. It had chocolate, coconut, nuts, and fruit, and people liked it. In 1921, they launched the famous Mounds candy bar. This bar had sweet white coconut covered in dark chocolate.

Growing During Tough Times

The 1930s brought the Great Depression, a time when many people struggled financially. This made it hard for candy companies. But Peter Paul took a big chance in 1932. They made Mounds bars bigger, turning them into a "twin bar" (two pieces in one package). They also wrapped them in shiny cellophane instead of tin foil. This made the candy look more appealing.

This brave move worked! Within a month, sales of Mounds candy bars went way up. The company even built a new part of their factory in 1934 to make more candy. They paid for this growth using their own earnings, so they didn't need to borrow money.

In 1934, Peter Paul also introduced a new candy bar called Dreams. It had diced almonds and coconut covered in dark chocolate. This candy bar was a bit like the later Almond Joy bar.

A Company That Never Knew the Depression

In 1935, Peter Paul made headlines across the country. They increased their workers' wages by a lot, up to 20%! This was very unusual during the Great Depression. The company also kept paying money to its owners (stockholders) every three months, which was amazing for that time.

By the late 1930s, both Mounds and Dreams were among the top five best-selling candy bars in the United States. Peter Paul became known as "the company that never knew the Depression" because they did so well when others struggled.

Candy During World War II

During World War II, it was hard to get ingredients like sugar and coconut. Because of this, Peter Paul stopped making the Dreams bar. They focused all their efforts on the Mounds bar, which was selling even better.

Mounds became very popular with the U.S. military. By 1944, the military bought 5 million Mounds bars every month! This was 80% of all the Mounds bars Peter Paul made. The company also made caramels and a special charcoal gum during the war, as it didn't need much sugar.

The Birth of Almond Joy

The Almond Joy bar was introduced in 1948. Unlike Mounds, it used milk chocolate and had a double-toasted almond on top. It came in a blue package, which helped people tell it apart from the red Mounds package. Almond Joy was an instant hit!

Advertising Sweet Success

Peter Paul was a leader in advertising. After doing well with radio ads in the 1930s, they were one of the first candy companies to use network television in the early 1950s. Their famous "Peter Paul Pixies" sang that Mounds and Almond Joys were "Indescribably Delicious." This slogan was created in 1955 by Leon Weiss, who won $10 for his idea. Peter Paul was also the first candy maker to use full-color TV commercials.

New Candies and Big Changes

In 1972, Peter Paul launched a candy bar called (Peanut Butter with) No Jelly, or Sidekick. It was later renamed the Peanut Butter Bar but was stopped in 1979.

Peter Paul also bought the York Cone Company in 1972. This meant they now owned the popular York Peppermint Pattie, which had been around since 1940.

In 1978, a big company called Cadbury Schweppes bought Peter Paul. Peter Paul then became the U.S. candy part of Cadbury. In 1988, The Hershey Company bought Peter Paul and all of Cadbury's U.S. chocolate business.

In 2007, Hershey announced that the Peter Paul factory in Naugatuck would close. Operations then moved to Virginia.

Peter Paul Products

Here are some of the candy bars made by Peter Paul:

• Konabar
• Mounds
• Dreams
• Almond Joy
• (Peanut Butter with) No Jelly
• York Peppermint Pattie
• Caramello
• Caravelle
• Power House
• Almond Cluster