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Celebrating National Candy Corn Day, October 30th!

Guest post by: Linda Burson

Article Overview: Building Bridges, the monthly newsletter of Mazon Associates, Inc. focuses on candy corn and the founding family of Jelly Belly Candy Company in our October 2010 issue.

Celebrating National Candy Corn Day, October 30th!

George Renninger was a candymaker at the Wunderle Candy Company in the 1880s andsold various sweets to local customers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Perhaps the offerings included an assortment of jelly candies made of a citrus, honey and rose water gel, maybe even hard candies and mints, all certain to put smiles on children's' faces. It was about this time that George experimented with a new type of candy he called candy corn made of a special buttercream recipe and molded in the shape of a kernel of corn. It became an instant hit, especially with farmers, because of it looked like an actual piece of corn. The penny candy craze came along in America during this same time and, seeing the popularity of candy corn, many other candy makers jumped on the bandwagon and began making their own versions of the candy. Shortly after the Civil War ended in 1862, Gustav Goelitz (24) and his younger brother Albert (21) immigrated to the United States from Germany and settled in Belleville, Illinois where they opened Goelitz Brothers Candy Company. Gustav made the candy and handled store operations, while Albert sold the candy to surrounding towns and villages from a horse-drawn wagon. In time, Gustav's sons (Adolph, Gus Jr. and Herman) worked in the business learning the trade. Then the Panic of 1893, one of the worst depressions in American history, plagued the country for the next four years. Paper money was double the value of the gold backing it. Widespread unemployment, falling prices and labor unrest affected the Goelitz Brothers Candy Company, as it did thousands of businesses, and Gustav and Albert were forced to sell their company. Gustav never recovered and he died in 1901, a week short of his 56^th birthday. Albert stayed on the road selling candy for another company until his death at the age of 80 (1921).

In 1898, Gustav's eldest son, Adolph Goelitz, and joined later by his brothers Gus, Jr. and Herman, continued the family candymaking tradition by establishing their own company, Goelitz Confectionery Company, in Cincinnati, Ohio and added candy corn to their product line this same year. Candy making was mainly seasonal; March through Thanksgiving they hired double the workers in preparation for the big autumn candy season, cooking up to as many as 50 batches of candy a day, in kitchens without air conditioning or electric fans. The typical worker in put in six 10-hour days per week and earned about $5.22 per week; in 1917 the weekly salary rose to $11.18. By 1912, the company was booming and turned away orders for lack of production capacity. To remedy this, they moved the plant to a factory town along the north shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois, which offered rail service and affordable land. When the income tax was introduced in 1913, many smaller businesses were forced to close, but Goelitz was firmly established and prevailed. Candy corn and what were called "buttercreams" (later known as mellocremes), were the primary products of the company. While licorice, chocolates and peppermints were also available, candy corn (the single best seller) and buttercreams kept the business growing for the next five decades and became knownas the finest candy corn on the market.

World War I (1914-1918), and anti-German sentiment in America created a time of turmoil within the company. Each family member took a turn at the helm. Gus, Jr. left the business altogether, and Herman went West to open his own candy company in California, The Herman Goelitz Candy Company, making what he knew best: candy corn. Since the confectionery industry was regional, his business was not in competition with the rest of the family.

The 1920s were good years for the two companies, but the Great Depression (1929-1941) forced the sales of candy corn to plummet from $.16/pound to $.085/pound ten years later. Although the penny candy boom waned a bit when America fell in love with chocolate in the early 1900s, there was a huge chocolate shortage during World War II (1941-1945) when most chocolate went to overseas troops. So, patriotic Americans once again discovered their urge for non-chocolate sweet treats like candy corn, jelly beans and cinnamon sticks. Business was good again for Goelitz which was making candy in the face of all obstacles (sugar rationing, transportation difficulties, manpower shortages and price controls), and they sold as much as they could make. After the War, demand went up another 60%. Herman Goelitz's 19-year-old grandson, Herman ("Herm") Goelitz Rowland, joined his grandfather's candy business in 1960 and soon began expanding beyond candy corn with the introduction of Dutch Mints, jelly beans in all sizes and flavors, jells and other "mellocreme" candies.

Skyrocketing prices for sugar in 1975 squeezed the candy business, forcing many candymakers out of business. The North Chicago plant closed for a couple of months to weather the storm, and in California, Herm Rowland borrowed heavily to buy sugar to continue to produce.

In early 1976, a Los Angeles candy distributor had an idea for a jelly bean made with natural flavorings. He presented his idea to Herm Rowland, beginning an historic collaboration between the candymaker and the marketing guru, by cooking up a recipe for a new kind of jelly bean, intensely flavored in the style Goelitz had developed with flavors in the shell and in the center, and using natural ingredients for flavoring whenever possible. In late 1976, the first eight flavors were born.

Today, descendents of Gustav Goelitz continue to cook up some of the best loved candies in the world under the brand name Jelly Belly. The company still makes candy corn and more than 100 other mouthwatering candies, including such delights as chocolates, gummies, sour candies and confections for all the major seasons. Jelly Belly Candy Company is headquartered in Fairfield, California with a manufacturing plant in North Chicago, Illinois and a factory store and distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The original Goelitz candy corn recipe has changed very little since Gustav Goelitz, Jr. first made it in 1898. The company has been making candy corn longer than any candymaker in the business today. Great grandpa Gustav would be proud.

A 30-piece serving size of Jelly Belly's candy corn contains only 140 calories (fewer calories than a cup of raisins) and no fat. Candy corn pieces are traditionally cast in three colors: a broad yellow bottom, a tapered orange center, and a pointed white top. During the 1980s, the company was the first to expand its offerings of candy corn to include Giant Corn for the autumn season, as well as Cupid Corn, Bunny Corn and Reindeer Corn for other seasons. According to the National Confectioners Association, nearly 14 billion candy corn kernels are sold annually. Although candy corn is available year-round, 80% are sold during the months of September and October. October 30^th is National Candy Corn Day!

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Article Tags: Adolph Goelitz, building bridges, candy, candy corn, George Renniger, Gustave Goelitz, Herm Goelitz, Herman Goelitz Candy Company, Herman Goelitz Rowland, jelly beans, Jelly Belly, Jelly Belly Candy Company, mazon, Wunderle



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