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Candy makers, spooked by cocoa prices, go gummy for Halloween

Oct 25, 2024
Candy companies are producing more gummy and chewy treats, saving money and appealing to the tastes of younger consumers.
Along with the high cost of cocoa, consumer preferences have spurred the shift to gummy and chewy candies, says Jaclyn Peiser of The Washington Post.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Sweetish candy shop got an unexpected boost from a viral TikTok post

Oct 1, 2024
Tyler Graybeal, owner of a Swedish-style store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says keeping up with demand was difficult at first.
Attention from a viral TikTok video meant Sweetish orders went from tens a day to thousands.
Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

The snack-ification of Americans’ diets isn’t going anywhere

Aug 14, 2024
Candy giant Mars, maker of M&M's, will acquire Cheez-It parent Kellanova, signaling that these brands are still betting on snacks.
Mars will purchase Kellanova, the maker of popular snack brands including Cheez-It and Eggo, for about $36 billion.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Bazooka Candy's CEO on the brand's sweet athlete investment deal

DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks may soon be coming to Bazookaverse comics.
Following Bazooka Candy Brands' acquisition by private equity Apax Partners in October 2023, the candy maker received an infusion of cash from major athletes.
Via Tsuji/Flickr

Candy cane producers feel the bite of rising sugar prices

Dec 20, 2023
With Christmas approaching, candy canes are hanging from trees around the United States. But producing the sugar that goes in them is becoming more expensive — pushing up prices at the register.
Reporter Erin Delmore and candy store owner Dave Giambri (middle) mold candy canes.
Courtesy BBC

Inflation expectations are causing this toy store owner to stock up

Apr 1, 2022
Irene Kesselman, owner of Ali Cat Toys, said her store's inventory is high leading up to Easter — partly because she wants to avoid future inflation.
"We have everything from plush Easter bunnies to Easter chocolate," said toy store owner Irene Kesselman. "As well as other things that are non-Easter that will go into a basket, like bath bombs and pencils and that kind of thing."
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A nearly 200-year-old sweet shop stood the test of time. How is it weathering the pandemic?

Jul 5, 2021
The Oldest Sweet Shop in the World has witnessed wars and other strife from its location in northern England.
“We stock many traditional sweets,” says Ben Howie, owner of the Oldest Sweet Shop in the World, located in Pateley Bridge, England.
Courtesy Elizabeth Hotson (BBC/Marketplace)

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This 13-year-old chief executive is her dad's boss

May 3, 2019
Alina Morse is the CEO of a multimillion-dollar candy company. Her dad works for her.
Alina Morse, founder and CEO of Zollipops, with her father, Tom Morse.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace