{"id":590679,"date":"2026-02-15T01:44:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T01:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/590679\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T01:44:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T01:44:13","slug":"how-philly-became-the-birthplace-of-americas-iconic-candies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/590679\/","title":{"rendered":"How Philly became the birthplace of America&#8217;s iconic candies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Many of America&#8217;s iconic holiday candies have <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\/philadelphia-pennsylvania-news\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Philadelphia or Pennsylvania<\/a> roots  \u2013  like Peeps on Easter, Reese&#8217;s peanut butter cups on Halloween, and a good, old-fashioned Whitman&#8217;s Sampler box of chocolates on Valentine&#8217;s Day.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This article originally appeared on <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a>, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good. Sign up for their newsletter <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\/newsletters\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a Philadelphian and a <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colorado.edu\/ethnicstudies\/people\/core-faculty\/jared-bahir-browsh\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cultural historian<\/a> who teaches students about the history of American corporations, the role of the city in the nation&#8217;s food history often comes up in my class.<\/p>\n<p>Philadelphia was one of the largest port cities in the U.S. through the early 20th century. Sugar and other candy ingredients <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/philadelphiaencyclopedia.org\/essays\/sugar-and-sugar-refining\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">were readily available<\/a> from Delaware River docks. Improvements to sugar refining made the product significantly cheaper during the first half of the 19th century, while the Second Industrial Revolution, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, expanded transportation and trade.<\/p>\n<p>This led to a dramatic increase in <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/billypenn.com\/2021\/04\/04\/how-philly-and-pennsylvania-grew-to-dominate-the-candy-industry\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">candymakers and confectioners in Philadelphia<\/a>. Many, like <a href=\"https:\/\/hiddencityphila.org\/2016\/01\/whitmans-chocolates-building-bids-a-bittersweet-farewell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Whitman&#8217;s Chocolates<\/a>, one of the oldest still in existence, were concentrated in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/tags\/old-city\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Old City<\/a> neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/phillyvoice.com\/newsletters\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SIGN UP HERE<\/a><\/strong> to get PhillyVoice&#8217;s free newsletters delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n<p>Old City was also home to the oldest candy distributor in the country. <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/casanicandyco.com\/about-us\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Casani Candy Company<\/a> was founded in 1865. While the company now operates across the Delaware River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, it continues to distribute hundreds of products, including <a href=\"https:\/\/ashers.com\/about-ashers\/history\/?ue-mini-cart-product-added\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Asher&#8217;s candy<\/a>, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1892.<\/p>\n<p>A box of chocolates<\/p>\n<p>The company that would become Wilbur&#8217;s Chocolate was founded in 1865 by Henry Oscar Wilbur and Samuel Croft. After several moves, and <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wilburbuds.com\/wilbur-history?srsltid=AfmBOooZndtkaEW0ddzKq1LCggr7D5nRHpPMI0TNwsk7D0zuWvsMsjLI\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a split between the founders in 1884<\/a>, Wilbur opened a new facility in 1887 at the corner of Third and New streets, where the <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolateworks-living.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chocolate Works<\/a> condominiums are located today.<\/p>\n<p>There, they began production of their famous Buds, made by pouring hot liquefied chocolate into molds that resembled flower buds.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wunderlecandy.com\/philip-wunderle,-founder\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Phillip Wunderle<\/a>, maker of gumdrops and other candies, set up shop in North Liberties, just north of Old City, in 1871. An employee of Wunderle Candy Company named George Renninger is often credited with the invention of candy corn, the iconic Halloween staple. However, it would be a decade before this sugary treat, also called &#8220;chicken feed,&#8221; became popular.<\/p>\n<p>Wunderle also employed a salesman who would go on to become a candy legend: Milton <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/tags\/hershey\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hershey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 1900, Hershey revolutionized the chocolate industry by <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehersheycompany.com\/en_us\/home\/about-us\/the-company\/history.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">introducing the Hershey Bar<\/a>, the first mass-produced milk chocolate in the United States. Seven years later, the Hershey Company introduced a bite-sized, teardrop-shaped chocolate similar to Wilbur&#8217;s buds. Legend has it that the name, <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/tags\/hersheys\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hershey&#8217;s<\/a> Kisses, originated from the sound of the machine that manufactured the candies, but there were several other candies with the name that <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc27.com\/news\/top-stories\/hershey-isnt-sure-why-kisses-are-called-kisses-but-they-have-a-theory\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">predate Hershey&#8217;s<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As Hershey grew more successful, Whitman&#8217;s looked for a way to maintain its market share. Whitman&#8217;s advertised heavily after the Civil War, and by the end of the 19th century, promoted its products with <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Whitman%27s_1899_Advertisement.png\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">suggestive ads<\/a> that linked chocolate with romance.<\/p>\n<p>In 1912, <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eater.com\/2016\/2\/14\/10989022\/whitmans-sampler-chocolates\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Whitman&#8217;s introduced its Sampler box<\/a>. It became a Valentine&#8217;s Day staple, especially after it became available in a <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/vintageholidays.tumblr.com\/post\/110356527324\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">heart-shaped box<\/a>  \u2013  a marketing stunt that English chocolate brand <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guinnessworldrecords.com\/world-records\/100099-earliest-box-of-valentine%E2%80%99s-day-chocolates\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cadbury reportedly started in 1868<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Chewing gum and movie snacks<\/p>\n<p>The candy market in Philly  \u2013  and nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania  \u2013  continued to grow during the Roaring &#8217;20s.<\/p>\n<p>A former dairy manager at Hershey named H.B. Reese built his own candy factory in Hershey in 1926, and two years later, he introduced his famous Peanut Butter Cups. Reese&#8217;s merged with Hershey&#8217;s in 1963 and later introduced their popular candy in different holiday shapes, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statesmanjournal.com\/story\/news\/2015\/11\/30\/reeses-christmas-tree-shapes-causing-stir\/76584992\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Easter eggs, Christmas trees and Valentine&#8217;s Day hearts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Another company now owned by Hershey is <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snackhistory.com\/york-peppermint-pattie\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">York Peppermint Pattie<\/a>, a chocolate-covered soft mint candy introduced in 1940 in a town 40 miles south of Hershey.<\/p>\n<p>Back in Philadelphia, Frank H. Fleer, an inventor of Chiclets, the peppermint- flavored candy-coated gum, founded his confectionery company in 1885 in the <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/tags\/fairmount\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fairmount<\/a> neighborhood. Fleer sold the invention to the Trenton, New Jersey-based <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=C-mb5wUcFVEC&amp;q=1914#v=snippet&amp;q=1914&amp;f=false\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">American Chicle Company in 1914<\/a>. In 1923, Fleer Corporation first included sports cards with its candy, and in 1928, company accountant Walter Diemer helped perfect the formula for Dubble Bubble, <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/billypenn.com\/2023\/08\/12\/bubble-gum-invention-philadelphia-history-fleer\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the first bubble gum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.candyfavorites.com\/pages\/history-goldenberg-peanut-chews?srsltid=AfmBOoqLbDnb01emhii4uFuXPT4GaQYSHrsbRhdqFecbj31Pi7OSYVzZ\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Goldenberg Candy Company<\/a>, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1890, introduced their Peanut Chews in 1917 as an energy source for troops during World War I. Goldenberg&#8217;s Peanut Chews are now owned by <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justborn.com\/who-we-are\/our-history\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Just Born<\/a>, which makes the popular Easter candy Peeps and has its headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. However, Peanut Chews are produced out of a facility in the <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/tags\/holmesburg\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Holmesburg<\/a> section of Northeast Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<p><b>MORE:<\/b>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/irish-potatoes-philly-candy-st-patricks-day\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Irish potatoes, a Philly delicacy, often befuddle people from Ireland<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Further establishing southeast Pennsylvania as the chocolate capital of America was the emergence of Philadelphia-based Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company in 1909. Beginning in the mid-1920s, it began producing candy for movie concessions after being approached by Philadelphia concessions entrepreneur Jacob Beresin when <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/19\/nx-s1-5264376\/on-national-popcorn-day-we-look-back-at-how-they-became-a-movie-theater-staple\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">some theaters placed a ban on popcorn in the 1920s<\/a>, which was considered too messy. Blumenthal&#8217;s <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tastingtable.com\/1935841\/raisinets-movie-theater-candy-origin\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Goobers, Raisinets and Sno-Caps<\/a> are still popular movie snacks, and a sweet complement to date night.<\/p>\n<p>The post-World War II era brought a number of business and market changes that led many of these candy companies to <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.russellstover.com\/whitmans-history?srsltid=AfmBOor08BYzBdW32c4BJs0GlUu2xz222CcQ94o4BcOB0XqIGRqllgPL\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">move out of Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yet vestiges of Philadelphia&#8217;s candy dominance can still be found around the city. For unique handmade candy this Valentine&#8217;s Day, Philly residents can visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechocolateprofessor.com\/blog\/shane-confectionery\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Shane&#8217;s Confectionery<\/a>, which is arguably the oldest, continuously operated candy shop in America. (There&#8217;s some debate to that claim because the space has been a candy shop since 1863, but Shane&#8217;s didn&#8217;t open until 1910.) And stop back in March to pick up some &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/shanecandies.com\/shop\/new-seasonal\/irish-potatoes\/#:%7E:text=These%20treats%20enjoy%20a%20rich,be%20kept%20cold%20or%20refrigerated.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Irish Potatoes<\/a>&#8221;  \u2013  coconut cream rolled in cinnamon  \u2013  for St. Patrick&#8217;s Day.<\/p>\n<p>Jared Bahir Browsh is an assistant teaching professor of critical sports studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.\u00a0This article is republished from <a data-original-title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/philadelphia-was-once-a-sweet-spot-for-chocolatiers-and-other-candymakers-who-made-iconic-treats-for-valentines-day-and-other-holidays-274714\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many of America&#8217;s iconic holiday candies have Philadelphia or Pennsylvania roots \u2013 like Peeps on Easter, Reese&#8217;s peanut&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":590680,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,25423,255372,6332,57220,255371,472,39544,255373,10188,1448,255374,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,223110],"class_list":["post-590679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-america","tag-candy","tag-candy-shops","tag-chocolate","tag-hershey","tag-hersheys","tag-history","tag-holmesburg","tag-just-born","tag-old-city","tag-pa","tag-peeps","tag-pennsylvania","tag-philadelphia","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-valentines-day"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116072118012866377","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}