COVID-19 has certainly put a damper on Halloween this year. But there’s still time to grab American-made candy favorites for the kids and kids at heart!
Trick-or-Treating will probably look a little different this year – if it happens at all in your area due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But whether you plan to use a chute to get candy to trick-or-treaters, partake in a trunk-or-treat event, or just enjoy the holiday at home, it’s probably a good idea to have a few bags of candy on hand.
We put together a list of some great Made in America candy options, most of which you can find at your local grocery or big box store.
Hershey’s Chocolate Company has been making its treats in Pennsylvania since 1894 – there’s even a Hershey’s amusement park in (where else?) Hershey, Pa. Although the company has gone global, it maintains several U.S. manufacturing facilities that create treats like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat bars, Twizzlers, Hershey’s Kisses, and more. You can find Hershey’s products at retailers near you.
Founded in 1913, Ford Gum is perhaps best known for making the iconic bubblegum Big League Chew, which it creates at its factory in Akron, N.Y.. The company also makes gum for popular brands like Smarties and Jelly Belly (more on Jelly Belly below). Ford Gum is also the only major U.S. manufacturer of gum balls and gum ball machine banks, and offers private label manufacturing.
Although it owns big name candy brands, Spangler Candy Company remains a family-owned private company. Founded in 1906 in Byron, Ohio, Spangler’s product list includes beloved brands like Dum Dums, Saf-T-Pops, Spangler Candy Canes, Spangler Candy Canes, Spangler Circus Peanuts, Necco Wafers, and Canada Mints. In 2018, Spangler purchased the iconic Sweethearts candy brand, which was in danger of disappearing forever after its former owner went bankrupt.
How many licks does it take to get to the Toostie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know… but we do know that the iconic candy is made in Illinois by Tootsie Roll Industries. Tootsie Roll also owns Junior Mints, which are made at a candy factory in Cambridge, Mass., that is perhaps more mysterious that the one run by Willy Wonka himself.
American Licorice Company is one of the original licorice manufacturers in the United States. The company got its start in Chicago in 1914, and now is based in Indiana, where it makes treats like Red Vines and Sour Punch candies.
Known for four generations by the family name of its founder, Gustav Goelitz, Jelly Belly Candy Company was officially renamed in 2001. The company makes its popular jelly beans and other confections in Fairfield, Calif., with a second manufacturing facility in North Chicago, Ill. Former President Ronald Reagan famously loved Jelly Belly jelly beans – 3.5 tons were shipped to his inauguration in 1981.
Immigrant Sam Born founded Just Born Candy in 1910 in New York, where he introduced Americans to “French Chocolate” and launched a number of candy innovations, like the technology to create chocolate sprinkles. Today, the company is still family-owned and based in Bethlehem, Pa., where it makes a number of popular candy brands like Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, Teenee Beanee jelly beans, and Zours. Just Born also creates Peeps that are popular among candy consumers in the spring.
Still didn’t find what you’re looking for? Here’s a few more Made in USA candy options.