Recipe 53 Caramel Corn and Double Cheddar Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn 2842 Cromwell Road Norfolk, VA 23509

Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn

2842 Cromwell Road

Norfolk, VA 23509

866-797-5639

https://jodyspopcorn.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JodysPopcornOfficial/

I have been coming to the New York Fancy Food Show for over a decade and over the years many vendors have stood out. One of them is Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn.

I had met Jody and her husband at the food show back when the company was really small around 2006 or 2007 and fell in love with both their Double Cheddar Popcorn and their Caramel Corn, which were some of the few products in a small line that has just kept growing. It is fun to watch a small company get bigger and more successful over time especially when you like their owners.

The Caramel Corn is so rich and buttery and the caramel tastes almost like a cross between toffee and maple syrup. It has such a great crunch to it. The best part is that the traditional Recipe 53 does not contain nuts which I prefer.

The Double Cheddar flavor really does have a nice thick cover of cheeses on the popcorn. The flavor seems to be a combination of Cheddar, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses and it has a rich and savory flavor to it. The best part is that the cheeses layer your fingers and it is fun to lick them off.

The one thing about Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn is that the kernels have a uniform appearance to them, and they are all large in size. Jody had explained to me is that it is the type of corn kernels that they use that pops to a consistent size. You don’t see different size popcorn pieces or any kernels at the bottom of the bag.

There are all sorts of flavors now and there are even holiday flavors for Halloween, Easter and Christmas.

The History of Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn:

(From the Company website)

When we were in college, my husband Alan and I took date night strolls down the streets of Chicago sharing caramel corn. Alan even hid my engagement ring in the prize envelope of a Cracker jack box giving me the surprise of my life. To this day, he still won’t tell me how he got the ring into the sealed box! When we moved to Virginia Beach, we realized that the area was missing out on fresh caramel corn and that is when the idea for Jody’s Popcorn was born.

My husband, Alan and I were determined to create a caramel corn more delicious than we had ever tasted. In 2005, we began crafting a new recipe in our kitchen at home. In fact, it took us 53 tries! After tweaking batch after batch, we arrived at our famous recipe 53 caramel corn.

Although we soon grew out of our home kitchen, we still put our popcorn through rigorous trails using the highest quality ingredients and have now mastered over 30 indulgent flavors. Our caring Popcorn Specialists hand-craft each batch to ensure you get made with premium ingredients such as real butter and non-GMO kernels. Today, Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn is a favorite all across the country.

Like Alan and I, I hope you will create your own memories around Jody’s Popcorn. Whether it is giving a loved one the gift of Jody’s or sharing a bag on the couch for family movie night, we want Jody’s to be a part of your family.

My Mochi Ice Cream by My/Mochi

My Mochi Ice Cream

5563 Alcoa Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90058

Home

My Mochi Ice Cream

On a recent trip to the frozen food aisle, I came across My Mochi Ice Cream that were on sale. I had tasted these at the Fancy Food Show a few times not remembering if this was the company I had tried when I was there. These delightful little rolls of ice cream are a wonderful afternoon or snack treat.

These sweet vanilla ice cream-based nuggets are wrapped in a sweet rice dough that is naturally colored to reflect the flavor of the ice cream. What brings out the flavor of the rice dough is combination of sweet rice flour and cane sugar that combines with the milk, cream and cane sugar used to make their ice cream bases. Each one of these creamy bite size treats has two layers of sweetness and make the perfect dessert.

My Mochi Strawberry flavor

The strawberry flavored Mochi is made with a puree of fresh strawberries and tastes like strawberries and cream.

My Mochi Sweet Mango flavor

The sweet mango flavored Mochi is made with the puree of fresh mangos and has a rich flavor to them.

My Mochi Mint Chocolate Chip

The mint chocolate chip flavored is the most unusual of the flavors as it is accented by the fragrant taste of scented mint in both the ice cream and in the rice dough, giving the ice cream a complex flavor with the chocolate bits. It is one of my favorites.

History of My/Mochi Ice Cream:

(From Wiki)

My/Mochi Ice Cream is an American ice cream brand sold in the United States and Canada. The company was founded in 2015 after a private equity firm, Century Park Capital Partners bought Mikawaya, a Los Angeles based confectionary company that is credited with the invention of mochi ice cream To popularize mochi ice cream and make it more accessible, the company launched the My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream brand in 2017.

In January 2020, Lakeview Capital acquired My/Mochi from Century Park Capital Partners and in June of the same year introduced single-serve packaging due to both environmental and food safety concerns. In February of 2021, My/ Mo Mochi Ice Cream changed its name to My/Mochi Ice Cream.

(From the My/Mochi Ice Cream Company website):

My/Mochi is a miraculous match of magnificent mochi dough with marvelously mouthwatering ice cream. If you had to describe it with just one word, it’d be “Mmmmm.” These mind-blowing mouthfuls come from mater mochi makers who methodically mix and meld the mushy mochi with milky, melty ice cream. The result? A majestic marriage of mesmerizing flavors that’ll make you say, “Mmmmore!”

Good Natured Selects Puffs and Vegables by Herr Foods Inc.

Good Natured Selects by Herr Foods Inc.

20 Herr Drive

Nottingham, PA 19362

(1-800-523-5030)

https://www.herrs.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herr%27s_Snacks

https://www.facebook.com/herrs/

When I was at the Specialty Foods Sumer Fancy Food Show this summer, there were many innovative snack companies that have been created manufacturing and marketing all sorts of chips, crackers and popcorn snacks of all flavors. Even the bigger companies are coming out with more specialty lines when Herr Foods introduced the ‘Good Natured’ line of snacks in 2013.

This selection of various flavored snack foods is a wonderful and diverse selection of tastes and shapes. The two that stood out for me at the show were the ‘Vegables’, which are small crispy triangles with the flavor of spinach, carrots and tomatoes with a slight saltiness and a fantastic crunch.

These delightful snacks have such a colorful appearance and when you bite into them pop in your mouth. Flavored with vegetables, these bright snacks will have any child munching away on these salty treats.

Good Natured Vegables

Good Natured Selects Veg-ables!

The other is their ‘White Cheddar Puffs’ that have a sharp cheesy flavor and a nice bite to them. I was able to bring samples home so that I could taste them a second time and the product is delicious.

The nice part of these puffs is that they are well coated, and you will want to lick the rest of the powder off your fingers. The sharp Cheddar taste is perfect for pairing with a meal and just as a snack.

Good Natured White Cheddar Puffs

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Herr-Foods-Good-Natured-Selects-White-Cheddar-Puffs-2-375-Ounce-6-per-case/238844612

The line is more extensive, but these were the two that stood out to me most at the show. There is a lot of quality control and integrity in the products made by Herr’s Food Inc., and this starts at the top with the Herr family.

Mission of Herr Foods Inc.:

(From the company website)

Building a legacy based on honesty, authenticity and integrity. Herr’s strives to be an authentic symbol of goodness, through exceptional products, family-centered values and environmentally friendly actions.

“Herr’s Forever Good” is our written commitment of that goal-to always stive for integrity, kindness and authenticity in every facet of our company. Good transcends trends and outlasts adversity. As long as good is good, Herr’s will forever be Herr’s.

History of the Herr Foods Inc.:

(From the company website)

Herr Foods Inc. story began in 1946 when 21-year-old James Stauffer Herr buys a small potato chip company in Lancaster, PA, for $1,750. In 1947, the business moves into a vacated tobacco shed on the Herr family farm. As he learns more about the business, Jim Herr develops new and better cooking processes, and a delicious snack food becomes even better. As demand for Herr’s Potato Chips grows, so does the company.

Over the next 80 years the company has expanded, adding a sustainable farm for food and water waste and expanding the product line with many innovative flavors. Currently the third generation of Herr family members are joining the company.

The Good Natured Selects line was developed and marketed in 2013.

Day Two Hundred and Thirty-Nine Walking the Fancy Food Show (three days of testing, tasting and talking) June 12th-14th, 2022

Not all of these products are American made but most are small American based manufacturers and food vendors that you should try when in your local grocery and gourmet stores.

Don’t miss all these and other new and innovative food products on your next grocery shopping trip.

The Specialty Foods Summer Fancy Food Show

https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/summer-fancy-food-show/

mywalkinmanhattan

Summer Fancy Food Show 2022

https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/summer-fancy-food-show/

After a two-year hiatus, the Summer Fancy Food Show came back to New York City. It was funny to see it come back the way it did with all the publicly. I even got a special email from one of the women coordinating the event making sure that I am attending the show. They give you such a hassle with the form to sign up for the show. You have to give so much information to get in, but I figure that most people try to get in thinking it is a ‘eat a thon’ event when there is no way of doing that without getting sick.

After coming to this show and many other industry shows like it, you realize that you need to pace yourself when you are sampling items. I learned this since my first show back in 2003 (I can’t…

View original post 6,568 more words

Cheese Popcorn, Barbecue Fried Pork Rinds and Crunchy Cheese Curls by Brimhall Foods Company Inc.

Brimhall Foods Company Inc. (Brim’s Snack Foods)

3045 Bartlett Corp Drive

Memphis, TN 38133

(901) 377-9016

https://brimsnacks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Brims-Snack-Foods-231610966039/

Brim’s Snack Foods

I came across the Brim’s Snack Food lines on a recent trip to Dollar Tree and was craving for Cheese Popcorn, one of my favorite snacks. This ultimate cheesy popcorn is layered with a nice coating of Cheddar cheese flavor, and you can taste the sharp Cheddar in every bite. The flavor has a nice zing to it and tastes more like a combination of sharp cheeses.

The White Cheddar popcorn also has a nice flavor and looks a bit more natural. The coating is the same as the Cheddar and has a nice bite with each piece you eat.

This addictive snack will make you want to eat the whole bag in one sitting and with popcorn having a nice fiber count makes it a very nutritional snack (less the salt) as opposed to other fried snack foods.

The popcorn is really fluffy, and the company does not skimp of the portion size of the bag as it is really full. It makes the perfect snack when watching a long film at home or when studying as I have when I eat it.

Brim’s Cheese Popcorn

This popcorn is so fresh and delicious.

When I went to the store to get a second bag of Cheese Popcorn, I came across their other snacks and decided to try the Fiery Hot Crunchy Cheese Curls, which is the oven baked version of the Cheese Doodle without the extra calories.

These crunchy delights will have you munching the whole day. Another addictive snacking food, the spiciness of the flavor mixed with the combination of cheesy taste gives it a good combination of complex tastes and you can taste the chilis that flavor it.

Their crunchy consistency makes for snacking consistently through the whole bag. The best part of these fiery treats it that by being baked they have less calories as some of their counterparts. Also, the pieces I have noticed in the bags I have bought are larger than some other well-known snacks. The bag is also filled to the rim and is very generous in portion size. It is the perfect pick me up treat on a cold day.

The Brim’s Crunchy Cheese Curls have a fiery peppery taste to them

The Brimm’s Barbecue Fried Pork Rinds are so rich and smokey and are addictive. These salty treats are hard to stop eating once you start. The crunchiness of the rinds and the sweet flavor of the barbecue sauce is mouthwatering, and I ate the whole 2.25-ounce bag at one sitting.

Brimm’s Barbecue Fried Pork Rinds

History of the Brimhall Snack Food Company:

(From the company website)

Brimhall Foods began as a one truck DSD Distributor in 1979. As demand increased, a Pork Rind manufacturing operation was opened in June of 1982. Currently we operate in a 77,000 square foot manufacturing facility on 5 acres in the Bartlett industrial Park with access to Interstate 40 less than one half miles away. We now produce Pork Rinds, Cracklings, Cheese Puffs, Cheese Curls, Hot Cheese Curls, Hot and Bacon Cheddar Fries, Butter, Cheese and Hot and White Cheddar Popcorn and Butter and Cheese Hullses Corn Pops.

We distribute Potato Chips, Tortilla Chips and other quality snack food items/ all in the BRIMM’s label. Brim’s branded products are sold throughout the southeast primarily through DSD wholesalers and distributors. Brimhall Foods is an equal opportunity employer and takes pride in its friendly workplace and cooperative work environment.

Employee turnover is well below industry averages. Product quality combined with excellent service to a loyal customer base has caused Brimhall Foods to become one of the leading producers of Pork Rinds and Cracklings in the United States.

Mission Statement:

*Working in harmony in a God honoring, God fearing atmosphere.

*Manufacturing and distributing snack foods that are superior in quality and value to consumers.

*Striving to help our distributers and customers attain their financial goals. “Brim’s Snacks becoming Number 1 in the Memphis Market.”

*Providing customer service to all customers in a professional and courteous manner.

*May our actions and words honor God.

Toast’em Pop Ups by Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company

Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company

1133 West 35th Street

Chicago, IL 60609

(773) 927-6622

https://www.schulzeburch.com/

I love Toast’em’s. I had never been a big fan of toaster pastries, thinking that items like Pop-Tarts by Kellogg’s were for little kids. Over the last few years, I discovered Toast’ems when I was shopping at the Dollar Tree and needed to bring a snack with me on my walks in Manhattan in the afternoons. These delightful treats carry so well and there is such a variety of flavors to choose from.

The Frosted Strawberry Toast’em’s

You do not even have to heat these pastries as they are good just out of the bag. They have the same consistency as a Pop Tart at half the price and sometimes they have a bonus pack where you get an extra package of pastries for the same price.

The taste is delicious with fillings that include cherry, strawberry and cinnamon with a thick icing on the outside. These moist and crisp pastries have a nice, combined taste for breakfast or for a snack at any time of the day.

During the Fall season, they carry a Pumpkin Spice flavor that really had a nice rich flavor to it. You can really taste the pumpkin flavor mixed in with a dash of cinnamon. This delicious flavor ushers in the feeling of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The consistency of the toaster pastries is wonderful and store well and last long. All the flavors have a nice taste without being overly sweet. The fruit flavors stay true to their type of taste. I have always liked the tartness of the cherry flavor.

What I like about the Toast’ems is when you bite into them, they have a thick crisp icing on the outside and inside a favorable gooey inside that flows out when you bite into them. They have nice combination of sweet flavors.

They are a nice alternative to a cookie or a fruit pie as an after school or something to sneak into your briefcase at work for the inner child in you. These nostalgic snacks are the perfect sugary treat.

The pastries have a nice look and taste (Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company)

History of Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company:

(From the company website)

Schulze & Burch’s almost 100-year history is a rich one filled with innovation, historic accomplishments and wholesome snacks, all powered by excellent teamwork. With more than 60 years of experience in contract manufacturing and more than 50 years of experience in private label, we know how to find the solutions to help your product succeeded.

1896: Paul Schulze Sr. established the Schulze Baking Company. Over the next three decades, it would become one of the largest commercial bread bakeries in the country.

1923: The Paul Schulze Biscuit Company was created from two small bakeries acquired by Paul Schulze after the sale of the bread business.

1933: The Burch Biscuit Company was organized as a subsidiary of Paul Schulze Biscuit Company.

1939: The companies were combined, and the name was changed to Schulze & Burch Biscuit Company.

1949: After spending much of World War II doing Army contract work, Schulze & Bruch focused again on high quality consumer products. The Flavor Kist brand was born with a wide variety of delicious cookies and crackers, including a revolutionary saltine cracker that was thinner, golden and packed in four wraps in every carton.

1950’s: Operations expanded to include two new ovens and the installation of a revolutionary bulk flour system.

1964: Schulze & Burch began manufacturing a new product, a toaster pastry, under the Toast’Em brand.

1980’s: Schulze & Burch produced the first dual textured cookie, chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

1990’s: Production bean on Snackin’ Fruits Pastry Bars, a new fruit filled product that came in cherry, apple and strawberry flavors.

2000’s: Schultze & Burch expanded with the addition of a plant in Searcy, AK and the acquisition of Yarnell’s Premium Ice Cream.

Our quality and food safety systems meet the strictest of global standards and are independently verified. Our three facilities can produce a variety of baked, formed and blended products, so we are positioned to help you bring your product ideas to market:

*Bars-formed, baked, chewy and crunchy

*Filled Products-toaster pastries and cereal bars

*Cookies and crackers-wire cut, laminated, extruded or rotary molded

*Cereal and ingredients-blended, coated or bases

The Company Mission:

Through long term partnerships in the food industry, we help strengthen consumer loyalties, enhance efficiency and build profitability by providing superior products and services at competitive prices.

We believe in conducting business in a constructive and ethical manner that is mutually profitable for our customers, employees, our supplier and the community. We expect a reasonable return on our investment and experience business growth by expanding sales and increasing profits.

Our commitment to the values of quality, credibility, cost effectiveness and people are keys to our success.

Butter Cream Easter Egg by Lerro’s Candy Company

Lerro’s Candy Company

601 Columbia Avenue

Darby, PA 19023

(610) 461-8886

http://lerrocandy.com/

Lerro’s Candy Company shop

I had been shopping in the Boscov’s Department Store in Woodbridge Center in Woodbridge, NJ recently and I walked into their Candy Department on the second floor to admire all their candy selections.

The shelves were ladened with products from Hershey’s Easter candies which rang true for a department store company based in Pennsylvania. So many wonderful food companies are based in the Lancaster and surrounding communities.

On one table I eyed one of my favorite holiday treats on the display table near the register, a decorated butter cream Easter Egg by the Lerro’s Candy Company. The beautifully decorated egg came in two sizes, and I preferred the larger one that would last until Easter morning.

This sweet Easter Egg was nicely decorated with all sorts of flowers and edible embellishments. The center of the egg has a thick sugary filling, and it is enrobed by a thick layer of milk chocolate. I ate the egg in small stages, taking a slice a day until Easter. I enjoyed the combination of flavors.

Lerro’s Butter Cream Egg

The egg brought back many wonderful memories of waking up Easter morning and searching for the basket my mother (the Easter Bunny) would hide for us all over our house.

This sugary confection is a childhood memory with each bite. I am looking forward to tasting their other holiday items in the future.

History of Lerro’s Candy Company:

(Company website)

The Lerro Candy Company was founded in 1916 in Philadelphia, PA by Giovanni Lerro, who had been creating candies and ice cream by hand since the 1880’s. The ice cream and candy were made by hand by John while his wife, Anna, hand decorated the eggs in the back of the store they created.

In 1950, John’s two sons joined the business and moved the company to a bigger operation in Darby, PA. Now into the third and fourth generations, the company is being run by his great-grandson John.

The original family store still sells the namesake products while the bulk of the business is in wholesale.

Here are some additional articles on the company:

A Peek Inside South Philly’s Lerro Candy

How Sweet It Is: Four Generations of Chocolatiers in South Philly

Cheese Ravioli by Pede Brothers Incorporated

Pede Brothers Incorporated

582 Duanesburg Road

Schenectady, New York 12306

(518) 356-3042

https://www.facebook.com/pedebrothers/

Home

I first discovered the ravioli from Pede Brothers in the frozen food section of Dollar Tree and for $1.00 a package I thought I might as well give them a try. I was surprised by how delicious they were when I made them at home.

First, these raviolis cook in about three minutes in boiling water and are perfect coming out of the pot. They are so tender on the outside and creamy from the ricotta cheese on the inside that they ooze when they are cut. They blend so well when they mix with the sauce.

What is nice about a package of their ravioli is that there is just enough for two people with a nice salad and garlic bread or nice sized meal for one person who is really hungry.

The best part is they taste homemade like they just came out of the box from a gourmet store. The Dollar Tree unfortunately does not carry any of their other products so I will have to search them out at another store.

Their frozen ravioli is excellent

History of Pede Brothers Incorporated:

(From the packaging and from the corporate website)

Pede Brothers Italian Specialty Foods Inc. has been family owned and operated for more than forty years. It’s a tradition that began in Rome, where as a teenager Romolo Pede Sr. first learned to make fresh pasta.

In 1967, Romolo Sr. started making this same pasta here in the United States, resolving to use nothing but the finest ingredients available. They opened their first storefront in Schenectady, New York and sold their products retail. The store still operates today.

Bunnies, Chicks & Eggs and Circus Peanuts Candies by the Spangler Candy Company

Spangler Candy Company

400 North Portland Street

Bryan, OH 43506

(419) 636-4221

https://www.facebook.com/spanglercandy/

Factory Tour on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g50139-d1837097-Reviews-Spangler_Candy_Factory-Bryan_Ohio.html

With the Easter holidays coming up, the aisles of the local stores are filled top to bottom with Easter candies of all assortments. One particular that I found that I had not eaten in years are the Spangler Bunnies, Chicks & Eggs, a delicious marshmallow candy that comes in various colors and the shapes of bunnies, chicks, and eggs that are perfect for any Easter basket.

These soft and sweet little candy figures are very similar to Circus Peanuts, another item that the company makes. This specialty item is only available at the Easter holidays. The consistency is slightly firmer than a traditional marshmallow but these rich treats taste of a sugary goodness in each bite.

These sweet treats are only available at the Easter holidays.

Some of the other products that Spangler Candy Company is known for, and I have not had since I was a kid were favorites Bit-O-Honey, a type of honey taffy/caramel combination that used to come both in stick and hand chew form, Dum Dums Lollipops that were popular when we used to visit the doctors’ offices when we were little and were big at Halloween.

Bit-O-Honey Candies

Dum Dums were big in the 1970’s at Halloween and trips to the doctor’s offices.

Another classic candy that is a popular holiday treat are Sweethearts, the pastel hearts with little messages so classic to Valetine’s Day and a part of elementary school parties.

Other classic candies include Necco Wafers and Canada Mints as well as a line of candy canes that are anticipated at the start of the Christmas holidays. Spangler Candy Company’s classic candies have been part of the holiday season for generations. These are true American classics.

What’s nice is that Spangler has a popular factory tour where you can learn about the history of the company, sample products and buy some of their product lines.

The Spangler Factory tour (TripAdvisor review above)

The History of the Spangler Candy Company:

(Spangler Candy Company website)

In 1906, Arthur G. Spangler acquired the Gold Leaf Baking Power Company for $450.00 and moved the operation to Bryan, Ohio, where he changed the name to Spangler Manufacturing Company.

His younger brother, Ernest, a candy jobber in nearby Toledo, joined the business in 1908 and they decided to add candy items. In 1911, they acquired the rights to a popular coconut item. Arthur hired the man who created the product, moved him to Bryan and introduced the Spangler Cocoanut Ball-Spangler’s first candy brand.

Omar Spangler joined the firm in 1914. Omar’s specialty was accounting. He left the Williams County Telephone Company, where he had been a manager, to join his brothers.

Spangler Candy is a family-owned private company founded in 1906. Our well-known and loved brands include Dum Dums, Saf-T-Pops, Spangler Candy Canes, Spangler Circus Peanuts, Necco Wafers, Sweethearts, Canada Mints and Bit-O-Honey.

Spangler Candy Products:

Their products include lollipop, candy canes, marshmallow circus peanuts, sugar-roll candies and chewy candies. To be one-stop shop for giveaway candy, well sell other types of candies including mint candy, hard candy and mixes, chewy candy, soft mint sugar candy and sugar roll candy. This makes it easy for businesses and organizations to purchase everything they need for giveaway, thank you candies or for parties, crafting, decorations, birthdays or special events.

We manufacturer and market the licensed brand names of Airheads, Hot Tamales, Jelly Belly, Oreo, Smarties, Skittles, Sour Patch, Starburst and Swedish Fish on select candy cane items. Take a tour of our company store, museum and factory and buy candy at our online store. Go to the fact sheet or check on career opportunities at Spangler Candy. The company is headquartered in Bryan, OH in a state-of-the-art facility.

(Spangler Candy Company website)

Melster Candies Circus Peanuts by Impact Confections Inc.

Lester Candies/Impact Confections Inc.

4017 Whitney Street

Janesville, WI 53546

(608) 208-1100

Melster Candies

Impact Confections Inc.

I have been in love with Circus Peanuts candies since I started eating. When I was little, we used to go to Joe’s Fruit Farm on Washington Valley Road in Bridgewater, NJ for our local fruits and apple cider. In the store front area of the farm (which was still going strong into 2006) used to have the old ‘penny candy’ jars.

When I was in elementary school, I used to go shopping with my mother there and used to beg for three things: red licorice strings, orange slices and Circus Peanuts. I still remember that little white bag I got filled with two of each (if I was good) and saved the Circus Peanuts for last.

Circus Peanuts by Melster Candies

I love the soft marshmallow consistency of these orange treats and the sweet taste of banana when you bite into them. Even after all these years, they still look and taste the same with their unique peanut look to them. It is nice to see that some companies do not change anything.

I like the way the sugary taste lingers in your mouth after biting into them. It is still one of my favorite candies along with orange slices (nothing changes for me). I also love the bite in them when you eat them in two mouthfuls. They are fun to make last.

The History of Melster Candies (now part of Impact Confections Inc.):

(Company website and Cambridge News Independent December 2019)

Melster Candies was founded in 1919 in Cambridge, WI by Harvey and Arthur Melster. The candy company was founded by their home under the watchful eye of their mother.

The Melster Candies logo

The company stayed in Cambridge, WI for 92 years until 2011 when a new facility was built in neighboring Janesville. The company had bought several candy companies over the years and increased their production lines to include cream drops and chocolate peanut butter kisses. The candies were made in the original factory that opened in 1935 until the new factory was built in 2011.

Impact Confections Inc. still uses the original recipe of Melster’s Candy and the look of the original molds in the peanut shape. The Melster line also includes holiday chocolate covered marshmallow Santas and snowmen. Impact Confections Inc. also makes all the Warhead products with their sweet/sour flavored candies.

Melster Candies Chocolate Marshmallow covered snowmen

In 2019, the factory production was bought by Kua Candy out of Mexico City in a partnership with Impact Confections Inc.