Brach's
Brach's Confections (
/ˈbrɑːks/) is a candy and sweets company which produces and invented many modern icons of the sugary world; it is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. In November 2007, Brach's Confections was sold to Farley's & Sathers Candy Company[1] and the corporate office moved to Round Lake, Minnesota.
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[edit] History
Brach's Confections was founded in 1904 by Emil J. Brach, a son of German immigrants who had recently invested in a candy factory which had failed.[2] He decided that he could do a better job of it himself, opening a candy store and factory in Chicago. This factory was famously filmed as Gotham Hospital in the 2008 film The Dark Knight and destroyed by a bomb set off by the Joker, played by Heath Ledger. The older red brick building in the background was the original factory.
The company is also credited with inventing several marketing techniques, such as barrel displays, glass candy counters, and the adaptation of old general store-type bulk purchasing to modern supermarkets with "pick-a-mix", a self-serve set of open candy containers which allows customers to scoop candy into bags to be sold by the pound.
The company was sold in 1966 to American Home Products, becoming the Brach's division of that company. In 1987, the Brach's division was bought by Jacobs Suchard. Jacobs Suchard was sold in 1990 to Philip Morris except for Brach's, which was retained by Klaus J. Jacobs in the transaction.
In 2003, Brach's was sold to the Jacobs-controlled company Barry Callebaut. In 2007, the company was sold to its current owners Farley's & Sathers.
[edit] Products
The company's first product was caramels, which it produced through a process which allowed it to underprice competition, creating a large demand. This product is still a company mainstay to the present day. Now they sell many sweet candies.
[edit] Candy Corn
Brach's Candy Corn is the number one selling candy corn in the United States. It is mostly associated with the holiday Halloween, but can also be bought (to a lesser degree) year round. It is available in a wide variety of flavors such as caramel apple, chocolate and caramel.
[edit] Mallowcreme Pumpkins
Brach's candy pumpkin, known by the trademarked name "Mellowcreme Pumpkin," is the most popular candy pumpkin.[3][4][5]
[edit] Brach's Rocks
Brach's Rocks were a pebble-shaped candy introduced in 1992.[6] They had the coloring and appearance of granite, with fruity, chewy centers.
They were advertised in commercials by a dinosaur character named Rocky D, "Dinosaur Extraordinaire", who was shown popping them into his mouth. Rocky D wore sunglasses and a red jersey with the letters BR on it. Kids' love of dinosaurs was the inspiration for this character and candy.[7] Laughing Dog developed the dinosaur character and the graphics.[8] The package had transparent panels so those looking at the packages in a store could see the rocks inside.[9]
Brach's Rocks were frequently advertised in Ren & Stimpy comics. Rocky D also appeared on TV. The commercials for Brach's Rocks were the first time Brach's advertised via television. [Brandweek, vol. 34, (C) 1993, p. 156.]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Farley's & Sathers acquires Brach's". 2007-11. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5832/is_200711/ai_n23801612. Retrieved 2008-07-27.[dead link]
- ^ "Brach's Confections, Inc.". Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc.. http://www.farleysandsathers.com/About/WhoWeAre.asp?BrandID=9. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ Blachford, Stacey L. (20 October 2008). "Candy Corn." How Products are Made. http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/candy-corn. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ "Brach's, Nation's Top Candy-Corn Maker, Scares Up Halloween Fun; Kids of All Ages to Consume 2 Billion 'Kernels' in 2004, Brach's 100th Birthday". PR Newswire Europe. October 13, 2004. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-894531_ITM. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ Miller, Lynne (17 September 2007). "Halloween presents supermarkets with a challenge to boost their candy market share". Supermarket News. http://supermarketnews.com/center_store/sweet_season_3/index1.html. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ Jorgensen, Janice (1994). Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands (3 ed.). Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press (published 1993). p. 68. ISBN 9781558623361. OCLC 32739665.
- ^ Davis, Sue (1993-04-15). New Candy Geared for the "Sour-Tooth". Prepared Foods. Chicago, Illinois: Gorman Publishing Company. OCLC 10665942. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3289/is_n5_v162/ai_14123545. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ McKenna, Anne T (2000). Digital Portfolio: 26 Design Portfolios Unzipped. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers. p. 111. ISBN 9781564964670. OCLC 43840508.
- ^ "bluesinkdeep design Portfolio". ifreelance.com. http://www.ifreelance.com/provider/portfolio/detailview.aspx?providerid=9373&sampleid=21953. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
[edit] External links
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