Candy Capital - A Chicago Stories Documentary

Chicago famously has a sweet tooth, and why wouldn’t it? For much of the twentieth century, Chicago reigned supreme as the “Candy Capital of the World.” From Cracker Jack and M&Ms, to Snickers and Lemon Heads, many of the world’s most well-known sweets originated in the city. At its peak, 100 Chicago candy companies, including Wrigley, Mars, and Ferrara produced a third of all candy in the United States and employed more than 25,000 people. But however all-American this world of confection may appear, it was immigrants who came to Chicago in the nineteenth century who helped mold the industry.
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Watch more amazing Chicago Stories: www.wttw.com/chicagostories
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[@williamhiller3988]

My grandfather emigrated from Germany around 1900, moved to Chicago, learned the art of candy making, and ran a confectionary the rest of his life.

[@ruthjesse6759]

I was a Machine Operator at Nestle Beich in Bloomington, IL. I wrapped Beich’s Crunch, Almond, Peanut, & Carmel Bars for Fund Raising. Then my Line also wrapped Nestle Crunch Bar & also Crunch Mini Bar. I met a man there at Nestlé Beich that had been there for quite some time and he was a machinist, and after a few years We Married, and Bob was my Machinist as well😆😃. I Wrap the Bars and He kept our Machines running. We had a wonderful life with Our Family & Nestle Family As Well Bob worked for 25 yrs there & I was there for 30 yrs. Our Son also Hired In and worked Laffy Taffy As A Cook. We Lived Happily Ever After with Candy In Our Heart & Souls. After We Both had Retired Ferraro Company bought out Nestle USA in Bloomington, IL Wonderful Documentary!!!!

[@joijaxx]

What a wonderful story, thanks for sharing!

[@leedaniels7196]

Thank you for sharing this!.🤗

[@robenlewis5310]

A beautiful story indeed! Thank you

[@meegansandberg1308]

Candy in your mouth is good. Candy in your heart and soul sounds even better.

[@LynxStarAuto]

@@meegansandberg1308lol that's what she said 😂

[@Philtration]

I lived on the other side of Cicero Ave from the Brach's factory and the place was gigantic. When the wind was blowing towards the west the whole neighborhood smelled like chocolate covered cherries.

[@cocoaorange1]

I grew up near Garfield Park from the 70's-90's. I recall Brach's from riding the El.

[@hoss-lk4bg]

glad you're still alive

[@catherineannelockman3805]

Mmmmmmm...loved them...

[@davidhibbs6989]

Kinda reminds me back in the 60's and 70's growing up, we lived just behind the railroad tracks and on the other side was Vicks manufacturing corporation and use to wake up with the smell of cough drops in the morning! Use to clean out your nose for free 🤣

[@ToniInSussex]

They were the best!!!

[@jedpeeler4199]

My mother told me that , by 1937, she was working for Mars Candy, then Kraft Cheese in Chicago. There was no depression for those who wanted to work. Curtiss Candy Co. was also hiring her friends. Back then, Chicago was a German-American city. I can remember that, even from my youth in the 1950s. Hard working people!

[@NeighborhoodOfBlue]

I'm glad things went well for your family during the great depression, but it's dishonest to state that 'there was no depression for those who wanted to work'. For many across the US, there was no work to be had. Please be honest with yourself and the rest of us.

[@Superator69]

A Sicilian named Al Capone ran your German American city at that time buddy 😂

[@joannparent251]

I grew up in Chicago and am still amazed we grew up with our teeth.

[@tangelaswain259]

😂 ABSOLUTELY TRUE & TOTALLY AMAZING!!! 😂😅😂😋😋

[@123pickles]

Same here. Us kids walked by a candy factory on the way to school. It smelled like chocolate. Maybe that is why we are so healthy, because we walked the mile to school. My favorite candy was malted milk balls but they taste like tasteless plastic balls nowadays. Still trying to find some good candy to bring back childhood memories. There used to be candy stores all over the place. Fannie Mae (candy store, not a mortgage store) best place to buy a gift.

[@leedaniels7196]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@user-vy4xx2qp3d]

Type-2 diabetes🤣

[@ToniInSussex]

My main choppers are LONG gone. Every time I went to dentist as a kid I had a cavity.

[@AmberWool]

My grandmother went to Chicago because she had a boyfriend in Southern Illinois. She worked in a candy factory and married that boyfriend.

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

Wait - she went to Chicago because her boyfriend was at the opposite end of the state?? I’m glad they had a life together, though ❤😊

[@teresaarvidson44]

SWEET!

[@elaineteut9579]

My favorite is See’s candies in California. My Grandpa would give our family a big box of Sees every Christmas.

[@mystikbuttcrack4335]

I wish someone would make a See’s documentary. The company history is so interesting (and sweet 😉)

[@pinkparasollise9646]

I still buy See's candies for myself occasionally. Decades ago, my Los Angeles uncle sent See's every Christmas to his family in Philadelphia.

[@wicket042]

Worked at See's one year Junior year of high school - thought i would never want to see ( no pun) another See's candy but Bordeaux is still my holiday go to

[@edwardmathews9041]

My grandfather was a candy maker in Milwaukee and he would always make us taffy pulls and trays of puffed rice with boiled corn syrup and always had a buffet drawer full of penny candy. He never went a day without Bazooka bubble gum. We had so much fun at his house back in the day. I was raised to be a sugar addict with a mouth full on cavities and have had an adult life of unraveling this addiction. Life was sweet then , but I am so much better without sugar

[@skyeblue5669]

You're so LUCKY

[@suziecreamcheese211]

Keto or the carnivore diet, as well as the one meal a day practice is a great way to loose weight and kill sugar cravings.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I used to work as a locomotive engineer for the Soo Line/Canadian Pacific Railroad and often took freight trains on the Belt Railway of Chicago trackage that passed by the east side of the huge Brach's candy factory on the north side. There was a steam pipe that exhausted from the Brach's plant very near these tracks (about 10 feet above the ground). Every time you'd pass that steam pipe with your southbound train, you'd get a nice, sweet smell of what seems like a whole bunch of candies rolled into one (which was pretty much the case). It broke my heart when that Brach's plant was closed and later torn down if anything just for that delicious experience alone.

[@paulazemeckis7835]

In the 60's as a child I would hang out at Rock Island train station just to watch the trains. Longwood & 111th st.

[@gaylelakeview2363]

Brach went down to Mexico.

[@rambler05]

I used to go to class in Columbus OH early evening. Must have been on the schedule the local bakery used to make cinnamon raisin bread. O.M.G.!!! Then the Feds came in with their anti-VOC campaign and made it illegal to exhaust those aromas - had to incinerate the exhaust from ovens before release. 😢

[@dthomas9230]

@@gaylelakeview2363 NAFTA and Clinton enacting GOP policies at every stage.

[@rambler05]

Worked for Nabisco back in the glory days (BKK - before Krapft korruption). Their Chicago bakery was the largest in the world, before Krapft started tearing it apart. One room alone had an even dozen 300 ft long ovens, each band 39” wide. Made 1 MILLION pounds of cookies A DAY!!

[@msc8663]

And during desert storm Hershey made a candy bar that did not melt during desert storm. Hershey sent them to the service people a taste of home!

[@juliep1542]

I wish they had sent me one.

[@msc8663]

@@juliep1542 my brother in law was there he sent so.e home. They were weird tasting buy maybe because I didn't like Hershey or any chocolate I'm not a fan.

[@jedpeeler4199]

If you don't want chocolate to melt, just add enough food grade ester wax of the right grade (usually a pleasant yellow color) to it! It also has a pleasant taste and won't be digested.

[@roberthepburn-gr4fq]

I miss the brachs candy section what a blast it was to be able to pick your own pieces

[@raymondcorona5541]

Me too , missed them a lot !!! They were so delicious❤

[@loistverberg900]

Brachs Pick-A-Mix! Great stuff. My favorite was the white nougat candy with the little jelly windows in them. Yummm.

[@maryvasquez7246]

@@loistverberg900mine too do you know which store sell them?

[@rosemarywilliams9969]

Candy is the one drug I could never say No to. Never had the freedom to have any until I was 18 and on my own. Too much of anything is bad BUT life seems better with candy❤

[@stevewheatley243]

I've never known a woman who wasn't a chocolate addict.😂

[@meegansandberg1308]

Some people binged on TV series during the pandemic. Others binged on alcohol. I binged on candy 🍬. At times I was a regular glutton.

[@LynxStarAuto]

Who can say no to candy? I have a major sweet tooth.

[@iwouldliketoorderanumber1b79]

Brings a new meaning to “Sweet home Chicago”.

[@emilyrauwerdink3451]

😋👍

[@lynemac2539]

Or maybe the candy is the source of the lyric.

[@catherineannelockman3805]

Isn't it sweet home Carolina?...

[@lynemac2539]

There may be be something like that but the song referred to is Sweet Home Chicago.

[@emilyrauwerdink3451]

"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond? 😁 @@catherineannelockman3805

[@soniatriana9091]

Wow! I not absolutely no idea that Chicago had this significant role in American history! But I totally understand it, now that I truly saw the strategic & significance of its pivotal railway transportation hub!! No wonder so many innovative idea/businesses were created there!! This series of documentaries is phenomenal - thank you!!

[@zyxw2000]

My friend's English grandfather actually invented the MnM before it was named that. He sold the idea and that was the candy that Forest Mars discovered. My friend's grandfather never received credit for it.

[@raymondcorona5541]

Wow it happens😮Thanks for the valuable information!!!

[@jedpeeler4199]

Just like the Post-It-Note idea that was stolen from Daubert Chemical by 3M. A lot of industrial espionage and theft of ideas goes on. I lost one patent and one breakthrough medical implement idea to industrial spies. I learned from that and never patented another idea; from that point on I relied upon trade secrets and unique processing methods.

[@FigaroHey]

My grandpa invented sugar. Nobody gave him any credit, either.

[@theboyisnotright6312]

When i was in college i worked the graveyard at Brochs, yes Brochs. We made gummy bears and worms. Also the marshmallow filled chocolate Santas, Easter bunnys, or whatever. Fun place to work actually. And snelled divine😊. This was in Winona Minnesota. Also nicely in the summer the AC was cranked. If the AC ever went out we would have been knee deep in melted chocolate 😂😂😂. Later they did get bought by Brachs. Good times😊

[@breakthechains8362]

Chicago has the most colorful history. There's no other city that has contributed so much to our modern world. Another unbelievable story. 👍

[@iwouldliketoorderanumber1b79]

It’s the heart of America.

[@simon23]

You mean like murder and gang warfare?

[@hoss-lk4bg]

amen

[@gaylelakeview2363]

Bring a tote bag and your wallet. Its worth it😊

[@OutboundShane]

Like they say Houston is the energy capital of the world Chicago truly is the food capital of the world.

[@karenhargis9824]

This doc should have more recognition

[@aroseboregman6341]

They forgot to mention, Fannie Mae Candies. The little stores were everywhere. My favorites were the Strawberry, Maple cremes, and the English Toffie! It was a real treat to get a box for your birthday, or special occasion. I cried when the company closed.

[@mick7even]

So she is the one that holds my college loans?!?! 🤣

[@meegansandberg1308]

You can still find Fannie May candy. My local CVS sells them.

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

@@meegansandberg1308 Yeah - they’re not even close to being the same.

[@shibolinemress8913]

In Ohio we had Fanny Farmer's. Seriously, that was the name 😂😂. I laughed as a kid, but loved the chocolates as an adult! For Christmas we'd give and receive boxes of either Fanny Farmer's or Whitman's Sampler chocolates among family friends, at the office, etc.The boxes were so lovely that I often saved them to keep special letters in.

[@patfarmer5371]

@@mick7even What's next, Freddie Mac Burgers?

[@eunicestone6532]

Fanny May turtles are awesome. I can eat the whole box.

[@karenwhite4461]

Pixies ❤

[@marymahar8446]

Mint Meltaways 😋

[@SJJewel-fl2jl]

I lived in so.bend ind. We had a fannie mae candy store downtown , a woolworths that made donuts in the front window,same street mr.peanut walking about and the smell of peanuts and there were hot cashews. The smell was heavenly.i don't know why we weren't fat and toothless. We were 60 miles from chicago and a melting pot of germans,italians, polish. We went to chicago weekly on the southshore. We had such fun.we could go to 4 states within an hour or less and had the best foods and treats anywhere.😅❤

[@meegansandberg1308]

I could eat a whole box of anything Fannie May makes. 😊

[@LynxStarAuto]

@@marymahar8446I'm a sucker for mint chocolate. Looked those up, and my goodness!

[@tedlawrence4189]

Garrett's best caramel corn in the whole world. First time eating it back in the 1950's!

[@kellydavis4445]

Have you tried the corn wagon parked on the west side of Clare Mi.? It's the best.

[@marymahar8446]

The Garrett Chicago mix is the 💣

[@loriloristuff]

We lived in Lakeview BEFORE it was fancy! Monday through Friday, the Reeds Company made a different flavor hard candy, and Monday through Friday, the neighborhood was fragranced with cinnamon, root beer, mint, lemon- lovely!!!!

[@St63420]

I remember it well. The smells. Root beer and cinnamon 😊 lived on West Barry AVE in the early 60s. Hello neighbor😂

[@lynnhubbard844]

I lived there (actually Lincoln Park) in the 80's--loved it

[@Superator69]

You mean before it became boys town ? 😂

[@eunicestone6532]

I used to love the smell outside when leaf candy company made the grape flavor candy. The whole city smelled like sweet grapes.

[@jchow5966]

I miss Marshall Fields and Marshall Fields’ Frango Mints!!!!!!!

[@reallydarlings-se2xf]

My middle school friend's mother gave me her recipe for frango mint pie. Forty plus years ago. I still make it. Chocolate ice cream, mint, crumb crust. Yum!

[@marymahar8446]

They are still made and sold in Chicago. You can buy them online too.

[@aroseboregman6341]

Yes, Going to the Walnut Room, seeing that huge Christmas tree, and having lunch with your grandparents was a big treat. My grandmother worked there for 25 years. I remember her stories of the wealthy Society Ladies coming in to shop. I miss Marshall Fields, and the windows.

[@kellybrown8638]

I live in Oregon. I had NO idea of any of this. What a wonderful story

[@bossfan49]

For those of us who grew up here, it's bittersweet (pun fully intended). There are several documentaries highlighting different foods that originated in Chicago: Oscar Mayer, Jay's Potato Chips, Eli's Cheesecake, Sara Lee/Hillshire Farms, Hickory Farms, Twinkies, Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Kronos (Mediterranean foods-gyros, pitas, yogurts etc), Green River soda, Vienna Beef products, Dove Chocolate, World's Finest Chocolate, .. and other recipes that originated here like deep dish/stuffed pizza, Chicken Vesuvio, the "Italian beef" sandwich, and Chicago style hot dog.

[@bossfan49]

(addition) in fact the footage of the Tootsie Roll factory at 42:25 is taken from an earlier documentary from 2007 called The Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History by Geoffrey Baer (the man speaking to company president Ellen Gordon) Baer has made about 20 documentaries on Chicago architecture, history, food, music, it's individual neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs.

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

@@bossfan49 Dang I’m hungry right now!!

[@user-gu1jk4qn6b]

I worked at Fannie May Candies, all from Chicago. It was so freaking good, I'd bring any leftover home,, and give a box to my grandma, my mama, me, and get 75% off. Not one piece tasted bad. All were from Chicago., Fannie May had the best, creamiest, butteriest caramel anywhere.

[@etrisb]

Was there any mention of Fannie May in this documentary? I didn't hear any, and it makes me angry. I grew up in Illinois, and not one Christmas would go by without a box of Fannie May.

[@user-gu1jk4qn6b]

@@etrisb I can still imagine the scent, of all those candy trays, when they came into the shop! Their vanilla caramel was so buttery, and to me, worth every penny I paid. There was a black walnut nougat, my Ma and Grandmother liked. I could get them at discount, if they were being sent back. My boss did send backs on Wednesdays, so when I returned home, at 9:30 p.m., they'd be waiting.

[@marymahar8446]

Mint Meltaways!! 😋

[@marymahar8446]

​@@etrisb No, I kept waiting for it. 😢

[@meegansandberg1308]

I love Fannie May! When I was a kid, my grandma would buy a ton of them every Easter for me and my cousin. Plenty to share with her and grandpa.

[@tarasaurus98]

This series has some of my absolute favorite documentaries, it's so good

[@heatherwhatever7714]

My dentist knew that I carried gummies on runs (and nagged me about it) and knew when I’d pulled a filling out that it was no doubt candy related. I’m still sober. Small price to pay. ☺️

[@deborahbaker4770]

My Great Uncle Harry Ingalls like to invent thing’s in his basement to see if they would work he invented the machine that put the sucker on the stick and how to make the Carmel stick to Carmel corn unfortunately he worked for a company that claimed the right’s to both just because he worked there he couldn’t patent them in his own name which is sad‼️ He was a famous wrestler in his younger day’s his name was KID INGALLS my Uncle showed me his poster I guess he was into everything and anything a very ambitious man. And we are related to Laura Ingalls Wilder my Great Aunt’s would go and spend summer’s with her their father’s name was CHARLES INGALLS he was named after Laura’s father I love family history and I liked this video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

I love family history, too! My biggest claims to fame from my past are that my mother had an ancestor who came to the US with Christopher Columbus, and I’m a cousin to Queen Elizabeth II. But the best part is … I can actually prove it! It’s so fun to learn where you come from, and you probably will agree - it’s also important for us to pass this knowledge on to our children and grandchildren.

[@joijaxx]

Wow wow wow!

[@vickidalton9858]

My father retired from mars after 35 years. My mother also worked there and it was where they met. My sister also worked there in the summers during her college years.

[@paulasmall5113]

I was born and raised in Chicago. It's a beautiful city. Chicago is like food central it offers the best vanities of food.

[@wendywright5486]

Riding down the Eisenhower guessing what Ferra-pan was making by the smell 😂good times

[@goodfay]

I almost shed a tear listening to this. It's soothing and brought back good memories

[@tangelaswain259]

ABSOLUTELY DID & FULLY ENJOYED 😊❤

[@charleneweege7149]

My mom worked for the original Dove candies in the late 30's

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

Dove is only dark chocolate I like

[@Rinconmaniac]

As a Canadian, I find the whole history of Chicago quite amazing! So many issues that city overcame. Many reputable companies where based in Chicago. One of my favourites was Schwinn. I loved the krate bikes from the 60's &70's.

[@khunopie9159]

It matters not one bit what country you are from to find the history of Chicago amazing. Chicago's history is amazing, PERIOD, and whether you are Canadian, Vietnamese or from Detroit, people find the history of Chicago amazing.

[@bossfan49]

Quote Kenan Thompson from Saturday Night Live : "Come on, player. Everybody knows Canada is just French for 'Chicago'.". 😀 We love you folks up north. After all we both hate the Redwings, Bruins and Rangers, and we have the Second City comedy connection with Toronto and the tv series Due South.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I wish the Nestle candy, which is only made in Canada, Coffee Crisp, were more widely available in the U.S. I was at a shopping mall, candy shop in suburban Chicago and they wanted $3.95 for one Coffee Crisp candy bar. Nuts! Thankfully I was in St. Stephen, New Brunswick a few weeks earlier and bought two 4-packs of this rare in the U.S., Canadian candy.

[@rudydevich9046]

Ancient history. Today, its the bankrupt, murderous,democrat cultural marxist mafia regimes sanctuary shithole. 600 minority on minority murders, 2800 wounded. Drug and sex disease deaths littering the streets. Population 1960 3.6 mil. Today, 2.7 mil. from what I see , I doubt that many left.

[@Lisa-pl6gv]

​@WAL_DC-6B I've never heard of Coffee Crisp, but that sounds delicious!

[@PiggyPickem]

I love these Documentaries. Makes me the old days of my hometown Chicago. It’s changed so much and not the same when I come home to visit. I used to love the Ferrera Pan Factory

[@joedaniels1597]

I read meters in the late sixties and Ferrara Pan was on one my routes. They would give me so much candy my dentist would be looking at new luxury cars.

[@ToniInSussex]

We have our collective memories. ❤

[@PiggyPickem]

@@joedaniels1597 😂😂

[@iwouldliketoorderanumber1b79]

Times change and years from now people will be looking at other great things we can’t see now that took place in Chicago. This city never stops working and downtown continues to expand to this day.

[@hoss-lk4bg]

translation ??

[@topherv4229]

I remember standing at the corner of LaSalle and Madison, waiting for a bus to go home and occasionally, the smell of warm chocolate was in the winter air. OR riding the EL to downtown and passing through the Meyer plant that straddled the El tracks and smelling cooked sausages.

[@jacquesleroux5069]

I visited Chicago in 2000 for IT business, I loved the place, want to return one day! I am from South Africa

[@meegansandberg1308]

If you ever return, I recommend visiting the Field Museum of Natural History and the Shedd Aquarium if you haven't already. I live two hours south of Chicago.

[@annohalloran6020]

Milk Duds put me through college. Daddy was a dentist.

[@ToniInSussex]

Ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[@emilyrauwerdink3451]

😂

[@darringraham2613]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🦷

[@Rlip]

Yeah really sugar is terrible for your teeth. I’m looking into alternatives 😂

[@marymahar8446]

They'll rip out a crown too!

[@hellhound1389]

I grew up on both sides of Chicago. I still enjoy tootsie rolls and Lemonheads

[@KiraReminiec9399]

I wish that Ferrara Pan never brought the Atomic fireballs back... I broke one tooth,chipped another & lost the enamel on a third because of them ! By the way, Red Hots are best after they've been left in the box in a drawer for a week...the cinnamon flavor becomes more intense

[@mikekaup5252]

I really miss Brachs candy the caramel peanut goodies were awesome.

[@sevenravens]

My dad made good money at the Buick dealership as a mechanic. He bought my mom a big new gas range and a Betty Crocker cookbook. She made all kinds of fancy candy and desserts all the time. I guess I just thought it was normal but nope, she was the exception in our neighborhood 😂

[@meegansandberg1308]

Those old Betty Crocker cook books are insanely awesome! I have my mom's old one from 1962. The binding held together by duct tape. That's how much we've used it. I still find new recipes in it to this day.

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

@@meegansandberg1308 I have my grandmother’s Betty Crocker cookbook that was printed in 1950 - right when it was first published. There are pages that have flour, sugar, water spill marks, places where a vanilla bottle sat on a page as the vanilla slid down one side, and so on. It also has some of Grandma’s own favorite recipes written here and there in it. I love it!!

[@Superator69]

If you bought an American gen z a cookbook now a days 😂

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

@@Superator69 Right??!

[@LeahysLads]

What makes me so sad as a lifelong city kid is the fact that Chicago is continuously spiraling into the abyss. Just look at the other WTTW documentaries on the industries that have greatly downsized or completely evaporated in the last twenty five years. Very little is coming behind to fill the void and our local and state government chases solid job creating industries away with ridiculous taxation. Nostalgic documentaries are very informative but they beg the question of what’s the solution?

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

Very true. We need to go back in time and start over!

[@Superator69]

It's become Shitcongo. Just look at the mayor and the one before him. Nuff said.

[@wdbreezy]

I’ve attended the Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago, but had no idea of the full candy history. What a fascinating documentary !

[@cunard61]

The original almond Mars Bar, is still my favorite candy bar of all time. It's a shame they don't make it anymore.

[@UncleDavesKitchen]

LOVELY documentary. So much I never knew. Definitely need to watch this again.

[@kp6215]

My family were confectioners in Kent followed William the Conqueror from Normandy. Dad was a pharmacist thus knew chemicals that harm the body.

[@mrtempleton5302]

Cant stop binging this series. Never realized i knew so little about this city! Also didnt realize how badly i need candy right now!

[@juliemcarthur3004]

I miss brachs

[@ToniInSussex]

Is there no Brachs at all? Just seems hard to believe.

[@pennybechtold3524]

@AmericanInSussexUK, there is still Brach’s. I know Amazon has them.

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

@@pennybechtold3524 They don’t taste the same.

[@petej.8676]

I pass by Worlds Finest chocolate company on west Lawndale now and then...mmmm you can smell the chocolate Then theres Ferrara Pan in Forest Park...Lemonheads!!

[@suz0000]

My grandparents lived in Chicago back in the early years of the 1900’s. They loved sweets. Wonder if they visited these companies. Loved hearing this story.

[@johnvrabec9747]

My Mom worked at the Tootsie Roll factory on the South Side when it was still making things for the war.

[@afwalker1921]

There is a special place in Heaven for the candymakers. God will want to keep them close!

[@martycarey2784]

My aunt retired from Mars they were good employers back then

[@ToniInSussex]

Mars are my faves, and thank goodness they have them here in England, except a Mars bar here is a Milky Way. Took me a while, but I figured it out!!! Can only find peanut M&Ms here, ya know, for emergencies. 😂😂😂 Were they in Franklin Park?

[@cocoaorange1]

I did not know Mars bought Wrigley.

[@colleenshea7626]

I retired from mars in 1999. Good supplemental health Insurance to Medicare back then.

[@heatherwhatever7714]

That’s good to know.

[@eunicestone6532]

Does anyone remember BB BATS? It was icecream flavored taffy on a stick.

[@suziecreamcheese211]

When did those come out.

[@juliep1542]

Yes, I remember.

[@terr777]

You can still find those at 5 Below.

[@marymahar8446]

Banana flavored too! 😋

[@jayalexander3356]

Yes! I love them and can occasionally still find them at specialty shops.

[@stevenikitas8170]

Great documentary... My grandparents came from Greece, and many Greek immigrants opened candy shops as their first businesses in the US. I must visit Margie's when I come to Chicago.

[@cocoaorange1]

The Beatles ate at Margie's once.

[@carlsaganlives5112]

@@cocoaorange1 George's sister has lived in downstate Illinois since the 60's, and George visited on their first tour and no one noticed, lol.

[@marymahar8446]

Greeks started Saganaki in Chicago too I've heard. Opa!!

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

@@carlsaganlives5112 Most people don’t notice celebrities unless the celebrities flaunt themselves and draw attention their way. I keep telling people to look up, meet the eyes of the people you meet walking down the street. A little smile doesn’t hurt either.

[@devoradamaris]

🕊🌎🕊🕊sharing🫂thankYOU Chicago, IL.

[@ToniInSussex]

We have false teeth but hey.... 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Actually, the Tootsie Roll company did not move into a former "bomber plant" as indicated in this documentary with the shots of Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" bombers. Instead, the facility Tootsie Roll moved into was the old Dodge plant that was built during WWII for the production of the Wright 3350, "Cyclone," radial piston engine that would be used to power the four engine, Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bomber of WWII, Pacific theater fame. After the war, part of the plant was used by Preston Tucker to build his revolutionary, post war car, the '48 Tucker (only 50 production Tuckers were built on the short-lived, "assembly line"). After Tucker, Ford Motor Co. would purchase the facility and again build military radial piston and then jet engines for the U.S. Air Force. Much of the former plant acreage is now occupied by the Ford City shopping mall. It's been alleged that Tootsie Roll has an original Wright 3350 engine on display at their Chicago plant for visitors to see.

[@dawnreneegmail]

Thank you for setting us straight. If it weren't for us old-timers, misinformation just becomes part of the landscape. Shytown gurl weighing in and my jam? FANNIE MAE!

[@theboyisnotright6312]

Oh yes the double mint twins! Really enjoyed those commercials 😉

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

“Double the flavor, double the fun!”

[@be6715]

I highly recommend the book, 'The Emperors of Chocolate'; the author was in the documentary. It led me to invest in Hershey. Mars being privately owned, isn't available. And Milton was a better man too.

[@oldnewbie45]

Didn't Hershey move to Mexico?

[@twilfits]

Thank you What a rich history children especially should be learning about. 👏🏾

[@gandydancer823]

I watched this on WTTW Passport... this is very cool story. Well done

[@michiganmymichigan]

The visual, with 🍬 candy, is the intrigue. The creativity is inspiring.

[@warthog473]

Schraft's Candy in Boston MA. They had a huge sign you could see from I- 93 and all the drugstores in New England (independently owned, of course) carried their candy. They were the best.

[@LilBiT52064]

*What a wonderful documentary. Thank You for it!!!*

[@Condesamontes]

My husband’s paternal grandmother worked in a candy factory when his grandfather was in WW2. We have a Mars factory about 20 minutes away in Cleveland TN. It’s really cute, has big M&Ms outside of the plant. My kids love to go to Rocket Fizz here in Chattanooga, they have tons of nostalgic candies.

[@momentswithyahya4239]

Fun fact: Chewing gum really does aid in digestion. ❤

[@LynnE507]

All those treats! Yum😋🥰

[@davidhibbs6989]

The candy made pre 1980 tastes like a different candy compared to what they make today! Everything tastes completely different and it's no longer for me! The kids of today's world only knows the candy taste of today. Not the artificial flavors, colors and extra sugar and less natural ingredients.

[@zyxw2000]

Most candy is now made with corn syrup, not cane sugar. Main reason why.

[@Trapper_Creek_2024]

I used to chew Juicy Fruit like crazy. It’s got artificial sweetener in it now - which I’m allergic to, which is how I found out years ago that they changed their recipe. No more gum for me unless I buy some Beeman’s or Black Jack gum online.

[@davidhibbs6989]

@@Trapper_Creek_2024 I'm the exact same no artificial sweeteners for me either. I use to buy one's called fizzies different flavors that you would drop into water to make a little sweet drink like Root beer, orange and cola flavor, found a store selling it about 10 years ago and bought some. Took one sip and thought what the hell is this! Made with sugar free artificial sweeteners 👺 and not the same company either!

[@maggiewickwire2936]

My grandmother worked at Brach’s in Chicago in the 1920s.

[@Superator69]

Chicago was full of brothels in the 20's

[@user-yk7vp2qw4h]

I love this ..... They get better and better, ... This story is very interesting ....

[@curtislowe4577]

Have some candies changed production methods that caused a distinct change in the candy? I can recall absolutely loving both Payday and Twinkies in the 60s. In later 60s either I changed or the product actually changed. I stopped eating Twinkies for several years because the cream filling simply wasn't as creamy as before - the taste had a chemical overtone. I don't now recall what the change in the later 60s Payday was. Earlier this century Butterfinger changed the texture of the bar. Butterfinger had been my favorite bar since the 80s. The center was drier and more crumbly. I've tried them again occasionally but IMO they have changed and not for the better. The product I miss the most is the banana flip. They were phased out by the late 90s. Every time I do any traveling I always check the candy aisle. They are just gone. Nickle's Bakery in Ohio carried them on their website as recently as early this century but would not sell them except to local customers.

[@jw77019]

The candy is not as good as it used to be. Not that long ago, Reece’s cups were good. Now they’re not. They skimp on quality. The chocolate is not good quality. They put high fructose corn syrup anywhere they can instead of cane sugar. Recently her has been a degradation in quality of Cadbury candies. It’s not selling and is often now sold 2 for $4.00, when their bars sold for almost $3.00 years ago. I am learning to make my own candy. It keeps indefinitely when frozen. Even unrefrigerated it lasts a week or three, depending on the ingredients. Anything enrobed in chocolate is preserved somewhat by the airtight coating of chocolate.

[@Starfish2145]

That’s because they all have crap ingredients now. Nasty seed oils, chemical flavors and high fructose corn syrup.

[@deanvoss7098]

Remember how good Snickers used to be

[@JudithMcPheron-pb9lv]

Yum. Delectable history made fun. ❤❤❤

[@LeahysLads]

How did they forget to mention Fannie Mae Candies?

[@paulazemeckis7835]

Fran's candy store across the street from Clissold school on Western Ave & 110th Pl. Behind the Buy-Low grocery store. Penny candies galore in the 60's.

[@vincentmancini6279]

But there was Blummer's and still Fanny Mae!!!!!!!!!!

[@perryingram23]

Born and bred Chicago native here. My father worked at a candy factory at Ferrera in the city when I was a kid…..and you’d think me and my eight siblings would have been swimming in candy bars from his job during our childhood. Thank God we only got free candy bars from his work a few times a month or else me and all my siblings would have probably developed hella diabetes in our youth 😅 💯

[@tjr247]

That was just so amazing to me. I loved the whole doc. Thank you! ❤

[@diane9247]

This was SO interesting! I had no idea of the colorful interweaving of candy brand history.😋

[@sutherlandA1]

Outside of North America the Milky way is known as the Mars bar while the 3 musketeers is known as the Milky way

[@brocktonma.1816]

These presenters are so sweet they have me a cavity.

[@bossfan49]

@42:25 that's footage of Geoffrey Baer filming his 2007 documentary The Foods of Chicago.

[@QuinnnMallory]

8:55 Learned something new. For over half a century I've been pronouncing "Brachs" as "Bratches" (rhymes with "matches").

[@FigaroHey]

Who remembers when a Three Musketeers Bar was HUGE and cost 5 cents? I loved Three Musketeers growing up, and it seems like the rare times when I got my hands on enough money to buy one, my mother would always say, 'In my day, a Three Musketeers Bar had three flavors: Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla. Now it's only one flavor.' Funny how when candy is a rare treat, it looms so large in one's childhood memories. Now I don't think I could eat the stuff, but as a child, it was like a mouthful of heaven when we got candy, even crappy candy like cotton candy - pure sugar, sticky, artificially colored nastiness on a stick - it was just bliss.

[@franciszkajanuszewski3982]

Love the documentary

[@meedwards5]

Very interesting documentary! Thank you for making it

[@Richard-me2pq]

Candy store owners must have had to pay a lot of protection money to the local mobsters like Johnny Torrio and Alphonso Capone, Bugs Moran, etc. in addition to candy making costs!

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

My favorite Ferrara Pan candy was Jaw Breakers. 😋

[@v.a.993]

lol...I remember when Nerds came out in the 80s. I was a major candy connoisseur back then.

[@emilyrauwerdink3451]

Yes! Still one of my favorites.

[@meegansandberg1308]

Sweet and tangy!

[@paulrosa6173]

I remember the Ferarra store in Little Italy in Manhattan. Everyone thought they w4ere native. I didn't know they were a branch of the chicago factory.

[@sbk1983]

Chicago…..The city of Candy 😛

[@Superator69]

Shitcongo 💩

[@manp1039]

very interesting documentary. I think there is an interesting parallel between prohibition.. and the emergence of shops where people could buy foods and drinks loaded with sugar.. Plus interestingly.. there is some parallels between alcohol and sugar addictions and their effects on human health.

[@gabbycarter965]

Snickers was my favorite candy bar.

[@mikenuyen4441]

Ferrara Pan has been my favorite for 60 years..

[@jw77019]

Love great candy. It’s become impossible to find without paying a fortune. Sees is about the only one available locally, and only a few stores have a limited selection. The regular candy bars used to be good but no longer.

[@bigskunk801]

Mars makes more pet food than candy now days. Many, many brands of mostly dog n cat food.

[@colleenshea7626]

They also invented the Mars lights for the roof of police cars too. I don’t know if it’s still used today. They make Dove ice cream

[@tfrench4249]

Funny to hear the dude describe the sugar beet as looking like a big radish. As if people don't know what beets look like?

[@emilyrauwerdink3451]

I thought the same thing. 😂

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

Only one thing brought Chicago down and that was closing of the auto plants. I was a young teenager boy through the 70s when there was a gas shortage and people started buying little cars. General Motors was still pumped out them big gas gusslers and could never get it through their heads small cars were in.

[@meegansandberg1308]

I remember the energy crisis. My parents believed small cars were death traps and refused to buy them.

[@jedpeeler4199]

Unions and political corruption are what closed many industrial plants and drove them overseas. I had to move my plant to Nevada, to keep it in the U.S..

[@ToniInSussex]

My mother died at age 62. She really only ate candy, and suffered mentally. Anyways, I checked her waste paper basket to see what she did last, since she died suddenly. It was an empty bag of Tootsie Rolls, possibly her last meal. ❤

[@Starfish2145]

That’s awful 😮

[@ToniInSussex]

@@Starfish2145 It was. She was nuts. I think it was because of her diet. I have all kinds of mental problems having been raised by her. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much sugar. Over one pound of candy a day. She would admit to that. And sugary chewing gum in between. She hardly ate real food. She used to put a lit sugar on my frosted flakes! I loved going to grandma's who had cereals for breakfast with little no sugar. We were in Chicago where a lot of it came from. She was a true addict.

[@suziecreamcheese211]

Sugar has the same addictive effect as cocaine.

[@meegansandberg1308]

Sugar was the main part of my mother's diet too. She only had two teeth left in her head and I remember when she gained so much weight that her belly button went from an innie to an outie. RIP Mom. Hope there's chocolate in heaven.

[@jedpeeler4199]

My favorite is Dots(R). I will probably have three empty boxes of them next to me when they find my body.