Oldest Candy Factories in America & Classic Valentine’s Candies

This week’s creative challenge is to design a type of candy that can also deliver a short message.

Oldest Candy Companies in America & Popular Valentine's Candies Cozy Rainbow Podcast

This episode's creative challenge is to create a candy or another treat that delivers a sweet message. Email us at cozyrainbownv@gmail.com or visit http://www.cozyrainbow.org for more details. Who invented conversation hearts? What is the most popular Valentine's day candy? Is Willy Wonka real? — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cozyrainbow/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cozyrainbow/support

Who Invented Conversation Hearts?

Conversation hearts are small heart-shaped candies that have a message on the front. Conversation hearts were invented by one of America’s oldest candy companies, Necco.

NECCO stands for the New England Confectionary Company. Necco also created candy buttons, a colorful button-shaped candy stuck to a sheet of paper.

Conversation hearts were originally a type of lozenge candy. Lozenges were often used for medicinal purposes, like a cough drop.

A business owner named Oliver Chase invented the machines to manufacture the candies in 1847.

Originally, the candies were made to be tiny shells with a message inside, similar to a fortune cookie. Today, the most popular conversation heart message is “Marry Me.” The small messages written on conversation hearts have changed over the years, with messages like:

Fax me

Be true

Text me

Conversation hearts are also made in Spanish. “Te amo” means “I love you.” Conversation hearts make up 40% of Valentine’s day candy sales. Second place to chocolate.

In 2022, Sweethearts started printing “Words of Encouragement” on their candy hearts, such as:

Proud of U

Youda Best

Go 4 It

Don’t Quit

Milton Hershey, another candy businessman, opened The Hershey Chocolate Company in 1894.

Chocolate kisses, another popular valentine’s day candy, were invented in 1907. 

The H.B. Reese Candy Company opened in 1928 selling peanut butter cups. Before H.B. Reese opened up his own company, he worked for the Hershey Chocolate Company. Later on in 1963 after H.B. Reese died, the Hershey Chocolate Company bought Reese’s Candy Company.

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