Brach's
Encyclopedia
Brach's Confections is a candy
and sweets company which produces and invented many modern icons of the sugar
y world; it is headquartered in Dallas, Texas
. In November 2007, Brach's Confections was sold to Farley's & Sathers Candy Company and the corporate office moved to Round Lake, Minnesota
.
, a son of German immigrants who had recently invested in a candy factory which had failed. 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 supermarket
s 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
.
s, 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.
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.
Brach's candy pumpkin
, known by the trademarked
name "," is the most popular candy pumpkin.
, 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. Laughing Dog developed the dinosaur character and the graphics. The package had transparent panels so those looking at the packages in a store could see the rocks inside.
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.]
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
and sweets company which produces and invented many modern icons of the sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
y world; it is headquartered in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. In November 2007, Brach's Confections was sold to Farley's & Sathers Candy Company and the corporate office moved to Round Lake, Minnesota
Round Lake, Minnesota
Round Lake is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 376 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square mile , all of it land. A lake, also called Round Lake, is just outside the city to the...
.
History
Brach's Confections was founded in 1904 by Emil J. BrachEmil J. Brach
Emil J. Brach got his first major job in Chicago at a candy making company, where he eventually became a very high-income salesman, managing to save up $15,000 to invest in a failed candy manufacturing company...
, a son of German immigrants who had recently invested in a candy factory which had failed. He decided that he could do a better job of it himself, opening a candy store and factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. 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
Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
. 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 supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s 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
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
. Jacobs Suchard was sold in 1990 to Philip Morris
Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
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
Barry Callebaut
Barry Callebaut is the world's largest chocolate manufacturer.It was created in 1996 through the merging of the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut and the French company Cacao Barry. It is currently based in Zurich, Switzerland, and operates in 26 countries worldwide...
. In 2007, the company was sold to its current owners Farley's & Sathers
Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc.
The confectionery business segment is made up of many small companies, often with intertwined relationships and histories. Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. was created as an umbrella company to roll-up many small companies, brands and products under a common management team.Catterton...
.
Products
The company's first product was caramelCaramel
Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....
s, 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.
Candy Corn
Brach's Candy CornCandy corn
Candy corn is a confection in the United States and Canada, popular primarily in autumn around Halloween . Candy corn was created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company; the three colors of the candy mimic the appearance of kernels of 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.
Mallowcreme Pumpkins
Candy pumpkin
A candy pumpkin is a small, pumpkin-shaped, mellowcreme confection primarily made from corn syrup, honey, and sugar. Traditionally colored with an orange base and topped with a green stem to make candy pumpkins largely identifiable with Halloween, a candy pumpkin is considered a mellow creme by...
, known by the trademarked
United States trademark law
Trademarks were traditionally protected in the United States only under State common law, growing out of the tort of unfair competition. As early as 1791, Thomas Jefferson proposed that the marks of sailcloth makers could be protected under the Commerce Clause, but it was not until 1870 that...
name "," is the most popular candy pumpkin.
Brach's Rocks
Brach's Rocks were a pebble-shaped candy introduced in 1992. They had the coloring and appearance of graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, with fruity, chewy centers.
They were advertised in commercials by a dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
character named Rocky D, "Dinosaur Extraordinaire", who was shown popping them into his mouth. Rocky D wore sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
and a red jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
with the letters BR on it. Kids' love of dinosaurs was the inspiration for this character and candy. Laughing Dog developed the dinosaur character and the graphics. The package had transparent panels so those looking at the packages in a store could see the rocks inside.
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.]