Brach's

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Brach's Confections is a candy/sweets company which produces and invented many modern icons of the sugary world. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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. He decided that he could do a better job of it himself, opening a candy store and factory in Chicago.

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.

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 allow 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 Phillip Morris except for Brach's, which was retained by Klaus J. Jacobs in the transaction.