Sour Patch Kids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sour Patch Kids is a chewy candy with a coating of sour sugar. It comes in packs with four colors and flavors, red, orange, yellow, and green. One of the driving forces behind the brand's growth was its success in cinemas, and even now it is a staple for moviegoers. Today Sour Patch Kids is a top selling sour brand in North America.
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[edit] History
Sour Patch Kids were originally called Mars Men, little aliens that were sold for one cent (U.S.) each. The product inspiration and design came at a time when UFO sightings were exciting the Western world. Invading aliens from Mars were modelled into shape of the product and specially coated with sour coating.
The process creating the sour-coated soft candy was developed in the late 1970s and this "alien" approach was the first candy to be tested with it. It is believed that Frank Galatolie, then national sales manager of a distributor called Jaret, came up with the idea of sour products in soft confectionery and developed the candy by having Canadian manufacturing colleagues experiment with regular gummy products and adding a coating of sour sanding.
This new product was then named Sour Patch Kids for the U.S. in 1985 through Jaret. In the mid 1980s, Cabbage Patch Kids dolls were all the rage, and are believed to be the inspiration for the "Patch" part of the name. The kid character on the original packaging was a cartoon representation of Frank Galatolie's son, Scott.
In Canada, the Sour Patch brand comes in the Kids assorted flavour mix of lemon, lime, orange & gooseberry. In the U.S., along with the original Kids flavour mix, there is also watermelon and Sour Patch Fruits. Other newer flavours include cherry, strawberry, peach and blue raspberry.
Flavorwise, you will notice that Sour Patch Kids are the exact same flavor (except Sour Patch Kids have the sour powder on them) as the popular gummy candy Swedish Fish, and are offered in the same colors. This is because both of these treats are manufactured by the same corporation.
Sour Patch comes in variety of sizes for the U.S. market from individual sweets sold in boxes, in 2 oz, 5 oz, 8 oz and 14 oz bags through to a bulk range for speciality candy stores who sell Sour Patch in candy bins. In the Canadian market there is also an array of sizes from 55 g, 250 g, 1 kg bulk and penny candy.
Allan Candy's plant in Hamilton, Ontario was chosen to produce Sour Patch Kids, offering quick access to the U.S. marketplace and the advantage of world sugar prices. Today the company develops sours in their Ewen Road facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Under Cadbury Schweppes ownership, the distribution of Sour Patch products is steadily expanding. It is currently available in Canada, and the U.S., with particular strength on the U.S. East Coast and the New York City metropolitan area where it was first introduced.
In 2006, Sour Patch Kids became the main sponsor for ABC Family's hit show Kyle XY. In return a character is seen eating or holding a bag in each episode.
[edit] Timeline
1985: Sour Patch Kids are first introduced into the U.S.
1995: Cadbury Schweppes purchases Allan Candy and the Sour Patch trademark in Canada.
1997: Cadbury Schweppes purchases Jaret International and the Sour Patch trademark in the U.S.
2002: Sour Patch Kids is repositioned in the U.S. getting a new look, new packaging and new flavour names. Frank Galatolie retires from the confectionery business. At his side on the occasion was his son, the original Sour Patch Kid, and now a young man in his mid-twenties.
[edit] Imitators
Other companies have attempted to cash in on the success of Sour Patch Kids, especially at movie theaters where most of the profit made by the theater is in the sale of foods. Most notably in these spin-offs is "Sour Jacks", which come in the same shape, size, and in a similar flavor. They are also shaped as children.
[edit] Health information
Sour Patch Kids are fat free and contain no gluten. Manufacturing lines and ingredients may change from time to time so it is recommended that you carefully review the product packaging for ingredient declarations and nut content warnings prior to each use. Sour Patch Kids also tend to cause gas in some people.
