| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food industry (confectioner) |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Headquarters | Union, New Jersey |
| Key people | Jonathan Dee (President) Eric Ostrow (Vice president) |
| Products | Smarties |
| Employees | 120 |
Smarties Candy Company, formerly Ce De Candy[1], is a confectionery company with headquarters in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey.[2] Smarties Candy Company operates plants in Union Township and in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1949 in Bloomfield, New Jersey, by Edward "Eddie" Dee. The company is now run by Edward Dee's son, Jonathan Dee. Jessica, Sarah and Elizabeth Dee, granddaughters of Edward Dee, are also executives of the company. Smarties Candy Company produces over 2.5 billion rolls of Smarties candy rolls per year.
In 1949, Edward Dee first began producing candy rolls in a rented New Jersey factory with one wrapping machine and one tablet presser. He called his product "Smarties". Dee later moved his American operations to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1959 and then again to its current location in Union Township in 1967. Ce De Candy's Canadian operations were first established in Toronto, Ontario in 1963, but was later moved to the then small town of Newmarket in 1988.[3] The company now produces Smarties around the clock in its two factories.
Along with Smarties, the company also produces Mega Smarties (a larger version of the original), X-treme Sour Smarties, Tropical Smarties and other flavor varieties.