Sour Patch Kids

The four flavors of Sour Patch Kids.

Sour Patch Kids are a chewy candy with a coating of sour sugar. They come in packs with four colors and flavors: red (Raspberry), orange (Orange), yellow (Lemon),and green (Lime). It also has a limited edition flavor, brown, that is not in original packs. 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 are a top selling sour brand in North America, next to Sour Skittles and Sour Gummi Tape.

History

Sour Patch Kids were originally called Mars Men, little aliens that were sold for one cent (U.S.) each. The product's inspiration and design came at a time when UFO sightings were exciting the Western world. Invading aliens from Mars were modeled into the shape of the product and specially coated with sour coating.

The process of 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. Galatolie then developed the candy by having Canadian manufacturing colleagues experiment with regular gummy products, adding a coating of sour sanding.

This new product was first released in the U.S. by Jaret in 1985. In the mid-1980s, Cabbage Patch Kids dolls were exceedingly popular, and is believed to be the inspiration for product's name. The child character on the original packaging was a cartoon representation of Galatolie's son, Scott.

In the U.S. and Canada, the Sour Patch brand is offered in the Kids flavor mix variety, an assortment of child-shaped lemon, lime, orange and raspberry candies. In the U.S. market, several fruit-shaped flavors are offered, including watermelon, orange, cherry, lemon, grape, and lime. These flavors are offered either individually or as a Sour Patch Fruits mix.

Many Sour Patch Kids flavors, with the exception of the sour sanding, are identical to those of the Swedish Fish gummy candy. An identical formula is used to produce like-colored varieties of both candies by their manufacturer, Cadbury Adams.

In the U.S. market, Sour Patch candies come in a variety of sizes, including individual candies sold in boxes, as well as 2 oz, 5 oz, 8 oz, 14 oz, and 32 oz bags. A bulk, commercial range is also offered for candy stores. In Canada, the candies are available in sizes including 55 g, 250 g, and a 1 kg bulk commercial package.

Sour Patch products are produced by Cadbury Adams, a subsidiary of Cadbury Schweppes, at a factory located in Hamilton, Ontario. This location offers quick access to the U.S. marketplace. New flavors and line extensions are produced at the Ewen Road facility, also located in Hamilton.

Under Cadbury Schweppes ownership, the distribution of Sour Patch products is steadily expanding. The candies are currently available throughout the United States, Canada, and some areas of Western Europe. The products enjoy particularly strong success along the U.S. East Coast, and in the New York City metropolitan market, where the original Sour Patch candies were first introduced.

In 2006, Sour Patch Kids became the main sponsor for ABC Family's hit show Kyle XY. As a result, Product Placement of the candies is seen in each new episode of the show.

In 2007, Sour Patch launched two new sub-brands. Sour Patch Extreme comes in dual-flavored head shapes with a more sour coating. Sour Patch Xploderz are center-filled sour-coated candies with a national launch announced for December 2007.

Also in 2007 Sour Patch Kids came out with Slurpee that were featured at 7-Eleven.

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.

2006: Cadbury Schweppes, in their annual report, announces intent to sell the Allan Candy facility.

External links

• Official website
• Official Cadbury Schweppes website