Modern Christmas candy canes come in unique flavors like chocolate, bacon, and more

during christmas season, The candy cane industry is seeing a huge rise in sales.

In 2023, holiday confectionery sales will reach nearly $7 billion, Carly Schildhaus, director of public affairs and communications for the National Confectioners Association (NCA), told FOX Business in an email, and that number is expected to rise to 3%. In 2024.

Not surprisingly, most candy cane sales occur between November and December, with the most popular sale time being the second week of December, according to the NCA’s website, Always a Treat.

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Today, candy cane flavors extend beyond the classic mint. There are candy canes based on favorite candies, such as Nerds, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch, Sweetarts, Lifesavers, and more.

You can find more obscure candy cane flavors today, like chocolate, bacon, and even macaroni and cheese.

Candy canes are not only eaten, but also used Decorating Christmas trees.

In fact, half of Americans plan to use candy canes as decorations for their tree, or use candy to decorate packages, Schildhaus told FOX Business.

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While modern times have brought unique candy cane flavors to decorate Christmas trees, they did not always come in such a large variety, nor were they traditionally used to decorate trees.

The exact origin of candy canes is a bit mysterious, although there is a common theory that supports the beginning of this popular candy.

Candy canes, in their simplest form, are thought to date back to 1670, as a means of keeping young singers in Germany quiet during church services.

During that time, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany gave young singers sugar sticks during a Living Cheche concert to keep them silent, according to Always a Treat.

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“In honor of the shepherds featured in the story, he bends the candy and turns it into crooks, the shepherds,” the site notes.

Candy canes first appeared in the United States when August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant, decorated a Christmas tree in Worcester, Ohio, with paper ornaments and candy canes in 1847, sparking the tradition in the rest of the country, according to the website. .

Candy canes didn’t start appearing until years later It is widely sold throughout the country.

When candy canes were originally sold, there were no distinct red stripes, according to Always a Treat. The lines did not appear until the beginning of the twentieth century, according to the source.

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Notable candy cane sellers in the early years of sugary candy included Doscher Candies and Bob’s Candies.

Doscher’s Candies, a company founded by Klaus Doscher in Cincinnati, Ohio, manufactured candy canes in 1871 using peppermint oil, cooking the mixture in copper kettles, as well as rolling and kneading by hand, according to the company’s website.

Bobs Candies was started around 1920 by Bob McCormack in Georgia, according to the website of Ferrara Candy Company, through which the brand is manufactured.

McCormack’s brother-in-law, Father Gregory Keller, was responsible for inventing the pioneering machine used to roll and bend candy into canes, according to Georgia Public Radio.

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Today, candy canes are so popular that there is even a day dedicated to the candy. Every year, December 26th “National Candy Cane Day.”

As for the “correct” way to consume candy, the verdict is still out.

Fifty-four percent of people eat their candy canes starting with the straight end, while 30 percent eat the curved end first, according to the NCA.

Crumbling candy canes is another way to eat them, with 16% of people taking this approach, according to the organization.