Twizzlers is the product of Y&S Candies, Inc., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Twizzlers were first produced in 1929 by Young and Smylie as the company was then called. The company itself was founded in 1845, making it one of the oldest confectionery firms in the United States. Twizzlers ingredients consist of corn syrup, wheat flour, sugar, cornstarch, and in smaller amounts palm oil, salt, artificial flavor, glycerin, citric acid, potassium sorbate, Red 40, and soy lecithin. Because Twizzlers ingredients do not include extracts of the licorice plant, they are referred to as licorice-type candy. 70% of the annual production of Twizzlers are strawberry, which is the favorite Twizzlers flavor.
Products
While the original flavor introduced in 1845 was licorice, in the middle 1970s the company began to expand its flavors to include strawberry, grape, chocolate, cherry, and watermelon flavors. Limited editioncherry cola and "rainbow" flavors were introduced in 2006. Today all these flavors of "rainbow" Twizzlers are still sold in stores and movie theaters. Twizzlers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In addition to the original Twists, Nibs and Bites of various sizes, Y&S introduced Pull 'n' Peel in 1994. Twerpz and Strawz came along in 2004.The company also manufactures a special variety; the regular length of Twizzlers is. In 2006, Y&S introduced the Sweet and Sour Filled Twist. They come in two different colors, red and yellow, and both have a viscous, fruity filling inside. The yellow flavor is Citrus Punch and the red flavor is Cherry Kick. In 2011, Super Long Nibs was introduced, combining the flavor and texture of the classic Nib with the length of a standard Twizzlers twist. In May 2013, the Pull 'n' Peel introduced its "Raspberry Wild Berry Lemonade" flavor. In December 2014, Twizzlers came out with Pull 'n' Peel Fruit Punch and Twizzlers filled Strawberry Lemonade varieties. In December 2016, Twizzlers came out with Pull 'n' Peel Cherry and Green Apple and Twizzlers filled Strawberry Lemonade varieties. All Twizzlers products are kosher certified by the Orthodox Union. Twizzlers do not contain animal gelatin or other animal products, and are approved as a vegan-edible candy.
Nibs history
Nibs are bite-sized licorice pieces made for nibbling. The confectionery industry has long used the word nibs to describe small pieces of a product. The origin of the industry's use of the word comes from cacao nibs, which are the bitter but very flavorful chocolate bits made from the beans of the cocoa tree. Cacao nibs and cocoa are loaded with nutrients and have the highest flavonoid content by weight of any food. Cocoa nibs have been used in the production of chocolate for hundreds of years and are also sold as a separate product. No one knows when Y&S introduced its Nibs to the Twizzlers licorice line, whether it was in the 1930's right after Twizzlers were first produced or some time later. Candy packaging collectors provide first-hand accounts of specific Nibs package features on specimens from the 1960's and 1970's. Even though the company had sold nearly 50 million pounds of licorice products a year by 1975, in an effort to differentiate the Twizzlers and Nibs products, in that year Y&S turned to a Madison Avenue ad firm to separately promote the different products.
Company history
The manufacturer of Twizzlers candy is one of the oldest confectionery firms in the United States. The company was established in 1845 as Young and Smylie, and adopted Y&S as its trademark in 1870. National Licorice Company was created in 1902 through the merger of three small firms: Young & Smylie, S.V. & F.P. Schudder and H.W. Petherbridge. In 1908 a plant was opened in Montreal and in 1929 the Twizzlers brand was established. The company changed its name to Y&S Candies Inc. in 1968. Y&S Candies was acquired by The Hershey Company in November 1977 in a pooling-of-interests and later merged into Hershey in January 1982. Since 1999, Twizzlers have also been manufactured in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as the main Lancaster location, in a Y&S plant that also makes chewing gum and other candies. From 1970 through 1999, it was manufactured at a plant in Farmington, New Mexico, but relocated the operation to Memphis because of rising transportation costs. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest licorice twist ever made measured and and was made at the Y&S Candy Plant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This record-breaking twist became a Guinness World Record, on July 19, 1998.
