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Thursday, August 03, 2006
Goodbye Reed’sThere once was a company that made boiled sweets (hard candies) in Chicago. Founded in 1893, The Reed Candy Company used copper kettles to boil sugar and corn syrup and other things together to create flavorful treats. In 1931 they started making their most famous product, the Reeds’ Butterscotch candy roll. Later they added more flavors including Cinnamon, Root Beer and Butter Toffee. At some point in their history The Reed Candy Company was bought out by another Chicago area based sweets company, Amurol Confections (known for their novelty gums like Big League Chew and Bubble Tape) ... and they in turn were bought by Wrigley’s (also based in Chicago). The larger distribution chain should have helped, but I still rarely saw them at drug stores or groceries. I usually saw them at newsstands. Reeds continued to be made with startling consistency from the taste and packaging I remember from my childhood.
For those who have never had them, Reed’s are kind of like Lifesavers, except there’s no hole in the middle, just a slight dent. They’re individually wrapped, which makes for extra-sanitary sharing as well as the ability to pop out the individual candies and put them in your pocket for later (try that with a Lifesaver!). They come with eight little pieces in a roll. But what was really extraordinary about them was the incredible amount of flavor packed into such a small candy. Part of this was the exceptional texture - these were high-quality boiled sugar sweets that had very few voids or holes so they were extra smooth on the tongue and dissolved well. The Butterscotch ones used real butter and had a nice hit of salt to them. Though I’m sure the recipes changed over the years (going with artificial flavors and whatnot) they were still much more flavorful than many other candies.
Cinnamon was not for the faint of heart. The little dented red disk had a smooth and soft mouthfeel at first and then exploded with a very strong cinnamon flavor that could rival an Atomic Fireball. It was like the flavor popped and sparkled with itty-bitty reservoirs. Other roll candies and mints came in cinnamon and butterscotch but no one else made a Root Beer candy. Soft and spicy with a complex flavor that just made you want to roll the little candy over and over in your mouth. Reed’s Root Beer were my go to roll candy - they had the satisfying freshness of a mint and the tingly “activate those salivary glands” stimulation of a fruit sour. They were always a 10 in my book. But I guess I ignored them and now they’re gone. Back in April they told their distributors that they weren’t going to be making them anymore and the supply was cut off. There are still a few places you can find a reserves on the web (and happily these hard candies are pretty durable when stored correctly):
Candy Crate says
POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:36 am 
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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VOTE IN THE POLLDo you consider chocolate covered cookies or pretzels candy?
Total Votes: 217
Yes 
22% (47)Yes but only if it's real chocolate, not yogurt.
10% (21)No
53% (114)I don't care what it's called
16% (35)
 
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SUPERB 
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
Shame, I think they’re one of those treats that people forget about because they don’t look particularly intersting, so they just get left aside.
They’re the ones that people realise they do really love if they try them again, it’s just that we’re dazzled by 50 dozen different Kit Kats and “Limited edition Siberian ice blast” varitieis of every-which-thing. Not that I’m complaining, I happen to love any and all varties of sweets and treats.
Oh how I LOVED Reeds when I was growing up. I was a cinnamon fanatic. So sad that they are no longer making them. I never tried the root beer flavor. I guess it’s now or never. Thanks for the heads up.
great site with good look and information...i like it
Reed’s root beer and the giant rolls of Lifesavers sour cherry were my absolute favs when I was growing up. Too bad they’re both pretty much gone now. It makes me sad.
Very sad. I adored the root beer ones. I still remember the old packaging they had when I was a kid. A victim of distribution.
Oh no! I love, love, love the root beer ones. I’m going to have to try and get my hands on a few more packs while I still can. Thanks for the heads up (as sad as it is), Cybele.
oh, the rapture of reed’s peppermints!!! possibly the coolest girl in junior high turned me on to these back in the 70’s. they were the most gorgeous creme de menthe-y green. the flavor was a bit like crysto-mint lifesavers but less sweet. super refreshing. it has been decades since i was able to find a roll anywhere. mystery solved. (much to my dismay)
I’m going to miss Reed’s!
Dear Cybele - Grandpa really loved the Reed’s root beer roll. I liked it myself - it was one of the few rolls of candy that I would eat all of and not find the balance of the candies covered with lint on the bottom of my purse. I really thought they were gone long ago but then again I never went looking for them. Love, Mom
I WORKED AT THE REEDS CANDY CO. AS A YOUNG MAN IN THE LATE 60’S AS A MECHANIC. REPAIRED AND SERVICED THE MACHINES THAT MADE AND PACKAGED THE CANDY. THE SMELL IN THE SMALL FACTORY ON FLETCHER STREET IN CHICAGO WAS JUST FANTASTIC, ESPICALLY ON THE DAYS WE WERE RUNNING THE BUTTERSCOTCH. HATE TO HEAR IT’S GONE.
I have always loved reed’s cinnamon candies. When I was a boy, in West Virginia, in the 60’s my mom bought Reed’s Cinnamon, (Red) and Reeds Mint (wintergreen?) the color was green. The past few years, I would buy them at the Dollar General Store. They they quit sellng them about 3 years ago. The only place that sold them after that, was Cracker Barrel Restaurant. And the price was 3 times higher than Dollar General. But, I bought them up until about a year ago. Now, they no longer have them either. I have been searching the internet, as to where I can find them. Now I find that they are no longer making them. That saddens me very much.
I Also liked the Butterscotch and Butter Rum, but, didn’t really like the Root beer flavor. There was another root Beer Candy, however, and they were called Root Beer Barrels, and were shaped like little barrels.
My mother loved the Butterscotch ones, and always had them in the candy dish in her living room—from when I was little until most recently—she is 94. If i tell her they stopped making them, she might figure there is no reason to go on living. I’ll remind her that there are still real root beer floats, and that will keep her around a while longer.
I went to every store in my city looking for Root Beer Reeds. I’m sorry to hear they aren’t making them anymore. I used to mix root beer Reeds with Juicy Fruit gum when I was a kid. It sounds strange but it tasted amazing - kind of like a root beer flavored juicy fruit gumball.
Well, now I know why they aren’t around anywhere, anymore. Not even Cracker Barrel. The flavors were memorable...was the green one really peppermint? or a wintergreen? it was unique...as were the others...the butterscotch was unreal. I actually do some consumer research work for wrigley...I’ll ask about Reed’s when I go out there next week.
Reeds Sour Cherry...Oh say it ain’t so. The shape, the sour, the perfect hard candy. I am not and never was a hard candy kinda girl. Yet here I sit at my computer..on line trying to google my one and only. Bring back the traditional suede Gucci loafer in all colors and bring back Reeds Sour Cherry and perhaps Butterscotch too.
One box of Reed’s Root Beer left in my stash and then I don’t know what I will do. This stinks!
March ‘07 and I am remembering a mentor of mine and Reeds Cinnamon candies were one of his favorites. After one or two of them Reeds became one of mine too. Sad to know they are both gone. R.I.P Reeds and John A. you are missed
Reed’s root beer and the giant rolls of Lifesavers sour cherry were my absolute favs when I was growing up. Too bad they’re both pretty much gone now. It makes me sad.
GIVE ME MY REEDS ROOTBEER CANDIES!!!!!! They are the best candy that my mom and I ever shared. It breaks my heart that we can’t get them anymore.
My Father bought this company back in the mid 80’s. Profits were bad and the factory was out dated. He moved the products to Mich to be made and sold the plant. I remember as a kid all the candy we would have around Halloween. In time they sold the candy and the gum divsions. My folks still have a few boxes of the candy and teaberry gum around at there home. I believe it was the best made candy just a poorly ran company.
David
we now have no butterscotch but we have PLENTY of Root Beer REEDS - about 50 left. http://www.tothemoonmarketplace.com or email
Oh yes Reed’s Cinnamon Candy’s were the best. My best friend and I use to buy them by the box when heading back to school at the bus station. We boared at the school so had to get enough for the week. There is nothing like them as I have tried many many Hard Cinnamon Candies. Good bye to an era of delight.
My dad was the purchasing agent at Reed Candy for many years, and our family enjoyed lots of candy growing up! It is heartwarming to read of many others who really enjoyed this great product!
For a short in the late 1970s, my mother worked at the Reed Candy factory in Chicago, which, if memory serves, was off of Belmont and Southport Aves. I remember walking there w/ siblings to see her, and that she had to wear a hairnet and earplugs. There were some railroad tracks nearby that may have passed right in front of the factory. It’s all townhomes now, has been for a long long time. Funny, I never did develop a taste for Reed’s, but they are still a cherished memory.
Looking to see if there is a history of “Reed’s” Candy Company that can be found anywhere. I had contacted Wrigley last year and they said they could not assist me. Surely there is at least a Biographical Sketch somewhere of the founders and/or history of the company?
Thanks!
Scott Reed
Scott Reed, Try LOTTO GUM. They were the ones that bought the candy part of the company.
I have a candy jar from Reed’s Candy Co. from 1921. I wonder if it would be worth anything today. Anybody have any idea where I could find out something about it? Cinnamon way yummy.
Reeds Rootbeer update, at the moment we are currently SOLD OUT of all flavors except the Toffee flavor, we have about 100 rolls of this . we hope to get some more of the other flavors in soon, someone says they have lots to sell us. i will keep you posted.
Antonio - To The Moon Marketplace
http://www.tothemoonmarketplace.com
Thank you for the information. Now I finally know, why I can’t find Reed’s anymore..
Dear Scott Reed and others who may have worked at the factory on Fletcher Street in Chicago,
My name is Bill Reed, Jr. Grandson of William Thomas Reed, former President of Reed Candy Company while it was still family owned. After my Grandfather passed away in 1968, my Dad, who was VP at the time (to the best of my knowledge) sold controlling interest of the company to either Loews or Lorillard—I’ll have to check. Eventually our family was out of the business all together. I also remember clear as day the smell inside the factory on Fletcher Street—the cinnamon and butterscotch definitely stand out! I remember picking and eating pieces of the broken candies out of the reject kettles while they were still warm! I was only about 4 yrs old at the time. It’s really great to read all the comments and to know that something as simple as candy has been able to touch so many lives! I’m also sorry to find out it’s not being manufactured anymore—my supplies have run out, except for a few ‘vintage’ rolls.
Cheers!
Bill Reed, Jr.
Hello Bill Reed!
I was very thrilled to see your posting this morning! I was curious if you may have any more information or leads on the company. Also....there has been a persistent rumor that our branch of the family was related somehow to the “Reed Candy Company” Reed’s from long ago. My Reed’s (Marcellus James Reed) came to the Chicago area from Pennsylvania around 1840 and then moved to Racine Wisconsin and was a Candy Maker/Grocer. The sons ended up being Candy Maker’s as well. I was curious to know if you have many records on your ancestors and the original “Reed” who formed the company. If you would like to communicate directly my e-mail address is .
Best Regards!
Scott Reed
I started as the plant accountant at the Fletcher
street factory in 1978 and left as the controller in 1981 to work for Salerno Cookies. During the time I was at REED’S they were owned by HP HOOD, INC of Boston. The REED corporate offices were in Rolling Meadoes, IL. New products were introducted at that time which were supposed to save the company. These products were “THE MINT” a knockoff of Velamints and “SPOUT” gum which was imported from Korea to compete with other liquid-filled gums.
I remeber well how swarms of bees would gather by the trash cans on Fletcher street in the summer when garbage pickup was late.
Sorry to hear REED Candy is no more!
What a disappointment to read that Reed’s Candy’s are no longer being made. As a kid here in Denver I can vividly remember Reed Butterscotch, my absolute favorite. I was also partial to the Root Beer, and if I’m not mistaken, Spearmint, Yummm.
It’s sad to see that a lot of my childhood favorite candys are disappearing. I am also looking for “Black Cow” Toffee suckers.
The ritual on Saturday Movie Matinee day was to go to the candy counter at the theater and buy a box of Jujubee’s, a black cow sucker and a package of necco wafer candy, that pretty much kept me busy during the double feature.
The next thing I’ll read is that Theater Pop Corn is being discontinued.
BLACK COW SUCKER, I AM KNOWN AS THE CANDYMAN, BECAUSE I SEEM TO KNOW THE MOST ABOUT CANDY THIS & THATS, AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD BUY THE MANUFACTURER WHO NOW OWNS THE BLACK COW SUCKER: THAT THEY IN FACT ARE TRYING TO RE-PRODUCE IT, BUT SINCE THEY HAVE NO REAL RECIPE FOR IT FROM DAYS GONE BY, THEY ARE NOT HAPPY WITH IT YET, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW. BUT AS SOON AS THEY HAVE IT READY, OUR RETAIL STORE WILL BE THE FIRST TO GET IT. STAY TUNED, AND IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ANY OTHER HARD TO FIND ITEMS, JUST ASK - STORE EMAIL IS :
ANTONIO - A.K.A. THE CANDYMAN
All this talk about reeds candy rolls, and yet nobody mentions the best, Reeds lollie pops. To the best of my memory, they had 3 flavors, rootbeer, butterscotch, and cherry. They were spade shaped about the size of a serving spoon, and had a saftey handle looped out of it’s wide side. Reeds had a tang to it’s flavor, that can’t be matched. I woke up a 5 am this morning wanting some reeds, and thought that I would Google Reeds to find out where I could get some. I am really bummed out to find that they are no longer being made.
Sorry to hear Reeds Candy is no more. They had several great flavors that I recall. Among those
were root beer, cinnamon, butterscotch, spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, sour cherry and I even remember black licorice too. Does anyone recall any more flavors than the ones I listed?
I still have some root beer and cinnamon left. Guess I’ll break em out for special occasions.
I am very disappointed that you have stopped putting the candy cane lifesavers in bags this Christmas. I always bought enough to last me through the year, because I really enjoyed them. Now I have to buy two other flavors that I am not too fond of, in order to get the candy cane lifesavers that I love, and also is more expensive. Please consider putting the candy cane lifesavers back into bags---in fact I would like to be able to purchase them all year.
Thanks ,
Shirley Daniels
I have been looking everywhere for the candy cane lifesavers and so have my friends.Are they gone forever? It was something we bought every Christmas.Thanks.
Bring back Reed’s! I had no idea they weren’t around anymore. I had a sudden urge for some Reed sour cherry candy and was checking out several online candy stores when I saw this blog. They really were far superior to LifeSavers IMHO.
Many years ago, I bought a bag of Reed’s Butterscotch at a local Walgreen’s. Reed’s was hard to come by here in Florida and I couldn’t wait to get home and open it. What a crashing disappointment when the taste came across as butter rum. I was so incensed that I wrote the company (Wrigley’s, I believe) and asked them why they would change the recipe on a proven, beloved product which had such a unique and perfect flavor. I got back a form letter and some gum. I wrote again demanding a personal response. Another form letter reply and gum. It was a sad, sad day.
Whay can’t some candy maker buy the rights to the old recipe and put it back into production? I always felt that the old product suffered from limited distribution. I would like to see the return of the original recipe in the squares that they used to sell at Kresge’s bulk candy counter in Michigan. (Remember the joys of the dime store candy counter? Wal Mart’s candy aisle just isn’t the same. The spending of a quarter meant agonies of indecision. 10 cents for jelly beans and 15 cents for gum drops. Or 5 cents each of red hots, tootsie rolls, peanut butter logs, butterscotch, and root beer balls.) Yet another Reed’s product was a can of butterscotch discs. They sat so flat and tidy on the tongue and you could add a new disc when the old one got a hole sucked in it. They looked like Bingo markers, not the regular candy’s biconcave disc.
Before all of the old candy makers die off, someone really needs to resurect that butterscotch recipe and whoever holds the rights to it, needs to have a heart and share it with the world. Reed’s Butterscotch tasted like NONE OTHER and shouldn’t be a lost treat.
I had my first Reeds Peppermint in July 1965 on Johnson Island, SW of Honolulu, while on a search mission for an Air Force transport that disappeared enroute from Tokyo to Honolulu. Have carried Reeds Peppermint and/or Cinnamon since 1965. Was told I was shipped the last two sleeves of the Peppermint in the Amurol warehouse from a person at Amurol Products. When those were exhausted I began carrying Reeds Cinnamon. Ordered my last Reeds Cinnamon from a candy company in Victorville, Ca (I believe) and now down to 5 rolls in the freezer. Called Amurol about a year ago and was asked how I got their number. Called Wrigley and those people were absolutely uncooperative. Does anyone know where I can get Reeds Cinnamon? If not, what is recommended as substitute? My preference is still Peppermint.
I have lived for 20 years in a home in Winnetka, IL which I have been told was previously the home of Mrs Reed of the Reed Candy Company. If this is true, I would love to learn more about the years she lived in the house and any changes that were made to the house at that time. Perhaps Bill Reed Jr., grandson of William Thomas Reed, would have this information? With thanks, .
OH MY GOSH!! I can’t believe I have so much company as a lover of Reed’s candies. I could echo everything Joe Taylor (entry #11) said....Dollar General....Cracker Barrell....looking looking....a mission, really for Reed’s Cinnamon candy. A little store near me in Steamboat Springs, Colorado would order me a case of them but last summer the manager called me with the bad news that they were no longer available through their distributor. I decided to research my favorite candy on the Internet, only to learn they’re not being made anymore. PLEASE!! Someone!!! I beg of you to start making them again! I got “hooked” on them in high school & several of my 7 children love them as well as their spouses. My husband would buy them for me for Valentine’s Day! There IS a market out there!
Sincerely, Cheryl Smith
Lets just raise 10 million,buy the rights.
They were never sold at gas stations,poor marketing by Wrigleys.
Reed’s peppermints were the best! And the cimmomon was a close second. I remember the candies were individually wrapped and the peppermint had a silver wrapper. I wish they still made these, as the peppermints were unique and didn’t taste like any other company’s.
If anyone has a source for the Reeds root beer flavor candy, please let me know...937-299-2558
Bob Krotts
I was pleased to stumble upon this site as the founder, William Thomas Reed, is my great great grandfathers brother, James E Reed. My uncle, Reed Lepley, is actually named after the Reed family. My aunt has the original picture of the Reed brothers taken after the Civil War. My grandmother, Lila Lepley, is grandaughter of James Erastus Reed. Which means Bill Reed Jr and my grandmother are cousins.
Bill, we haven’t much information about James Reed’s involvement with the territory of Montana. Would you happen to know more specifics regarding this part of our family history?
Wasn’t he one of, or the first marshall of the newly formed Montana territory? My great grandmother, Margaret Reed Peterson- daughter of James, used to keep a framed certificate of his appointment to this position. The framed certificate went to Great Grandma’s niece Helen the last we heard.
If you can fill in any of these gaps, please email me at . My aunt Margaret and I are working on our family tree and would love a bit more detailed information on all of the Reed brothers in the picture. The picture lists (on the back frame) their names and occupations only.
Those look very very good i wish they still have those cuz i want some!
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