This Flavorful Candy Was Created in Colorado in the 1940s

Colorado is amazing for so many reasons including how beautiful the state is. But did you know that one of the most popular candies in the world was actually created in our home state in the 1940s?

It's true, according to Only In Your State, the candy was created in Golden, Colorado in a downtown candy shop owned by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen. Their candy shop was called Jolly Rancher, so I'm guessing you probably know that world-famous candy that they created.

Before coming up with the new candy pieces, the Harmsen's sold lots of ice cream and chocolate inside their shop. The intelligent business owners quickly realized that ice cream and chocolate sales wouldn't hold up during the cold Colorado winter months. It was at that point that the idea for the flavorful hard candy was created.

Because of the rapid success of the Jolly Rancher candy, the Harmsen's moved from Golden to Wheat Ridge. Eventually, the family business was sold to Beatrice Foods, which was then bought by the Leaf Candy Company in 1983, and finally taken over by The Hershey Company in 1996.

All Jolly Rancher production now is done in Mexico and Canada but they will always be one of the most successful products ever created here in Colorado.

My personal favorites are Apple and Watermelon. What is your favorite Jolly Rancher flavor?