Today there was news of TWO candy companies swallowing up others:
Jelly Belly has released word that they’re buying Ben Meyerson Candies based right here in Los Angeles. Ben Meyerson is known for their Big Cherry and line of Sunkist Fruit Gems. The manufacture of the Fruit Gems seems like a natural fit for Jelly Belly and facilities will migrate to Fairfield and/or Illinois. Ben Meyerson is a third generation family company and seems to be selling as Robert Meyerson, the current head, is retiring. Link to full story.
Hershey also announced today that it’s buying Dagoba, the Ashland, Oregon based chocolate company. This is the third small chocolate company Hershey has bought in the last 18 months (Joseph Schmidt and Scharffen Berger are the other two). No word in the articles I read as to whether Dagoba will fall under the Artisanal Chocolates umbrella that was formed to encompass JS & SB. Hershey has been making great strides towards more responsible cocoa growing, with their sponsorship of educational and outreach programs, especially in Africa. Hopefully their purchase of Dagoba will enable them to make Hershey the largest ethical chocolate company in the world (a girl can dream). Link to story.
Related Candies
- Hershey’s announces closing of Joseph Schmidt & Scharffen Berger Bay Area Facilities
- Hershey’s Website Inaccuracies
- Rising Cost of Candy - A Brief Study of Hershey Prices
- What Made Hershey’s Want to Change Chocolate?
- What does that Hershey’s code mean?
- Treat Trip: Jelly Belly Factory
SUPERB
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
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Comment by
Tricia on 10/19/06 at 4:48 pm #
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.I remember going to the nearby 7-11 as a kid and buying those Sunkist Fruit Gems - they were such a novel thing at the time. I haven’t had one in ages…
Not sure what I think of the Dagoba purchase - i guess if people feel like they didn’t ‘mess up’ Scharffer Bergen then maybe they won’t ‘mess up’ Dagoba. (i met him in a swamp down in… sorry to put that song in your head :^)
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