January 30, 2024 – Theme Week Day 2

We’re on day 2 of our theme week 5 Things You Thought You Knew! So, what flavor is a green gummy bear? If you said lime or apple, you’re wrong! It’s actually strawberry!
Gummies have been a popular candy for hundreds of years. In 1909, a British candymaker created wine gums (which don’t contain any wine), one of the first commercial sweets made with gelatin. They came in bite sized shapes like rhombus, kidney, circle, and oblong.
The gummy bear originated in Germany. Confectioner Hans Riegel, Sr. founded Haribo there in 1920. Their first products were hard colorless candies that he made in a copper pot at home. They sold well, but not well enough to take his business to the next level. He noticed that gummy candies, like gum drops, were popular but he found their shapes to be boring and unexciting.  So in 1922, inspired by the trained bears that were often seen at European street festivals and markets, he invented the “Dancing Bear”. These gummies were small and affordable, selling 2 for 1 cent. They were longer and slimmer than the gummy bears we know today. The Dancing Bear gummies only came in one color: gold. They were a huge hit and by the start of World War II, the company was producing multiple tons of candy each day.
By 1960, Haribo’s Dancing Bears were a staple at German candy stores. They began selling them to the wider European market, and at the same time changed the bears’ appearance to the teddy bear-like shape we know today. Haribo called their gummy bears Goldbears in tribute to their earlier years. Haribo Goldbears didn’t reach the United States until 1982, when the company opened their first American factory in Baltimore. Haribo gummy bears are sold in 5 flavors: raspberry (red), orange (orange), strawberry (green), lemon (yellow), and pineapple (colorless). The exact recipe is a well-guarded company secret. Haribo is available in 120 countries, and they make 100 million Goldbears every day. Learn more here.