Do you remember Jujubes candy? The tiny, cylindrical, multi-colored gummy candies that were popular throughout the 1900s and early 2000s? I bet many of us fondly remember them from our childhoods and even after. Have you noticed they’re impossible to find anymore? You might see websites listing them, maybe even using a picture of the original packaging with a bee on them. They might say these are “just like” the original candies, but once you order them, wait anxiously for them to arrive, and take your first bite, you realize they are not at all like the Jujubes you remember. Or they’re close, but something is not quite right. So where did they go?
The Beginning of Jujubes
Henry Heide, who founded the Heide Candy Company in 1869 and was once called “the dean of American candy manufacturers,” developed and distributed Jujubes. Heide immigrated to the United States from Germany and started his first retail business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (another local PA company!). He then moved to New York City and got into the candy business.
Heide first developed Jujyfruits, a candy similar to Jujubes, but actually fruit-shaped and with a slightly different taste and texture. These gummy candies are still manufactured today, unlike Jujubes. Jujube gummy candy was created in the 1920s and quickly became quite popular. It is inspired by the jujube fruit, a fruit from Southeast Asia, also known as a red date or Chinese date. Jujube candies were similar in shape and size to these dates.
The fortunes of the Jujube candies began to change in 1995 when The Hershey Company acquired the Heide Candy Company. Eventually, Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company purchased the rights to the Heide brand of candies from Hershey and began selling them. Finally, in 2012, Farley & Sathers merged with Ferrara, and they ultimately discontinued the Jujubes, along with several other Heide candies.
Changes Over the Years
The Jujube candies went through several changes before being discontinued. Their size and firm texture remained fairly consistent, but the recipe did change over the years and that affected the flavors. Packaging also continually changed; originally, the candies were sold in bulk, in 7.5-pound bags. However, when Ferrara began selling the Jujubes, they were sold in movie theater boxes with vivid designs that many of us remember.
Juju Candy
What often causes confusion, intentionally or unintentionally, for consumers looking for Jujubes, is that Juju is a type of candy. Technically separate from the gummy candy family though often included in it, Juju candies have a firmer texture and appearance because of the recipes used to make them. Other candies in the Juju family include: Jujyfruit, Juju coins, and Swedish Fish.
So, unfortunately, the Jujube candies are no longer manufactured, but maybe one day they’ll come back – or someone will get the recipe right!