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Smarties Candy Company
FormerlyCe De Candy, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryConfectionery
Founded1949; 75 years ago (1949) [1]
FounderEdward Dee
HeadquartersUnion, New Jersey, United States
Key people
  • Sarah Dee (co-president)
  • Jessica Dee Sawyer (co-president)
  • Liz Dee (co-president)[2]
ProductsSmarties
RevenueUS$15 million (2021)
Number of employees
100[3]
Websitesmarties.com

Smarties Candy Company (formerly Ce De Candy, Inc.) is a confectionery company well known for its namesake candy, Smarties.[4][5] Edward "Eddie" Dee founded Ce De Candy in Bloomfield, New Jersey, in 1949.[4] Dee emigrated from England to the United States.[6]

Edward Dee's granddaughters, Sarah Dee, Jessica Dee Sawyer and Liz Dee[7][8][9] serve as co-presidents of the company.[10] Smarties Candy Company operates plants in Union Township, New Jersey, and in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.[11] The Canadian operations were initially in on 993 Queen Street West in Toronto in 1963 and moved to Newmarket in 1988.[6] The old Toronto factory (c. 1907 east wing as fabric mill, c. 1920s west wing addition joined by central wing housing central heating and incinerator[12]) is now the Candy Factory Lofts (conversion 1999).[13] Its US headquarters are in Union Township.[5][14] It is one of the few remaining family-owned, mass-production confectionery companies in the United States.[7]

History

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In 1949, Edward Dee, a second generation candymaker from England, first began producing candy rolls in a rented New Jersey factory in Bloomfield with one wrapping machine and one tablet presser which was a repurposed pellet-making machine.[4][15][16] Dee, a Cambridge University graduate, called his product "Smarties" to "encourage people to pursue an education."[17] His family produces a similar candy in England through Swizzels Matlow Co.[18] Initially, Dee took the candy by car to small grocery and tobacco stores.[15] He later moved his American operations to Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1959 and then again to its current location in Union Township in 1967.[4][19]

Ce De Candy's Canadian operations were first established in Toronto, Ontario, in 1963, and were later moved to Newmarket in 1988.[18][20] The Canadian candies go by the name Rockets to avoid confusion with Nestle's candy-coated chocolate Smarties.[4][19][20] The company now produces Smarties around the clock in its two factories producing over 2.5 billion Smarties candy rolls per year.[14][19][20]

In 1991, Mr. T and Ce De Candy collaborated to form Crusade for Kids.[16] It encouraged kids to stay in school and say "no" to drugs.[16] Crusade for Kids raised funds for the Children's Defense Fund charity. In October 2010, the company vice president of sales and marketing was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame.[21]

In 2011, the company changed its name from Ce De Candy, Inc. to Smarties Candy Company after its most famous product.[4][20][15] The company launched its "Smarties Think" campaign in 2013 to promote education and help classrooms in need.[22] Since 2013, the company has donated $200,000 through DonorsChoose to provide school supplies.[23] The company completed a 674 kW solar project in 2016, adding 2,100 solar panels to the roof of their New Jersey factory.[24] In October 2017, the company's president of 40 years, Jonathan Dee, stepped down and Liz Dee, Sarah Dee, and Jessica Dee Sawyer assumed the role of co-president.[2][7][14] That same month, Smarties announced the #LittleSmarties campaign to promote intellectual curiosity which features historical figures including Jane Goodall, Marie Curie, and Amelia Earhart, as well as a partnership with DonorsChoose to support classrooms in need of funding.[8][25]

Products

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Giant-sized Smarties candies

The company also produces Mega Smarties, Giant Smarties, X-treme Sour Smarties, Tropical Smarties, Love Hearts, Smarties 'n Creme, candy necklaces, Smarties Pops in three sizes, and other candies,[4][7][14][9][11][26] including Breath Savers.[18] All Smarties products are peanut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.[9][27]

While generally considered an everyday staple, groups also give out Smarties to encourage people to buckle up and drive safely. Among these are Tampa Bays' Students Against Destructive Ideas (SADD) and Dum Dum or Smartie initiatives in schools.[28][29][30][31]

References

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  1. ^ Smarties website - Our story
  2. ^ a b Camp, Catherine (October 27, 2017). "Smarties Candy Won't Sell the Business, But it May Buy Others: Co-President". Cnbc.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  3. ^ "Smarties Candy Company: The secrets behind the successful family business". Today Show. October 31, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Greg Hatala (2014-02-11). "Made in Jersey: Smarties keep rolling out of Union factory". NJ.com. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  5. ^ a b Dave Murray (2011-05-31). "Smarties-maker to students: Eat our candy; don't snort it". MLive. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  6. ^ a b "Our History | Rockets® Candy". www.rocketscandy.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-09-17.
  7. ^ a b c d Marissa Rothkopf Bates (October 29, 2015). "Smarties, a Halloween Favorite, Maintains a Sweet Family Business". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  8. ^ a b Gross, Elana Lyn (October 5, 2017). "Smarties Candy Company's Three Female Co-Presidents Share Their Best Career Advice". Forbes.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Three Millennial women are revolutionizing Smarties". CNN. October 4, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  10. ^ Wohl, Jessica (October 3, 2017). "Smarties Has 3 New Co-Presidents --And a New Halloween Push". AdAge.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Diane Nassy (2012-08-08). "Taking a Tour of the Smarties Candy Factory". philzendia. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  12. ^ "Candy Factory Loft Listings - for Sale - Updated Daily".
  13. ^ "993 Queen St W | Condos.ca".
  14. ^ a b c d Nick Montano (2011-05-20). "Smarties Ship In Special Packaging And Formulation For Bulk Vending". Vending Times. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  15. ^ a b c Marissa Rothkopf Bates (October 29, 2015). "Smarties, a Halloween Favorite, Maintains a Sweet Family Business". New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  16. ^ a b c Beth Kimmerle (2003). Candy: The Sweet History. Collectors Press. p. 89. ISBN 1888054832.
  17. ^ Pat Fiaschetti (September 29, 2016). "A Family of Smarties Keeps This Company Sweet". New Jersey Monthly. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  18. ^ a b c Jennifer Bain (October 31, 2014). "Sweetest place on earth: A tour of the Rockets candy factory". The Star. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  19. ^ a b c Dianne Wenz. "Meatless Monday with the Smarties Candy Company". Devil Gourmet. Archived from the original on 2017-01-09. Retrieved March 17, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ^ a b c d "Rockets candy a Halloween treat with a Toronto history". CBC News. 2013-10-30. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  21. ^ "Candy Hall Of Fame Inducts 14". National Confectioners Association. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  22. ^ "Smarties Candy Donates $25K For Classroom Projects". Candy & Snack Today. 9 January 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  23. ^ "Smarties Donates $25K For Classrooms In Need". Candy & Snack Today. 11 December 2020.
  24. ^ Joseph Bebon (October 7, 2016). "Smarties Candy Co. Is Sweet On Solar". Solar Industry Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-10-08. Retrieved January 18, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. ^ Dunn, Laura Emily (October 17, 2017). "Women in Business Q&A: Sarah Dee, Jessica Dee Sawyer and Liz Dee, Co-Presidents, Smarties Candy Company". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  26. ^ "Smarties offers Love Hearts for Valentine's Day". New Jersey Online. 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  27. ^ Maria Mooney (2014-03-11). "Smarties Executive, Liz Dee, Talks Compassionate Candy". Ecorazzi. Archived from the original on 2014-05-24. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  28. ^ Douglas R. Clifford (2014-03-18). "Safety's sweet rewards". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  29. ^ "Smartie or Dum Dum: Which will you choose?". Missouri Department of Transportation. April 10, 2010. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  30. ^ Ruth Campbell (2014-01-30). "Local high schools rewarded for increased seat-belt use". Southeast Missourian. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  31. ^ Jim O'Hara (2011-05-05). "CBA's safe-driving "Lookin' Out" club officers honored by DA's advisory council". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
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