Sweets and candy have always been favourite with children for year's and none more so than the classic Jolly Rancher candies. We all have fond memories of these fruity hard candies, however you may be surprised to hear that their history dates back much further than you first thought!

The sweets were first introduced after the founding of the Jolly Rancher Company in 1949. The company was founded in Golden, Colorado by a couple named Bill and Dorothy Harmsen. It is believed that the reasoning behind the naming of the company was that it suggested a homely, hospitable western company. The original focus wasn't originally on hard candies as the company initially manufactured chocolate, ice cream and candies which were sold at several stores in the local Denver area. Sales of their hard candies grew significantly over the following couple of years to the point where they became the Jolly Rancher Company's main focus abd the continued on developing and expanding their line in hard candy.

As sales increased, in 1951 the decision was taken to move production from the Golden factory to Wheat Ridge in Colorado. The success of the Jolly Ranchers continued to increase with the company being sold to Beatrice foods in 1966. Seventeen years later, Beatrice foods was then sold to Leaf International, a major European candy manufacturer which was founded about 10 years before the Jolly Rancher Company. The following 2 decades saw significant developments in the Jolly Rancher brand with the first being in 1996 when Hershey acquired the North America branch of Leaf, which included the Jolly Rancher candy brands. Hershey decided to branch out and create variations of the original hard Candy. A year after the initial acquisition, sugar free versions of the original hard candies were manufactured as well as soft jelly bean Jolly Ranchers. The range was improved again in 1999 with a change in formula which intensified the fruit flavour.

At the turn of the millennium Hershey started to introduce yet more products with fruit chew lollipops going into production in 2001 and fruit chews candy being put into production soon after that. The range of flavours was extended in 2002 with the introduction of blue raspberry hard candies. Candy connoisseurs with a taste for for sharper flavours were rewarded around 2004 when Hershey decided to start manufacturing their screaming sours candies. The range of products and flavours has continued to expand over the past 5 years, with their popularity showing no sign of wavering.

Fans of the sweets have sought to find other ways of enjoying the hard candies, some even formulating drinks recipes based on the various flavours available. A brief internet search will reveal recipes for everything from vodka shots to simple fruit juice drinks based around the popular sweet. Some of the more artistically inclined fans of Jolly Ranchers have even found ways of moulding the candies into different forms of edible art.

Jolly Ranchers continue to be popular in America to this day. They are slightly trickier to come by in UK shops and specialist retailers have taken to importing the sweets specially.