Candy Molds

The candy mold is the defining element of candy making no matter if you are making chocolate candy bars or hard candies like peppermints, you will need one.

Having a candy mold allows for consistent reproduction of candy again and again. In the commercial production of candy massive molds are used to provide a tremendous output of candy per minute while small individual molds are more useful with at-home candy making adventures. The point is that whatever your scale, there should be a candy mold option open for you.

For those searching for just the right mold, there are many options available today including several websites online that specialize in the sales of candy molds for every possible occasion from holidays to special promotions, if you find the right website you will have access to all of the candy molds you will need.

Candy mold designs are only limited by the imagination of mold creator and there thousands of unique designs already available for those who want to make their own candy. Even the right candy mold cannot be found there is always the option of having one made from scratch.

Related to this notion, is similar option that has appeal with some people, or in other words, the idea of constructing their own candy molds. As with those who already specialize in making molds there are websites that sell the materials for making the mold—be it silicone, other heavy plastics, and even metal—and those interested will be able to find a lot of variety here.

Making candy has taken on more appeal as the availability of the tools and materials to accomplish this have become more readily available. This has lead to a surge in amateur candy makers taking up the craft to flex a bit of creative muscle to make tasty morsels all their own. Even businesses like catering companies have taken a look at the possibilities and many now are making specialized candies that show yet another aspect of their business prowess.

Again, it doesn’t matter what sort of candy mold you might be searching for. You can find what you want if you look enough at what is possible, talk to some professionals and maybe even do a bit of experimenting on your own.

Chocolate Candy

Whenever someone says chocolate, it normally means chocolate candy. The connection is immediate. In America, chocolate remains the most popular candy, far surpassing all other types of candy being sold. Many of us have a great deal of passion for our chocolate. Often called “chocoholics,” we can attest to some obvious addictive properties in the candy bars and chocolate desserts we munch almost daily.

Today, there are so many varieties of chocolate candy available that it would be difficult to list them all but the form most often utilized by candy-makers is the candy bar. Names like Hershey’s, Nestle, Cadbury, are synonymous with chocolate candy. These companies have made billions of dollars creating their cocoa confections for nearly a century. This success is based on a simple formula: creating the best tasting chocolate candy possible. The heritage of many of these companies is founded on this desire to achieve optimum product quality and customer satisfaction.

Commensurate with the success of the big candy makers, is the popularity of making chocolate candy on the small scale. Small locally owned and operated candy stores make a living not only selling their chocolate candies but manufacturing them as well. Creating gourmet chocolate candy is big draw for these tiny candymakers who want to produce chocolate candy that incorporates elaborate decoration and supreme quality of ingredients.

If candy making isn’t a primary occupation, then making chocolate candy is a wholly different matter. Some of principles are the same. The methods used to create many of the candies are identically, albeit, they will be on a much smaller scale than either of the previously mentioned sources of chocolate candy. In these instances, it typically becomes a matter of hobby rather than sales. Yet with a marketing tool like the internet at one’s disposal, you can take what is currently a hobby and make an online candy business all its own.

It is no surprise that there are already several online chocolate candy businesses operating on the internet, capitalizing on the fact that many people are buying even their food online. It doesn’t seem like such a stretch to browse the candy store from your computer screen.

Hershey’s Kisses

Hershey’s Kisses debuted on the candy scene in 1907. While it's not known exactly how Kisses got their name, one of the popular theories is that the candy was named for the sound or motion of the chocolate being deposited during the manufacturing process. While at first, the candies were individually hand-wrapped, the introduction of automation in the 1920s changed procedure forever.

This wrapping process has remained basically unchanged since it was developed in 1921. Current wrapping machines can package nearly 1,300 Kisses per minute. The familiar flag or plume that singles Hershey’s Kisses out was added to the packaging at this time as well then subsequently established as a registered trademark by company founder, Milton S. Hershey in 1924.

The shape and style of Hershey’s Kisses have not much in the last 80 years but this does not mean that there have not been small variations over the years. Many of these variations were produced in the early 1900s. Each one utilized different chocolate formulas and was offered in addition to the standard Hershey’s milk chocolate flavor.

Yet none of these variants have survived to the present. In fact, none has been produced since 1931. For those old enough to recall them or who might be a bit of the candy historian, names like Sweethearts, Silvertops, and Silverpoints may bring back fond memories.

There has been only one time in the entire history of their production that Hershey’s Kisses have been interrupted. The bite-size chocolates were not produced from 1942 to 1949 due to the rationing of silver foil during and after World War II. During the war, the ingredient mixing units in the Kisses molding department were utilized for tempering military ration bar chocolate paste. It is estimated that paste for more than 3 billion ration units was produced during this period.

Later, in 1962, the Kisses were wrapped in colored foil (other than silver) for the first time. Red, green and silver chocolates were available during the Christmas season in addition to the year-round silver-wrapped ones. In 1968, Kisses brand chocolates were introduced in pastel blue, pink and green foil for the Easter holiday. Hershey also introduced Valentine's Kisses with red and silver foil in 1986.

In September 1990, there was a major addition to the Hershey’s franchise when Kisses with almonds were successfully introduced. Then only three years later another addition to the Kisses line called Hershey’s Hugs which were mini Hershey’s Kisses combined with white chocolate.

There have been other limited edition flavor combinations as the candy company has sought to keep an edge with the competition. Yet, nothing can really compete with the enduring place that the Hershey’s Kiss has made for itself for nearly a hundred years.