Almond talks about the downfall of the "little guy" in the candy business. Do you think the rise of Hershey's and Mars has lessened the quality of America's candy?
Ok. Can we really complain about the big companies versus the small companies in America? WE HAVE NO GOOD CANDY! Ok...maybe that's not true, but have you been to Canada?!? Wonderfully delicious chocolate is right across the border. I mean, like, European chocolate quality candy. And here we are suffering through our waxy chocolate. If the small company could bring me some chocolate like that, then yes.
There is a difference between "Candy" which America does well, and "chocolate" which America does not do well. It's interesting that America's chocolate and candy is sold as "candy" in Europe. The wise chocolate makers in the EU won't let our inferior chocolate be labeled as such due to the cocoa to sugar ratio...our chocolate being mostly sugar (and wax).
But back to the question...I'm not totally sure that a smaller company here in the States could produce a better quality chocolate for large distribution. But we did have some fabulous chocolate from a small mom & pop shop on Martha's Vineyard. But it does make sense that the Big 3 companies prevent the smaller guys from having a shot at producing something better.
Not to be argumentative, but I grew up spending at least one hungry week in Canada a year, and I don't really think their candy is any better than ours. When it comes down to it, you get what you pay for. If you want real chocolate you have to shell out a little more. Back to the issue of regional candy companies, though. Perhaps due to the latest craze over locally produced food, there will be a resurgence of small candy companies. Mass-market stuff is of a poorer quality, period, so I don't know that you can completely blame the BIG 3 for bad American candy. I LOVE the idea of home-state or hometown candy. Something about it seems so American in a great way. Every summer when we visited Idaho my dad and brother got so excited to eat Idaho spuds --it was a tradition. Regional candy is pretty sentimental in that sense, and I really want to search for local candy bars now.
I agree with Blair that the regional stuff is better. I lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake for a year and there was a little chocolate shop 3 blocks away with the best chocolate--their hot chocolate was incredible! And they made it right there! There's something about fresh chocolate... But my taste buds aren't too mad at Hershey's. Yes, I love visiting my dad in Europe b/c the chocolate is great... but I'm used to American chocolate too...
At the risk of sounding like a heartless corporate pawn, I think I am going to side with the Big 3 on this one. I don't think the quality of local candy bars is any better than what Hershey's or Mars are producing. Idaho Spuds were never made with high quality Swiss chocolate, and they probably never will be. This is not a question about Europe vs. the United States, it is a question about local vs. national candy, and personally I can't tell much of a difference between the quality of a Snicker's and the quality of Big Hunk. I agree with Blair that really good chocolate will always be available for someone that is willing to shell out $3 for a candy bar, but I really think that if you are paying $.75, you are going to get the same quality from a regional company or a national company.
I agree with a lot of what has been said. I think that the quality is probably the same between the Big 3 and the smaller candy companies, but the local stuff is more fun. James and I ate a few Western-U.S.-company candy bars this weekend and they were really good and made me realize I should eat more of them, but we ended the whole weekend by eating a Snickers and it made me realize I need to eat more of those too.
I guess it wasn't a shock to hear that candy bars are dominated by Hershey's, Nestle, and Mars, but I'm glad I read this book because it made me want to support small and local candy companies more.
6 comments:
Ok. Can we really complain about the big companies versus the small companies in America? WE HAVE NO GOOD CANDY! Ok...maybe that's not true, but have you been to Canada?!? Wonderfully delicious chocolate is right across the border. I mean, like, European chocolate quality candy. And here we are suffering through our waxy chocolate. If the small company could bring me some chocolate like that, then yes.
There is a difference between "Candy" which America does well, and "chocolate" which America does not do well. It's interesting that America's chocolate and candy is sold as "candy" in Europe. The wise chocolate makers in the EU won't let our inferior chocolate be labeled as such due to the cocoa to sugar ratio...our chocolate being mostly sugar (and wax).
But back to the question...I'm not totally sure that a smaller company here in the States could produce a better quality chocolate for large distribution. But we did have some fabulous chocolate from a small mom & pop shop on Martha's Vineyard. But it does make sense that the Big 3 companies prevent the smaller guys from having a shot at producing something better.
Not to be argumentative, but I grew up spending at least one hungry week in Canada a year, and I don't really think their candy is any better than ours. When it comes down to it, you get what you pay for. If you want real chocolate you have to shell out a little more.
Back to the issue of regional candy companies, though. Perhaps due to the latest craze over locally produced food, there will be a resurgence of small candy companies. Mass-market stuff is of a poorer quality, period, so I don't know that you can completely blame the BIG 3 for bad American candy. I LOVE the idea of home-state or hometown candy. Something about it seems so American in a great way. Every summer when we visited Idaho my dad and brother got so excited to eat Idaho spuds --it was a tradition. Regional candy is pretty sentimental in that sense, and I really want to search for local candy bars now.
I agree with Blair that the regional stuff is better. I lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake for a year and there was a little chocolate shop 3 blocks away with the best chocolate--their hot chocolate was incredible! And they made it right there! There's something about fresh chocolate...
But my taste buds aren't too mad at Hershey's. Yes, I love visiting my dad in Europe b/c the chocolate is great... but I'm used to American chocolate too...
At the risk of sounding like a heartless corporate pawn, I think I am going to side with the Big 3 on this one. I don't think the quality of local candy bars is any better than what Hershey's or Mars are producing. Idaho Spuds were never made with high quality Swiss chocolate, and they probably never will be. This is not a question about Europe vs. the United States, it is a question about local vs. national candy, and personally I can't tell much of a difference between the quality of a Snicker's and the quality of Big Hunk. I agree with Blair that really good chocolate will always be available for someone that is willing to shell out $3 for a candy bar, but I really think that if you are paying $.75, you are going to get the same quality from a regional company or a national company.
I agree with a lot of what has been said. I think that the quality is probably the same between the Big 3 and the smaller candy companies, but the local stuff is more fun. James and I ate a few Western-U.S.-company candy bars this weekend and they were really good and made me realize I should eat more of them, but we ended the whole weekend by eating a Snickers and it made me realize I need to eat more of those too.
I guess it wasn't a shock to hear that candy bars are dominated by Hershey's, Nestle, and Mars, but I'm glad I read this book because it made me want to support small and local candy companies more.
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