The table below summarizes some of the top-selling candy brands in different countries. Candy is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called sugar confectionery, encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar candy. Vegetables, fruit, or nuts which have been glazed and coated with sugar are said to be candied.

Top-selling chocolates and sweets

Country Brand[1] Image 2012 annual sales
(in millions USD)		 Notes
 United States Reese's Peanut Butter Cups 2,603 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the No. 1 selling candy brand in the United States,[1] consisting of white fudge, milk, or dark chocolate cups filled with peanut butter. They were invented by H.B. Reese after he founded the H. B. Reese Candy Company in 1923. Initially working from the basement of his Hershey, Pennsylvania home, Reese's success eventually allowed him to build two modern factories.[2] Reese died on May 16, 1956, in West Palm Beach, Florida, leaving the company to his six sons.[3] On July 2, 1963, the H. B. Reese Candy Company merged with the Hershey Chocolate Corporation in a tax free stock-for-stock merger. In 2024 after 61 years of stock splits,[4] the original 666,316 shares of Hershey common stock received by the Reese brothers represent 16 million Hershey shares valued at over $4.4 billion that pay annual cash dividends of $87.6 million.[5][6] In 1969, six years after the Reese/Hershey merger, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups became The Hershey Company's top seller.[7]
 United States M&M's 2,300 Mars Incorporated owns M&M's which are "colorful button-shaped chocolates" consisting of a hard candy shell surrounding a filling that differs depending on the variety, each of which has the letter "m" printed in lower case on one side. In 1940, M&M Limited was founded in Newark, New Jersey.[8] The name "M&Ms" stands for Mars and Murrie, which were the last names of the two company founders, Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie (who owned 20% of M&M Limited). Murrie was the son of Hershey Chocolate president William F. R. Murrie. This arrangement allowed M&M's to be made with Hershey Chocolate, as Hershey had control of rationed chocolate during World War II.[9]
 United Kingdom Cadbury's Dairy Milk 852 Cadbury's Dairy Milk is a chocolate bar that claims to have a glass and a half of milk in every bar. This chocolate treat was created in 1904 and became an instant hit following its initial sales in 1905.[10] Cadbury was bought out by Kraft Foods in 2010.[11]
 Germany Milka 733 Milka is milk chocolate that is manufactured by the Mondelēz International (formerly Kraft Foods) Company. It was first created in 1901. The candy's packaging includes a lilac-colored cow.[12]
 Brazil Trident 682 Trident, made by Cadbury, is not only the No. 1 candy in Brazil, it is also the No. 1 brand of chewing gum in the world.
 Japan Meiji 479 Meiji chocolate is manufactured by Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd., which was established in 1916 and is located in Tokyo. Meiji chocolates flavors include cheese, black pepper, jasmine, basil, and lemon salt.[13]
 Russia Orbit Gum 445 Orbit gum first got its name during the Second World War when Wrigley shipped all of their chewing gum overseas to the troops and began manufacturing gum for the civilians under the name of Orbit. After the war, the name Orbit disappeared again. In the 1970s, Wrigley began selling sugar-free gum under the name of Orbit in European countries. It was not until 2001 that Orbit gum returned to the United States.[14]
 Finland Fazer Blue 443 Fazer Blue chocolate (200g) by Fazer is the most sold candy in Finland.[15][16]
 France Hollywood 318 Hollywood Chewing Gum was the first French chewing gum, and it was created in 1952. The French were introduced to chewing gum for the first time by the American troops stationed there in 1944. In 1958, the gum's main advertising focus was that of the American Dream. While Hollywood now offers a variety of different flavors, the very first flavor was spearmint.[17]
 Italy Vivident Gum 313 Vivident is a sugar-free gum that is manufactured by the Perfetti Van Melle Group and is wildly popular in Italy. Advertisements for the gum has been claimed to be behind the gum's popularity.[18]
 China Hsu Fu Chi 256 The Hsu Fu Chi company started in 1992 with brothers by the name of Hsu. The company makes a wide variety of candy, including lollipops, gummies, jelly beans, chocolates, and pastries. The company was bought out by Nestle in 2011.[19]
 Russia Alpen Gold 198 Alpen Gold is a brand of chocolate produced in Russia. They sell chocolate bars, pralines, and boxes of chocolates. Their chocolate often includes ingredients such as raisins, nuts, and liqueur.[20]
 Australia Cadbury's Dairy Milk 197 Cadbury's Dairy Milk is a chocolate bar that claims to have a glass and a half of milk in every bar. This chocolate treat was created in 1904 and became an instant hit following its initial sales in 1905.[10]
 Czech Republic Orion 142 Production of Orion chocolate began in 1896 as a part of a small family business in Prague. The chocolate became very popular, representing one-third of the chocolate produced in the Czech Republic. In 1991, Nestlé took over Orion chocolate, which has only helped boost the popularity of the candy.[21]
 India Cadbury's Dairy Milk 127 Cadbury's Dairy Milk is a chocolate bar that claims to have a glass and a half of milk in every bar. This chocolate treat was created in 1904 and became an instant hit following its initial sales in 1905.[10]
 Argentina TopLine gum 124 TopLine gum is manufactured by a company by the name of Arcor, which was started in 1951.[22]
 Chile Ambrosoli 102 Ambrosoli is the largest candy manufacturer in Chile. The company produces a wide variety of candies, including jelly and hard candy.[23]
 Israel Elite 93 Elite candy is manufactured by the Strauss Group and includes a variety of different types of candies.
 South Africa Beacon Sweets and Chocolates 69 Candy manufactured by the Beacon Sweets and Chocolates company is the top-selling candy in South Africa. They produce a wide variety of candies, including gummies, jelly candy, chocolate, and more.
 Colombia Jet 47 Jet chocolate bars are produced by Compania Nacional de Chocolates. The candy was first manufactured in the 1960s.

References

  1. ^ a b "Snickers Surging to Top of Global Candy Race". Ad Age. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "The H.B. Reese Candy Company Story". BradReeseCom. Lebanon Daily News. June 9, 1956. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "H.B. Reese Death Announcement". BradReeseCom. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Stock Split History". The Hershey Company. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  5. ^ "The 1963 Reese/Hershey Merger Closing Agenda" (PDF). BradReeseCom. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Hershey Raises Quarterly Dividends". Hershey Company. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Was it Hershey or Reese That Made Peanut Butter Cups Great?". Atlas Obscura. 27 October 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  8. ^ "Mars Our History". Mars. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "Murrie, William F.R.; 1873-1950". Hershey Community Archives. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "About Chocolate". Cadbury. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  11. ^ Louise Lucas (November 11, 2011). "No humbug in the nostalgia sweet market". The Financial Times.
  12. ^ "Brands-M". Kraft Foods Inc. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  13. ^ "Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd". Funding Universe. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  14. ^ "Orbit". Wrigley. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  15. ^ Baraka, Josefiina (10 November 2017). "Tässä ovat Suomen myydyimmät makeiset – yksi ei väisty ykköspallilta". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  16. ^ "The Face of Finland's Fazer Confectionery".
  17. ^ "Hollywood". Cadbury Inc. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  18. ^ McDonnel-Perry, Amelia. "Vivident Gum's Man Boobs & Marionettes". The Frisky. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  19. ^ "Hsu Fu Chi International Ltd". Hsu Fu Chi Inc. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  20. ^ "Largest Brands". Kraft Foods Inc. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  21. ^ "Orion". Nestle. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  22. ^ "All About Arcor". Arcor. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  23. ^ "Ambrosoli must be everywhere". A Quarter Of Ltd. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
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