Just Born
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| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Confectionery production |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Founder | Sam Born |
| Headquarters | 1300 Stefko Boulevard, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Products | Candies |
| Website | www.justborn.com |
Just Born is a privately held, family-owned, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based candy company that manufactures and markets a number of chewy candies including Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, Peeps, Teenee Beanee jelly beans, and Zours.
Marketing its products under the tagline "a great candy isn't made...it's Just Born," the company was ranked as the 10th largest candy company in the United States, as of 2013.
Russian immigrant Sam Born came to the United States in 1910. In 1916, Born was awarded the "key to the city" of San Francisco for inventing a machine that mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops.
In 1917, Born opened a small retail store in Brooklyn, New York. He displayed in his store window an evolving line of daily made candy, marketing its freshness with a sign that declared Just Born. The original company logo showed a baby resting in a candy measuring scale. Sam Born is also credited with the invention of chocolate sprinkles, known as "jimmies," and the hard coating on ice cream bars.
In 1923, Born started his own manufacturing company in New York City. Irv and Jack Schaffer, Born's brothers in law, joined the company to help market and sell the confections. In 1932, the trio moved operations to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The company took over a 4 story, 224,396 sq. ft. building, built in 1920, from a bankrupt printing company.
Sam Born's son, Bob Born, joined the company in 1946 and would later become President for more than 30 years. He was part of the two man team that mechanized the marshmallow Peeps forming process, allowing a substantial increase in production, leading Just Born to become America's largest manufacturer of seasonal marshmallow confections.
In 1953 Just Born acquired Rodda Candy Co. of Lancaster County; manufacturer of jelly beans, as well as a seasonal (Easter) "martello" candy: Peeps. Just Born later mechanized the product manufacture, broadened its marketing, and ultimately created a candy with iconic, year-round appeal.
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