.png)
.webp)
Charleston Chew’s history begins in the early 1900s when Baby Ruth and Oh Henry! dominated corner store shelves.
San Francisco buzzed with artistic energy during this era, new candy makers like Frank Mars began experimenting with new chocolate bar nougat varieties in Minnesota, yet an actor’s misfortune would lead eventually to a new type of candy bar.
Donley Cross, a Shakespearean performer in San Francisco’s early 1900s theater scene, made a pivot in his life’s trajectory after a stage fall left him with a debilitating back injury.
Cross joined forces with Charlie Fox in 1920 to establish the Fox-Cross Candy Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Nu Chu candy bar was their first creation with moderate success.
However, their newest candy bar arrived in 1922 with the Charleston Chew—a distinctive combination of vanilla-flavored nougat enrobed in milk chocolate.
Seeing its sales take off, the two candy entrepreneurs set up shop at 292 Main Street in Cambridge, where Charleston Chew would be produced for the next six decades.
The Charleston Chew got its name from a dance.
The Charleston dance traces its roots to African American neighborhoods in South Carolina.
The candy bar’s name tapped into the popularity of the Charleston dance, which had recently captured public attention through the 1923 Broadway show “Runnin’ Wild” and its hit song by James P. Johnson.
The candy industry was hit hard during the Great Depression—some companies flourished while others crumbled.
Luckily, the Charleston Chew had some advantages because of its Cambridge factory’s proximity to chocolate mills and sugar refineries, and urban markets.
Similarly, Mars thrived by introducing the Snickers bar in 1930, pricing it at five cents and marketing it as a meal replacement.
M&M’s also launched during this period, becoming a military staple due to their heat-resistant chocolate coating.
However, many established confectioners went bankrupt.
The Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company saw its market share plummet as cheaper alternatives emerged.
The American Candy Company of Milwaukee closed its doors in 1932 after twenty years of operation, unable to maintain profitability and consumer spending plummeted.
The survivors of this period, like Charleston Chew, emerged as enduring brands precisely because they were able to be produced cheaply and sell at price that consumers could afford.
In 1957, Nathan Sloane purchased the Fox-Cross Candy Company and its signature Charleston Chew.
After acquiring the business, Sloane expanded the candy’s reach by introducing chocolate and strawberry variations alongside the original vanilla nougat in the 1970s.
He also modernized production by moving operations to a larger facility in Everett and automating the manufacturing process.
In 1957, right after Nathan Sloane’s acquisition, the company began promoting a specific freezing technique for Charleston Chew.
It involved completely freezing the candy and then shattering it against a hard surface, creating distinctive, crunchy fragments—a practice customers nicknamed “Charleston Crack.”
The marketing capitalized on the rising prevalence of home freezers in American households.
The Charleston Chew candy bar underwent a series of acquisitions after Sloan’s ownership.
Nabisco acquired the brand in 1980.
Eight years later, Warner-Lambert purchased the brand from Nabisco and held it briefly.
In 1993, Tootsie Roll Industries bought Charleston Chew, adding it to their portfolio of classic American candies, where it remains today.
Charleston Chew has experimented with a variety of different flavors over the years like banana, grape, and cherry flavors.
In 1998, the brand expanded its offerings by launching Mini Charleston Chews, which transformed the classic candy bar into bite-sized pieces.
Today, the modern Charleston Chew aligns with dietary needs, carrying certifications as a kosher, peanut-free, and gluten-free confection.
Still loved by millions.
.png){kind=logo}
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)