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This is the history of Jolly Rancher, from ice cream parlor origins to America’s favorite hard candy.
May 28, 1949
Bill and Dorothy Harmsen opened the first Jolly Rancher store in Golden, Colorado. It was an ice cream parlor, not a candy shop.
“Jolly Rancher” evoked a friendly Western atmosphere, but no ranching was involved.
The harsh Colorado winters made selling ice cream challenging, as sales plummeted in cold weather. Looking for a solution, the Harmsens pivoted to selling chocolate supplied by a local Denver firm.
Out of necessity for survival, they also started creating their own line of hard candies. These flavored candies would become Jolly Rancher.
1950s
In the early 1950s, the Harmsens operated Jolly Rancher under frugal circumstances. The two entrepreneurs converted a barn where horse stalls served as makeshift workspaces, giving the property a charming nickname: “Sugar Bar Ranch.”
The company’s first breakout product was a five-cent cinnamon taffy stick called Fire Stix. The cinnamon taffy did so well that they could fully transition from ice cream to candy.
The couple hired Bob Cormack, an artist who had previously worked for Walt Disney, to design Jolly Rancher’s first packaging.
1958
By March 31, 1958, the company filed for its official trademark. Shortly after, Jolly Rancher would become a global brand.
1960
During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy received a trio of Western-themed gifts from Bill and Dorothy Harmsen. The Harmsens presented Kennedy with a box of their hard candies accompanied by cowboy boots and a Stetson hat, symbolizing Colorado’s Western heritage.
The exchange occurred when Kennedy’s campaign trail crossed paths with the Colorado couple in the town of Golden.
1966
In 1966, Bill and Dorothy Harmsen sold Jolly Rancher to Beatrice Foods, a major Chicago-based corporation. They sold after Jolly Rancher had become an industrial powerhouse, producing an astonishing 125,000 pounds of hard candy daily at its Wheat Ridge, Colorado plant.
At the time of the sale, the facility employed 250 workers and had firmly established Jolly Rancher as a national brand known for its distinctive square-shaped candies with bold, long-lasting flavors.
The deal mandated that Bill Harmsen maintain operational control of the business, ensuring manufacturing techniques and quality continuity.
1970s
In the 1970s, Jolly Rancher improved their flavor profile by inventing “hot panning,” a technique still used today. The method involves repeatedly pouring a hot candy mixture over concentrated flavor crystals, creating an intense, long-lasting flavor. Hot panning ensures flavor molecules penetrate deeply into the candy structure rather than merely coating the surface.
It helped Jolly Rancher differentiate itself, particularly for their watermelon and cherry flavors.
1983
In 1983, Leaf, Inc. acquired Jolly Rancher from Beatrice Foods.
1996
Just a decade later, in October 1996, The Hershey Company purchased Leaf, Inc., acquiring Jolly Rancher along with Whoppers, Milk Duds, and Heath Bar.
2002
Hershey would later shutter Jolly Rancher’s historic Colorado plant in 2002, where it had been producing the hard candy for decades. Manufacturing operations shifted to Mexico to cut costs.
2004
In 2004, Elizabeth Beverage Company launched Jolly Rancher Soda, turning the iconic hard candy into liquid form. The soda flavor included watermelon, cherry, and green apple.
The soda was just a licensing agreement and didn’t last long before the soda was discontinued years later.
2013
In 2013, NYPD officers mistook a man’s Jolly Rancher hard candies for crystal methamphetamine.
Despite the candies being in their original packaging when purchased from a Coney Island candy shop, officers arrested the man and a friend, holding them in custody for 24 hours while a lab tested the candy.
The substances were indeed just candy.
This error resulted in a $33,000 settlement for the wrongfully arrested men.
2017
In 2017, Jolly Rancher launched “Hotties,” formulated with watermelon & cayenne pepper and blue raspberry & sriracha. The spicy lineup lasted two years before the candy was discontinued in 2019.
Present Day
Today, watermelon remains Jolly Rancher’s most popular flavor.
The company has also recently launched a new slogan: “Jolly Rancher is the only candy guaranteed to be positively superior to any other you have ever eaten!” This slogan highlights the company’s roots with the Harmsens, who dedicated their lives to bold flavors and quality candy.
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