Just Born

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What products are listed for this advertiser?

American Made Candy, American Made Hot Tamales, Made in the USA Mike and Ike, Made in America Peanut Chews, Made in America Peeps, and Made in America Teenee Beanee.

Few products have achieved the iconic status of PEEPS?, the yellow, chick-shaped marshmallow confection beloved by children and adults alike. But, as popular as PEEPS? has become, it is only one of the many delicious products produced by Just Born, an 87-year-old, family-owned confectionery company based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The Just Born candy tradition actually began in 1910 when Sam Born emigrated to the U.S. from Russia. A candy maker by trade, Born used innovative technology to produce chocolate sprinkles, known as Jimmies, and the hard chocolate coating for ice cream bars. In 1916, Born invented a machine that mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops.

In 1923, Born opened a small candy-making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York. He marketed the freshness of his line of daily-made candy with a sign that declared, Just Born. Not long after opening the Brooklyn store, Born invited his brothers-in-law, Irv and Jack Shaffer, to join him in the business.

The company thrived in spite of the economic depression of the 1930s and, in 1932, moved its operations to an empty printing factory in Bethlehem, PA.

The company continued to grow, aided by several key acquisitions. In 1935, Just Born acquired the prestigious Maillard Corporation, well known for elegant hand-decorated chocolates, crystallized fruits, Venetian mints, jellies and the best bridge mix in the country.

In 1953, Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company of Lancaster, PA. Although Rodda was best known for its jelly beans, it also made a small line of marshmallow products that included a popular Easter Peep that was made by laboriously hand-squeezing marshmallow through pastry tubes.

Sam Born's son, Bob, who had joined the company in 1946, helped mechanize the marshmallow forming process and Just Born has become the world's largest manufacturer of novelty marshmallow treats.

Other popular products have been introduced over the years, including MIKE AND IKE? chewy fruit flavored candies in 1940, spicy, cinnamon-flavored HOT TAMALES? in 1950, TEENEE BEANEE? gourmet jelly beans in 1977, and sour ZOURS? in 1999.

Under the current leadership of Co-CEO's Ross Born and David Shaffer, Just Born acquired Goldenberg Candy Company, makers of PEANUT CHEWS? and CHEW-ETS?, in 2003. Today, Just Born products are exported to many world markets and the candy is available to more than 1.5 billion people worldwide.

The following is a reply from Just Born to our question – "Are your products Made in the USA?"

How do you know the products you have listed are Made in the USA?
Before including products in our database we review the advertiser’s website and/or contact them to ascertain the origin of their products. Some advertisers sell both Made in USA products and foreign ones. Therefore we highly recommend you review FAQ 2.

We immediately investigate any complaints regarding deceptive Country of Origin claims. If we determine an advertiser's claim is not truthful we will immediately remove the product/s from our database and suspend our relationship with the Company making the claim.

To document your complaint, email us by using our Contact Us page. We can only respond to complaints that have been submitted in writing.

What does Made in USA mean?
There is no law requiring most products to be labeled Made In USA, or have any other disclosure about the amount of U.S. content. However, for job creation purposes (see our Big Secret tab), if you have a choice between an imported product and one with no country of origin on its label, choose the product without a country of origin over the imported one. This is true because the product without the country origin on its label has at least some American labor in its content and the imported one most likely does not.

Note: Imported products are required by law to country of origin on their label and products partially Made In USA do not. To answer this question completely reviewing our Labeling Tips 1, 2 & 3. These tips are accessible from scrolling to the bottom of our home page clicking Browse All Tips button.