The History of Nerds Candy

Have you heard of Nerds? Of course, you have. This popular candy – which ranges from slightly tangy to super sweet – has been around for decades. You can eat a handful of ‘em and even mix and match ‘em according to your tastes. Today we are going to learn about their history, their creation, and why we love this American classic candy.

How were Nerds Created?

In 1976, David Klein and his wife Judy worked together to create this tasty, sweet corn puff called Nerds. The two wanted to create a candied version of a popular 1965 Kellogg’s cereal called “Nerds Cereal”. 

These candies gained popularity in the 1980s and continue to be popular today. The company has developed many flavours over the years, including “Fruit Juicy Red”, which is one of their bestselling flavours. Nerds are known for having an official recipe that is actually top secret. However, the ingredients list mentions that some of their main ingredients are various forms of sugar. According to the Nerds ingredients list, they contain dextrose, sugar, and malic acid – all of which are forms of sugars in nature.  Furthermore, there is corn syrup along with artificial colours.

Fun fact: all nerds are white at production and then coloured to coordinate with their flavour.

Who Owns Nerds?

Nerds were originally owned by Nestle, who owned the Willy Wonka Candy line. Although you may still see Willy Wonka tags on these products, Nestlé no longer owns them. The Wonka line, which included the Nerds brand, was sold to Ferrara Candy in 2000.

What are the best Nerds Flavours?

Nerds are now available all over the world, and this American Food Store has certainly got some. These are some of the people’s favourite flavours.

Lemonade Wild Cherry & Apple Watermelon

Double Dipped Lemonade Wild Cherry & Apple Watermelon Nerds 46.7g (Box of 36)

 Peach & Wild Berry 

Wonka Nerds Peach & Wild Berry 46.7g

Grape & Strawberry

Nerds Grape & Strawberry 46.7g

We hope you have enjoyed learning about Nerds and its history. Check out our American Sweets and groceries. We have a YouTube Channel where we share recipes and interesting videos. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and check our blog posts. You can find out why candy makes the best gifts.


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