Candy Canes

What is a Candy Cane?

Candy canes are a hard candy that is a central figure of Christmas festivities. Usually mint in flavour, the stripy sweets are commonplace on Christmas trees around the world!

Traditionally red and white striped, the classic minty candy canes are said to have originated all the way back in 1670! The story goes that a German choirmaster needed a way to keep children quiet during the festive church services. So, speaking to a local sweet maker, he decides that some candy sticks are an easy way to keep them quiet! But as passing out sweets in church was frowned upon, he had to add the hooked ends on to justify them! This way, when the children had their candy canes, they would all be reminded of the shepherds who went to visit the baby Jesus. Obviously, everyone loved the candy canes, and they quickly became a regular feature! This idea then took off and began to spread throughout Europe, with candy canes being handed out during nativity performances in countries further afield!

The candy canes we have today are very similar to the first ones. although the most notable change is the addition of red – and sometimes green – stripes. This is because the first candy canes were only the white colour of the minty candy mixture! Obviously, you can get different flavours nowadays too, but the norm is for a striped and minty cane!

Their popularity has grown drastically since their origins, with billions of them produced each year in America alone! But the way candy canes are made has changed a lot over the years. Despite being around for over 400 years, it wasn’t until the 1920s that candy canes were commonly made with machines. Until that point, the sweet mixture was shaped by hand and pulled into the little hooks!

But what is in a candy cane? In terms of ingredients, not a lot! The basic recipe for candy canes consists only of sugar and corn syrup! How that turns into such a wonderful festive treat really is a Christmas miracle!

So, a lot has changed throughout the history of the candy cane, but they are still tasty enough to occupy anyone who sees one today! And we have a great selection of them for you right here at Wholesale Sweets!

Candy Cane Sweets

Here at Wholesale Sweets, we have a great range of Christmas candy cane sweets that are perfect for you to put up around your home and enjoy impromptu festive treats.

You’ll find great choices from Bonds, with their delicious tri-colour Peppermint Candy Canes 12-Pack a wonderful and traditional option when it comes to decorating your home this festive season!

We also have some less traditional options for you! The Kingsway Candy Canes are deliciously strawberry in flavour and are a perfect option for those who prefer softer sweets! The gummy chews are still shaped and coloured like traditional candy canes, though, so everyone’s a winner! It’s a great way to make sure everyone can enjoy candy cane Christmas sweets!

Tony’s Chocolonely is never just chocolate. This Dark Chocolate and Mint Candy Cane Bar combines bits of candy cane with deep, rich dark chocolate. And with this bar, there’s a section of the bar which pops out and can be hung on your tree (but only if you can resist it)!

Any Questions?

At Wholesale Sweets, we want to live in a world where every sweet is met with a smile. Hopefully you’ve found all of the Christmas candy canes you need this year. But if for whatever reason you have any issues or queries at all, reach out to the Wholesale Sweets team and we will be more than happy to help!