Gooey, crunchy or chewy everybody loves a candy bar and everyone has a favorite. Candy bars epitomize indulgence and fun and maybe that is why even as adults, we continue to play with different ideas about candy bars.

Confectionary and ritual have been partners for a very long time. Although the most immediate candy rituals that come to mind are probably part of religious (Christian or Pagan) rites like Christmas, Easter and Halloween, there are numerous ceremonies and rituals involving candy.

Candy in one form or another has been around for thousands of years. Honeycomb was probably the first ready made candy of the earliest humans. From then forward honey was and continues to be a favorite natural confectionary sweetener.

Gobstoppers to teach science, what a concept! The entire class is given a gobstopper to suck and told that they are sucking away the layers of the planet. The first layer is the earths crust, easily recognized as gone from the gobstopper when the outer color of the blue planet is breached and the students have revealed the outer mantle.

Shipping candy is an art that requires wholesalers to have very specific methods in place in order to ensure that bulk candy shipments find their destinations in the same state they left the warehouse. In extreme temperatures this is not always an easy feat.

Just about everyone loves candy but some people are particularly fond of what the candy comes in. There are numerous collectors of candy containers and cookie jars (which include cookie containers) and in fact there are a plethora of books written on the subject.

For those whom the love of candy extends from a personal passion to a professional enterprise it is expo season. Over the next few months candy makers, lovers and retailers will host expos all over America. The public and pundits alike will learn about candy and chocolate, discover brands and types they had never heard of and listen to keynote speakers address the latest trends and prospects in the world of candy and chocolate.

Candy and chocolate have been around for a long time, perhaps longer than you think. The National Confectioners Association maintains a timeline of notable events in the world of candy and chocolate. You may be surprised at the age of some of your favorite habits – like chewing gum.

The count-down to Valentine’s Day is truly on and for those who want to make a huge impression, it’s pressure time. If you have musical talent though, you are in luck and the battle is half won. Nothing will melt a woman’s heart (or a man’s) like a box of chocolates or flowers and a serenade.

While the people of Australia fared well their crops did not and the banana and sugar crops of Australia were particularly hard hit. For candy makers and retailers that means that 10% of the world’s sugar supply is gone. Almost one third of Australia’s sugarcane is grown in the region between Cairns and Townsville, where Yasi came ashore.