Lemonhead (candy)

This article is about the candy. For other uses, see Lemonheads (disambiguation).
Lemonhead
Lemonhead candy
TypeCandy
Place of originUnited States
Created byFerrara Candy Company
Invented1962; 62 years ago (1962)
VariationsGrapeheads, Cherryheads, Appleheads, Orangeheads

Lemonhead is an American brand of candy that was first introduced in 1962, produced by the Ferrara Candy Company. Lemonheads are a round, lemon-flavored candy consisting of a sweet coating, soft sour shell, and a hard candy core. Other popular flavors are Grapeheads, Cherryheads and Appleheads.[1]

Inspiration for the Lemonhead name came from Salvatore Ferrara seeing his grandson, Salvatore II, the third generation, after delivery. Salvatore II was a forceps baby and he noted that his new grandson's head was lemon-shaped.[2] The candy was born out of the same cold panned process as the company's Red Hots in 1962. In this process, layer after layer of sugar and flavors are added until the candy reaches the desired shape and size.[3] They are most commonly sold in their standard 1 centimeter size, but they are also produced in a single-sale 3 cm version. Lemonhead candies are gluten and fat-free.[4] Ferrara now makes 500 million Lemonheads per year.[5]

Some time between the 1980s and late 1990s, Ferrara Pan brought all of their fruit-flavored candies under a consistent naming convention: Lemonheads, Grapeheads (formerly Alexander the Grape), Cherryheads (formerly Cherry Chan/Cherry Clan) and Appleheads (formerly Johnny Apple Treats).

  1. ^ "Lemonhead Website". Archived from the original on 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  2. ^ O’Donnell, Maureen. "Ferrara Candy boss Sal Ferrara, Lemonheads inspiration, dies". Chicagotribune.com. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. ^ “Lemonhead Candy.” Accessed January 29, 2020.
  4. ^ “LemonHead — Snack History.” Accessed January 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "How Lemon Heads are made". www.ferrarapan.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2005-11-12.