Best candy makers for 2024

Are there people in the world who do not like sweets? Even if there are such, there are very few of them. Almost everyone remembers the taste of their favorite sweets from childhood. Since ancient times, people have been able to cook a variety of sweets, which serve not only as a decoration for the festive table, but also as an excellent gift for both a child and an adult.

Initially, sweets were called special sweet medicinal preparations prepared for medical purposes (in the form of jam, candied berries and fruits). Subsequently, this name spread in everyday life, and began to denote a dessert, a sweet treat. Since sugar was invented relatively recently, honey, molasses, nuts, dried fruits, and syrup were used to make sweets.

In the modern world, there is a huge variety of sweet ingredients used to make candy and other goodies. On store shelves, you can find a wide variety of sweets that differ from each other not only in the initial ingredients, but also in the manufacturing technology - chocolate with and without filling, dairy and dairy-free, candies, caramel, praline, truffle, fondant, jelly, fruit, soufflé, toffee , halva, etc.

Recently, the following trends have been observed in the confectionery business:

• Focus on making sweets with unusual fillings - salty cracker, lime, pepper, maple syrup, etc .;
• Increase in sales of products made from natural dark chocolate, which is associated with the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition;
• Making confectionery products for certain groups of the population with an individual selection of the composition, for example, for the elderly.

How to choose delicious candy?

General recommendations for the choice of confectionery

• Shelf life. Every confection, like other products, has an expiration date. So, the "correct" marmalade is stored for no more than 30 calendar days, and bird's milk sweets - a little more than two weeks. Lollipops and caramel may not go bad for 6 months. If the shelf life indicated on the package is significantly longer than the nominal, you should think about the rationality of buying such sweets, since, most likely, preservatives have been added to the sweets, ensuring such a long shelf life.
• If sweets are sold not by weight, but in branded packaging (boxes, cans, bags), the following information must be present on it - the name of the manufacturer, net weight, production date, shelf life, composition, energy value (calorie content ), GOST, according to which the product is manufactured.

What to look for when buying chocolate candies?

• First of all, experts recommend paying attention to the appearance of the confectionery. The shape of the product must be symmetrical, the filling must be completely covered with a layer of chocolate.
• The chocolate on the surface should have a uniform shade without streaks and inclusions. A white coating on the surface indicates that the required temperature regime was not observed during the storage of the sweets (most likely, they lay for a long time at a low air temperature).
• Cocoa should come first on the list of ingredients. If vegetable fats are present there, this suggests that the manufacturer saved on the purchase of natural ingredients and made a confection from substitutes that are not healthy. According to buyers, such candies are not only harmful to health, but also have mediocre taste.
• The candy should have a bright and distinct chocolate aroma. The aroma of the filling should not prevail over the aroma of the candy. If there is a foreign smell, it is most likely that the candy was stored next to other odorous products.
• According to the advice of confectioners, it is better to buy sweets in branded stores of manufacturing factories, this will not only help to buy goodies at a budget price (compared to chain stores), but also to be confident in the quality and naturalness of sweets.
• In the event that gift sets are purchased, it is recommended to take a small portion of the sweets to try, so as not to disappoint the person being presented.
• A high-quality chocolate candy should melt in your mouth, as natural chocolate has a melting point of 32 ° C. If this does not happen, it can be concluded that the manufacturing company either used cheaper raw materials in the manufacturing process, or violated the production technology.
• The candy made from real chocolate should have a smooth, smooth and shiny surface. If the surface of the sweetness is dull, this indicates that the manufacturer has included soy in the composition, which reduces the consumer qualities of the product.

Criteria for the selection of candies and caramel

• These types of candies can be sold with or without wrappers. Its absence does not in any way affect the taste and other characteristics of the caramel. If the sweets are sold in a wrapper, it's worth checking the quality. The paint on it should not crumble or print on the hands, the candy wrapper should not stick to the candy. The best wrapper is foil or cellophane. Such material does not emit harmful substances and well protects the caramel from moisture, which is detrimental to this type of sweets.
• The appearance of the candy is also important. They must be of the correct shape, without chips or other damage. If there is a filling inside the candy, it should not go beyond the product border. The filling of the filling in all candies must be uniform. The filling itself should not taste bitter or cloying.
• Lollipops without a wrap should be covered with special dressing, which will protect them from sticking (this often happens when storing sweets in high humidity conditions).
• The brightness of the chocolates indicates that a large amount of dyes were used in their production. Nevertheless, even sweets with the most acidic color will not harm health, since according to the current GOST, only natural dyes are used to color caramel.

Rating of the best Russian candy manufacturers for 2024

Despite the fact that more and more often you can see the predominance of foreign-made sweets over domestic ones on store shelves, Russian-made sweets can also surprise with their excellent taste.

Red October

Address: Moscow, st. Malaya Krasnoselskaya, 7, p. 24.

Phone: ☎ +7 495 982-56-32.

Official website on the Internet: https://www.uniconf.ru/factories/krasny-octyabr/.

The factory was founded in 1857 by the famous German confectioner Ferdinand Theodor von Einem.It began with a small sweets shop, which was later transformed into a factory located on the banks of the Moskva River. After some time, the factory moved to Bersenevskaya embankment. Only in 1922 the company was renamed into Red October. At the same time, for a long time, “Former Einem” was indicated on the packaging of the sweets produced, as the factory became famous for the excellent quality and taste of the produced delicacies.

This is the largest candy factory in Russia, the scale of production is impressive: the volume of supplies to the world and domestic markets is 64 million kg of products. In addition to the main production in Moscow, several branches were opened - in Ryazan, Yegoryevsk, Kolomna.

For the production of products from bitter, white and milk chocolate with fillings, as well as for confectionery products with liqueur, marzipan, nougat, soft caramel, only the latest and most modern equipment is used. The range of products manufactured includes more than 240 items. The company's products comply with all Russian and international standards - GOST, ISO, HASP, etc.

The factory's products annually take part in various competitions, are laureates of such awards as the International Confectionery Quality Review "Innovations and Traditions", the International Tasting Competition "Best Product", "Moscow Quality", the National Professional Award "Chocolate Business", the All-Russian Competition " 100 best goods of Russia ", etc.

Krasny Oktyabr is rightfully considered the best confectionery factory in Russia, it was at this factory that such world-famous sweets as "Little Red Riding Hood", "Bear in the North", "Kara-Kum", "Cancer Shakes", "Bear clubfoot. " The most famous chocolates of this company are everyone's favorite "Alenka", "Mishka clubfoot", "Red October 80% cocoa", "Pushkin's Tales".

• a wide range of products, a wide variety of sweets and other sweets;
• a large selection of fillings for sweets - with cognac, cream, liqueur, marmalade, waffle, fondant, roasted nuts, chewing;
• time-tested recipes are used for the manufacture of products;
• a convenient site with photos and descriptions of confectionery and an overview of the most popular names;
• among the list of products offered you can find sweets made from natural ingredients according to home recipes;
• by cost, you can choose both inexpensive sweets and at an average price.

• not all the names of the confectionery products of this factory can be found on the free sale;
• on the manufacturer's website it is impossible to find out how much a particular name of sweets costs.

Mouth front

Address: Moscow, 2nd Novokuznetskiy per., 13 / 15s1.

Phone: ☎ +7 495 951-84-78.

Official website on the Internet: https://www.uniconf.ru/factories/rot-front/.

This is one of the oldest and most famous factories in Moscow, which was created even earlier than Red October. The history of the company began in 1826 with a small shop selling only fudge and candies. It belonged to the famous merchants Leonov. Subsequently, their heirs actively developed production, and by the 19th century the shop had turned into a full-fledged factory. Subsequently, the institution was nationalized and renamed Rot Front in 1931. During the Second World War, the factory, as an aid to the front, took part in the repair of the cannons; a hospital for wounded soldiers was created on the basis of industrial buildings. From time to time the company participates in the production of confectionery products for national events - chocolate bars, chewing gum for children with appropriate symbols. Even adults, when choosing which candy factory is better to buy, invariably give preference to sweets produced since the 50-60s - "Korovka", "Rot Front", "Bird's Milk".

At the moment, the assortment of sweets is more than 200 items.The list of popular products invariably includes not only chocolates, but also waffles, sweets, mousses and chocolate creams. The factory management is constantly modernizing equipment for the production of confectionery. More and more robots with an automation function are being introduced into production, which practically excludes manual labor (the less workers perform the functions assigned to them with their own hands, the faster the production process goes).

The most famous products of Rot Front are "Grill in chocolate", "Cow", "Evening bell", "Moscow", "Kremlin", "Bird's milk". According to customer reviews, the halva produced by this factory has no equal in the Russian market. For certain groups of the population (diabetics, overweight people), special sugar-free sweets are offered.

• according to buyers, almost all products manufactured by the factory are with excellent taste and aroma;
• according to Roskachestvo, the plant's products comply with all applicable standards;
• in the rating of high-quality confectionery products of Russian production, the plant's products occupy a leading position.

• not detected.

Babaevsky

Address: Moscow, st. Malaya Krasnoselskaya, 7.

Phone: ☎ +7 499 264-72-98.

Official website on the Internet: http://www.babaev.ru/.

Another representative of the oldest factories in Russia. It was founded by a former serf peasant who loved apricots and added them to almost all confectionery sold. Thanks to this fruit, the peasant first received the nickname, and then the surname Abrikosov. Over the years, a small shop turned into a large factory, which in the 30s became the largest in Russia for the production of caramel and toffee. During the war years, the plant took an active part in helping the front, made sweets with alcohol for soldiers, and for ordinary people - water with saccharin.

Like other large factories, the Abrikosovs' plant was nationalized during the Soviet era, and after the then head of the regional executive committee, it was named Babaevsky.

Currently, the factory is actively introducing new technologies, installing technological lines for the production of new types of products. So, more recently, lines for the production of praline candies and stick chocolate were installed.

The company produces a large list of confectionery products (over 120 items), most of which are sold not only in the Russian Federation, but also abroad. All products manufactured by the concern are certified not only in accordance with the standards of the Russian Federation, but also have all the necessary international certificates. The most popular sweets from the manufacturer are Babaevskaya Squirrel, Uganda, Venezuela, Almond Praline, and others.

• the products of the factory are well known and are present in almost all chain stores;
• natural ingredients are used to make most types of sweets;
• a wide range of goodies for every taste.

• high price.

TOP foreign candy manufacturers

In modern supermarkets there is a huge selection of various sweets, most of which are sweets of foreign production. Sometimes it is difficult for the buyer to decide which confectionery is better. In order for you not to make mistakes when choosing, and buy the best goodies, we have compiled a rating of the world's best candy manufacturers.

Ferrero SpA

This well-known company is engaged in the production of chocolate and other confectionery products, including sweets. It was created in Alba, Italy in 1942. It all started with a candy store, which after 4 years was transformed into the Ferrero factory.

Initially, the main ingredient in sweets was cocoa beans. However, during the war of 1941-1945. there were interruptions in their supply, and in order to somehow continue production, it was decided to replace part of the cocoa with ground hazelnuts.Thus, a prototype of the pasta was created, which would later be called "Nutella". Now the Ferrero company owns 38 companies all over the world, among them such famous brands as Raffaello, Kinder Surprise, Kinder Chocolate, Tic Tac. In the 2000s, in the territory of Russia, in the city of Volgograd, the construction of a plant began, which is focused on the production of chocolate and sweets of this brand.

It is probably impossible to find a person who has not tasted the sweets of this manufacturer.

The most famous brand sweets - Rafaello and Ferrero Roche, are distinguished by their delicate texture and chocolate-creamy taste, and also have an unusual shape. The Kinder Surprise baby egg has been a cherished wish of babies all over the world for many decades.

• bright, delicate taste that has won the love of sweet tooth all over the world;
• beautiful sweets and packaging design, making the candy set a great gift for both kids and adults.

• high price.

Nestle

The Swiss corporation Nestle is the world's largest manufacturer of a variety of food products. It was founded in 1866. Initially, the main activity of the company was the production of dry formulas for babies not receiving breast milk. Now the concern produces chocolate products, ice cream, bouillon compositions, coffee, pet food, products under the brands KitKat, Maggi, Nescafe, Nesquik, etc.

The following enterprises have been established and operate under the management of the Nestle concern in Russia: the Rossiya chocolate factory, the Kamskaya confectionery factory, and the Ice Cream Factory in Moscow.

Among the best-selling sweets of this brand in Russia are:

• KitKat mini-bars - waffles covered with dark or milk chocolate. Due to the small packaging and the ability to quickly satisfy the feeling of hunger, it is convenient to take them with you for a walk or work. Flavors, preservatives and dyes from artificial raw materials are not used in the products;
• Nesquik mini-bars - consists of nougat, puffed rice and milk filling, covered with chocolate. The candies are specially designed for children, consist of natural ingredients and do not contain artificial flavors and colors;
• "Gentle Duet" - sweets that combine soft caramel and chocolate. They go well with tea;
• mini bar Nuts - consists of whole hazelnuts or hazelnuts with caramel and nougat, all covered with chocolate. Convenient to use as a quick snack.

The company emphasizes orientation to a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition as the main reference point in the production of sweets. Almost all confectionery products of this brand use natural ingredients and do not use artificial flavors and colors.

• natural composition of sweets;
• bright and rich taste;
• the brand's products are widespread and known all over the world, buyers do not have any difficulties finding places where they can buy products of this brand.

• high price compared to the products of Russian factories.

Mars

The company was founded in 1911 in Washington, USA. The company specializes in the production of chocolate bars, chewing gum, sauces, carbonated drinks. Among the extensive list of products, one can single out the release of M & M's sweets, which have gained popularity all over the world. An interesting idea of ​​the appearance of this product: according to legend, once one of the founders was present at the exercises of the soldiers and discovered that they were eating small chocolates. Due to the fact that these candies were covered with a sugar shell, they did not melt in the hands. Forrest Mars noted for himself that such candies would be of interest to children and their parents, as it would allow kids to eat chocolates without getting dirty from head to toe. Sweets under this brand quickly gained recognition among customers, and now it is difficult to find a person who has never tasted the sweets of this brand.

Mars came to Russia in 1991.The first representative office was opened in Vladivostok, and then in Samara, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar and other cities.

The Mars company is constantly developing and introducing new technologies in the production of its confectionery products. So, recently the company has abandoned the use of additives potentially hazardous to health and significantly changed the composition of its products. For example, they stopped using artificial flavors in chocolate bars and reduced calorie content. Thanks to its successful development and attention to the wishes of consumers, the concern ranks first in the world in terms of profit among all confectionery companies.

The most popular sweets of the brand, M & M’s, are multi-colored chocolate balls coated with a sugar shell, each of which is marked with the letter “M”. The sweets were advertised under the slogan "Milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hands." Sweets are made not only from milk chocolate, but also from dark, white, mint chocolate, with the addition of nuts (almonds, peanuts), puffed rice, coconut, peanut butter, etc.

There are several interesting facts associated with these sweets:

• They were the first candy to have traveled to outer space - in 1982, American astronauts included them in the list of food they took with them on the flight.
• In the 1970s. The production of red candies was discontinued, since harmful substances were identified in the composition of the dye used to color the candies. They were temporarily replaced by orange-colored sweets, and only 10 years later, they were returned to the free market, after the development of a new dye formula.
• In 2012, French beekeepers were very surprised to find blue honey in the combs. As it turned out, the French bees became interested in the waste from the production of M & M's sweets, and used them to make honey. After the scandal caused by beekeepers, containers with dye waste from the factory were no longer displayed on the street.

• a wide variety of sweets produced by the factory;
• brand products can be found in any supermarket;
• natural composition (recently, the manufacturer has practically abandoned the use of artificial colors and preservatives).

• overpriced compared to budget counterparts from other manufacturers.

Perfetti van Melle

The history of this transnational company goes back over 100 years. The concern includes corporations: the Italian company Perfetti, the Dutch Van Mell, the Spanish Chupa Chups. The history of the company began as a small bakery, which was later transformed into a pastry shop. Here, they began to produce chewing candies under the Fruittella brand, which later, after refinement of the composition, became the basis for the manufacture of Mentos chewing gum. In 1958, one of the co-founders invented a candy on a stick that gained immense popularity all over the world - Chupa Chups.

The most famous brand products are sweets Mentos, Meller, Chupa-chups, Sula, Fruttella.

Chewing gum Mentos is positioned as a candy that has not only a bright taste, but also a refreshing effect, which, according to the manufacturer, will last for a long time. It comes in a variety of packages, so you can take it anywhere you go. In addition to the most popular taste - mint, there are a large number of fruit flavors on the market - tutti-frutti, assorted fruits, green tea.

Chupa-chups candy is very popular among children, has more than 100 different tastes and formats - it can be produced in the form of a lollipop, chewing gum, small round candies. The most popular flavors are cola, fruittella, bubble gum, apple, orange, strawberry, cherry, etc.

Not so popular, but also tasty, Meller candy is also widely distributed all over the world. It is available in two types - dark chocolate coated with caramel or white chocolate with creamy caramel.For those with a sweet tooth, a Super-Meller candy is produced, in which caramel is covered with an additional layer of chocolate. Sweets are produced both in mono-pack and in multi-pack (economy pack).

Under the Fruttella brand, the concert produces gummies and marmalade. These sweets are intended for children, which is why they have a natural composition without artificial ingredients and a bright fruity taste. Chewing cubs and worms of different colors and tastes are loved by all children, without exception. The main slogan of the company was the slogan “Friends with Fruttella”, which calls for sharing delicious marmalades with the closest ones and friends.

A feature of Sula lollipops is the use of a natural sugar substitute - sorbitol, which is found in many fruits and berries. Sorbitol does not cause caries, unlike sugar, and also maintains a neutral pH-environment in the oral cavity. Among other things, they are approved for consumption by people with diabetes. These lozenges are enriched with vitamins and minerals that help support immunity during periods of physical and mental stress.

• a wide range of sweets to choose from;
• natural composition;
• bright and varied tastes.

• not identified.

Conclusion

There are so many delicacies on store shelves now that even the most inveterate sweet tooth cannot taste every one. Despite the fact that most of them are foreign-made sweets, sweets from Russian factories can compete with them. So, the sweets of the factories discussed in this article are highly valued for their taste, and are gladly bought by foreign guests.

We hope that our article will allow you to understand all the variety of sweets sold in Russia and will help you discover new tastes.