Cherry Blossom (candy)

Cherry Blossom was a type of chocolate confection[1] produced by Hershey Canada. It was discontinued in 2025.[2]

The Cherry Blossom consisted of a maraschino cherry and cherry syrup surrounded by a mixture of chocolate, shredded coconut and roasted peanut pieces. Cherry Blossoms were packaged in yellow boxes.[3] Contrary to common myth, filling was not injected inside the chocolate. The cherry candy was coated with an enzyme, invertase, that would break down the solid into a liquid over the next 1 to 2 weeks.[4]

History

The candy had been manufactured since the 1890s by the Walter M. Lowney Company of Canada. A prominent man in Mansfield, Massachusetts, Lowney opened and operated his candy factory in the city, being also involved in the development of other interests in the city. In the mid 1890s a subsidiary of Lowney Co. was opened in Canada. The company continued to grow and so did the Cherry Blossom.[5]

The Walter M. Lowney Company of Canada was later acquired by Standard Brands in 1968, and Lowney became a division of Standard Brands.[6] In 1981, Nabisco and Standard Brands Ltd merged to form a new entity, which now owned the Lowney division.[7] Finally, Hershey Canada purchased the candy unit of Nabisco in 1987, which included Lowney.[8][9]

The Lowney manufacturing plant resided in the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec up until 1989, at which time it was closed, and all Lowney chocolate manufacturing was moved to an existing Hershey plant in Smiths Falls, Ontario.[10] The facility in Smiths Falls, northeast of Kingston, later closed in 2012.[11][5] In January 2025, Hershey announced that they were discontinuing Cherry Blossoms.[12] Shortly afterwards, some grocery stores reported a noticeable increase in sales of the product.[13] By September 2025, most retailers had sold their remaining stock of Cherry Blossoms, which led to resellers selling the candy at a significant markup online.[14]

See also

References

  1. R. Broekel. The Chocolate Chronicles Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 1985, retrieved August 25, 2018^
  2. Ian Austen. A Beloved Canadian Chocolate Bar Disappears From the Market The New York Times, 2025-07-12, retrieved 2025-07-15^
  3. Jenna Benchetrit. Hershey Canada sending Cherry Blossom to the chocolate graveyard CBC News, retrieved 19 January 2025^
  4. What Is Invertase and How Is It Used? by Elizabeth LaBau on theSpuceEats, 22 Nov 2019^
  5. The History of the Cherry Blossom Empire Diefenbunker Museum, retrieved September 7, 2021^
  6. What Acquisition of Lowney will mean to Standard Brands newspapers.com, National Post Newspaper, retrieved 22 December 2023^
  7. Nabisco, Standard Brands whip up $2 Billion Merger newspapers.com, Montreal Gazette Newspaper, retrieved 22 December 2023^
  8. David Carr. Candymaking in Canada Dundum, 2003^
  9. Hershey to swallow candy unit of Nabisco newspapers.com, Toronto Star Newspaper, retrieved 22 December 2023^
  10. Bombardier closes Boucherville NY plants, consolidates Ski-Doo distribution in Sherbrooke newspapers.com, Montreal Gazette Newspaper, retrieved 22 December 2023^
  11. Hershey to shut down Smiths Falls, Ont. plant toronto.ctvnews.ca, CTV News, 23 February 2007, retrieved 22 December 2023^
  12. Hershey Canada stopping production of Cherry Blossom candy citynews.ca, City News Toronto, 16 January 2025, retrieved 16 January 2025^
  13. Jason Magder. How sweet it was: Cherry Blossom chocolates flying off store shelves on news it will be discontinued Montreal Gazette, retrieved 19 January 2025^
  14. Natalie Stechyson. Canada's divisive 'weird' chocolate, the Cherry Blossom, now worth its weight in gold CBC News, September 25, 2025, retrieved 26 September 2025^