Sunkist Fruit Gems, Bar Mitzvah Staple, Get 2nd Chance After Discontinuation

Sunkist Fruit Gems, a beloved kosher jelly candy, has been salvaged from discontinuation.

Candyrific of Louisville, Ky., will manufacture them, Sunkist told The New York Times in a statement late Monday. Earlier, Ferrara, a Chicago-based company that owns Jelly Belly, Brachs and Nerds, said that it would discontinue the candies that come in a rainbow of colors.

The candy became synonymous with some bar and bat mitzvahs as family, friends and congregants pelt young men and women with the Fruit Gems at the end of the ceremony in a final act signifying their journey to adulthood.

“We have been encouraged by the overwhelming support and enthusiasm shown by Sunkist Fruit Gems fans in recent days,” the company said in an emailed statement on Monday, adding that it had been trying to find the right manufacturer for Fruit Gems.

Other snacks have gotten a second chance at life when their demise prompted public disappointment. After saying it would wind down operations, Hostess Brands, the bankrupt maker of Twinkies, agreed in 2013 to sell its products to two investment firms. In 2020, General Mills brought back Dunkaroos several years after they vanished from store shelves.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/business/sunkist-fruit-gems-candy-candyrific.html