Which Candy Brands Are Actually Canadian? The Complete List

Here's a fun way to start an argument at any Canadian party: ask whether Sour Patch Kids are Canadian. (They are.) Then ask about Aero. (It isn't.) Turns out a lot of the candy we've claimed as ours for our whole lives was born somewhere else entirely, and a few of the ones nobody suspects are as Canadian as a double-double. We went down the rabbit hole and fact-checked more than 35 brands, so you don't have to. Shop the real-deal Canadian ones in our Canadian candy collection, and read on for the complete list.

The Quick Answer

Coffee Crisp, Caramilk, Crispy Crunch, Big Turk and, plot twist, Sour Patch Kids are genuinely Canadian inventions. Cadbury Dairy Milk, Aero, Smarties and Kit Kat are made right here in Canada but were dreamed up overseas. And Oh Henry, Skor and Twizzlers? Not Canadian at all, no matter what your lunchbox told you growing up. The full scorecard is below.

Canadian Candy at a Glance

 

Actually Canadian: Born and Raised Here

These were invented in Canada, and a good number of them are still made here too. If you want to wave a flag over your candy dish, wave it over these!

Coffee Crisp

If any candy bar could sing the national anthem, it's this one. Coffee Crisp is a genuine Canadian original, made by Nestlé in Toronto, and it's so hard to find in the United States that homesick Canadians have been known to smuggle it across the border. That "how do you like your coffee?" tagline is practically a Canadian institution. Grab a Coffee Crisp.

Caramilk

Canada's own, launched in Montreal in 1968 (not 1938, despite a stubborn internet rumour that mixes it up with the older British Caramello). The same liquid-caramel bar is sold as Caramello in the US and Dairy Milk Caramel in the UK, so it's really the name and those little pockets of runny caramel that make it Canadian. And after nearly 60 years, we still won't tell you how they get the caramel in there. Shop Caramilk.

Crispy Crunch

Born in 1930, and here's the charming part: it was invented by a Neilson candy maker named Harold Oswin who came up with it to win a company naming contest. That flaky, crumbly peanut-butter core is pure Canadiana, and it's been a lunchroom trading currency for generations. Try a Crispy Crunch.

Mr. Big

Created by Neilson and still holding down checkout lanes across the country, Mr. Big is the bar that dares you to finish it in one sitting. "When you're this big, they call you Mr." Genuinely ours, and genuinely enormous. Pick up a Mr. Big.

Big Turk

The love-it-or-loathe-it bar. Big Turk is a slab of magenta Turkish delight wrapped in chocolate, and it's so uniquely Canadian that most people outside the country have never even seen one. There's no middle ground with Big Turk, and honestly, that's the most Canadian thing about it. Try a Big Turk.

Mirage

Think of it as Aero's Canadian-born cousin: a bubbly, melt-in-your-mouth bar, a little thicker than an Aero, and made peanut-free by Nestlé Canada. You won't find it on shelves abroad, which just makes Canadians love it more. Shop Mirage.

Sour Patch Kids (yes, really)

This is the one that stops people in their tracks. Sour Patch Kids were invented in Hamilton, Ontario, back in the 1970s, and they were originally sold under the delightfully weird name "Mars Men." They got their rebrand in the '80s, went global, and are now owned by Mondelez, but here's the kicker: they're still made in Hamilton to this day. So the next time an American claims them, you have receipts. Grab some Sour Patch Kids.

Fuzzy Peaches

A Canadian invention from the early 1990s, and the origin story is fantastic: they were dreamed up riding the wave of the Fuzzy Navel cocktail craze of the late '80s. That sugar-dusted, slightly tart little peach slice was developed in Hamilton and is still made there, and because it's built on a cornstarch base instead of gelatin, it happens to be vegan-friendly too. Shop Fuzzy Peaches.

Swedish Berries

The name is a beautiful red herring. Swedish Berries are Canadian, created in Hamilton in the 1960s as a berry-flavoured riff on Swedish Fish. They were never actually sold in Europe, so the "Swedish" is a tip of the hat to the inspiration, not the passport. Chewy, dimpled, and unmistakably ours. Grab some Swedish Berries, or their tangy siblings, the Sour Cherry Blasters.

Eat-More

A dark, chewy tangle of toffee, peanuts and chocolate that looks a little unassuming and tastes like a Canadian childhood. It was invented by the Lowney company here in the 1930s (the name, fittingly, came from a contest, won by a Nova Scotian), and unlike some of its cousins that got shipped south, Eat-More is still made exclusively in Canada. Try an Eat-More.

Glosette

The little cardboard box you've rattled in a dark movie theatre a hundred times. Glosette raisins, peanuts and almonds are a Canadian invention (also from Lowney), and they remain a concession-stand institution, still made in North America, including Hershey's Quebec plants. Shop Glosette.

Hickory Sticks

Not technically candy, but people ask about these constantly, so we'll settle it: yes, those thin, salty, addictive potato sticks are Canadian. They're the last Hostess snack still standing, made in Canada and quietly shipped to homesick Canadians all over the world. Grab a bag of Hickory Sticks.

Thrills Gum

The purple gum that proudly warns you it "still tastes like soap," and somehow that's the whole appeal. Thrills is a nostalgic Canadian original that people keep buying precisely because it's so ridiculous. A true dare-your-friends candy. Try some Thrills gum.

Laura Secord

A Canadian chocolate institution since 1913, named after the War of 1812 heroine who walked 30 kilometres to warn of an American attack (which feels only fitting for a list like this). Their maple fudge is about as Canadian as a candy can possibly get. Shop Laura Secord.

Made in Canada, but Not Really Ours

These were invented somewhere else and belong to global companies, but the versions you buy on Canadian shelves are often made right here. Canadian-made, not Canadian-born, and that distinction trips up almost everyone.

Cadbury Dairy Milk and Crunchie

British classics through and through (Dairy Milk goes all the way back to 1905) and owned by Mondelez, but the bars sold in Canada are made in Toronto. Here's a very Canadian quirk to drop at trivia night: we call the golden honeycomb centre of a Crunchie "sponge toffee," while the Brits call it "honeycomb."

Wunderbar

Practically everyone assumes Wunderbar is Canadian. Plot twist: it's the exact same recipe as Britain's Cadbury Starbar, just wearing a different name in Canada and Germany. Peanut butter, caramel, crispies, made in Toronto, British at heart. Shop Wunderbar.

Aero

Brace yourself: Aero is British, invented in England back in 1935. The bubbly bars you buy here are made by Nestlé in Canada, but the brand was never actually ours. We've just adopted it so thoroughly that the truth feels like a betrayal. Shop Aero.

Smarties (and why they're not American Smarties)

Canadian Smarties are those colourful chocolate buttons, invented in England in 1937 and made here by Nestlé Canada. Now for the great cross-border mix-up: the candy Americans call "Smarties" is a totally different thing, a chalky little tablet that we know as Rockets. So a Canadian and an American arguing about Smarties are, hilariously, talking about two completely different candies. We wrote a whole post on the difference between Canadian and American Smarties if you want the deep dive. Shop Smarties.

Kit Kat

British by birth (1935), and here's a genuinely wild fact: Nestlé makes Kit Kat everywhere on Earth except the United States, where Hershey makes it under an old licence deal. That means a Canadian Kit Kat and an American Kit Kat come from two different companies, with slightly different recipes. Same red wrapper, different chocolate DNA.

Maynards Wine Gums

The Maynards name is British, a proper Victorian sweets company, and Wine Gums were first made in London in 1909. But Canada got its own local production line, so the chewy packs on our shelves are made in Toronto. British recipe, Canadian factory. Shop Wine Gums.

Mars Bar

British invention, but the Canadian Mars bar is made in Newmarket, Ontario and is its own distinct recipe, noticeably different from the American version. Mars itself markets it as an iconic Canadian bar, and it's at least genuinely Canadian-made.

Turtles

Invented in the US way back in 1918, but the Turtles you buy in Canada are a Nestlé product made in New Brunswick, billed as "a Canadian tradition since 1949" and complete with their own Mr. Turtle mascot. An American idea that grew up Canadian. Shop Turtles.

Mackintosh Toffee

That nostalgic toffee brick you smack against the counter to break apart feels deeply Canadian, but it was actually born in England in 1890. It's a Nestlé Canada staple now, and the counter-smacking ritual is at least ours. Shop Mackintosh Toffee.

Not Canadian at All (Sorry!!)

People will swear on their toques that these are Canadian. They are not. They're just longtime guests who overstayed and started to feel like family.

Oh Henry

The great impostor. Oh Henry was invented in Chicago in 1920, and while Canada does have its own distinct recipe, the plot thickens: after Hershey closed its Smiths Falls, Ontario plant, even the Canadian version is now made in the US and Mexico and imported back in. So it's not Canadian by birth, and it's not even made here anymore. Rough day for a lot of people's assumptions.

Skor

It has that vintage, maple-tinged, surely-Canadian vibe. It is not. Skor is an American Hershey toffee bar, launched in 1981 to go head-to-head with the Heath bar, and made in the US. Delicious, just not ours.

The Rest of the Pretenders

Rounding out the "nice try" list: Twizzlers (American, made in Pennsylvania), Reese (American, we just quietly drop the apostrophe up here), Twix (British, made in the US), Bounty and Maltesers (both British, with Maltesers being a Mars product imported straight from the UK), Nestlé Crunch (American), and After Eight and Rolo (both British). And the two brand names that confuse absolutely everyone: Cadbury, the company, is British and owned by Mondelez, and Maynard’s, the company, is British too, even though several of the candies flying its flag in Canada (hi, Fuzzy Peaches and Swedish Berries) are the real Canadian deal.

Gone, but It Was Ours

Cherry Blossom

One for the memorial wall. A chocolate-covered cherry in its own funny little box, the Cherry Blossom had been a Canadian icon since the 1890s, right up until Hershey discontinued it in January 2025. Pour one out for a true Canadian classic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cadbury Canadian?

No. Cadbury is a British company, founded in Birmingham in 1824 and owned by Mondelez since 2010. That said, several bars sold under the Cadbury name in Canada, like Caramilk, Crispy Crunch and Mr. Big, are genuinely Canadian inventions, and Canadian Cadbury bars are made in Toronto.

Are Sour Patch Kids Canadian?

Yes, originally. Sour Patch Kids were invented in Hamilton, Ontario in the 1970s and first sold as "Mars Men." They're now owned by Mondelez and sold worldwide, but they're still made in Hamilton.

Is Coffee Crisp Canadian?

Yes. Coffee Crisp is a genuine Canadian invention, made by Nestlé in Toronto, and famously difficult to find outside Canada.

Is Aero Canadian?

No. Aero was invented in England in 1935. The Canadian bars are made here by Nestlé, but the brand is British.

What chocolate bars are actually made in Canada?

Truly Canadian-invented bars include Coffee Crisp, Caramilk, Crispy Crunch, Mr. Big, Big Turk and Mirage. Bars invented elsewhere but made in Canada include Cadbury Dairy Milk, Crunchie, Wunderbar, Aero, Smarties and the Canadian Mars bar. You can shop them all in our Canadian candy collection.

Shop Canadian, Eh?

Now that you can tell a true Canadian from a well-disguised guest, stock up on the real thing. From Coffee Crisp and Caramilk to Fuzzy Peaches and Thrills, browse the full Canadian candy collection at Candy Funhouse, shipped fresh across Canada with free shipping on orders over $75.