Spree

Spree is an American confectionery brand built around small, brightly colored, fruit-flavored candies. The original product is a compressed dextrose candy with a firm texture and a colored shell. Its traditional assortment includes red cherry, orange orange, yellow lemon, green lime, and purple grape pieces. The product has commonly been sold in roll-shaped packs and in larger cardboard boxes intended for movie-theater and sharing occasions. Its characteristic marketing description is “a kick in the mouth,” reflecting the candy’s concentrated fruit flavor and hard, tablet-like bite. The brand originated with the Sunline Candy Company of St. Louis, Missouri, during the mid-1960s. Sunline was later renamed Sunmark Corporation. The creation of Spree is associated with Sunline employee John Scout, who developed the product concept. In the 1970s, Nestlé acquired the brand and marketed it through the Willy Wonka Candy Company portfolio. This association placed Spree alongside other confectionery products connected with the Willy Wonka name in the United States. Spree subsequently became part of the Ferrara Candy Company portfolio. Ferrara operates as a subsidiary of Ferrero SpA, making Spree part of the broader Ferrero confectionery group. The brand’s ownership history therefore spans an independent St. Louis candy maker, Nestlé’s Willy Wonka business, and the modern Ferrara/Ferrero structure. The product range expanded beyond the original hard candy through Chewy Spree, which combines a colored candy shell with a chewy center. Chewy Spree is sold in larger pouches, while Mini Chewy Spree is offered in a smaller dispenser format. A Mixed Berry version of Chewy Spree included cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry, and mixed berry flavors; that variant was discontinued in 2015. Seasonal candy-cane products have also been sold in a mixed sour Spree flavor during the Christmas period. Spree is primarily positioned as an accessible, playful, fruit-flavored candy for impulse purchase, movie watching, sharing, and seasonal consumption. Its visual identity depends heavily on multicolored pieces and recognizable flavor coding rather than on premium ingredients or health-oriented positioning. The brand’s current public profile is strongest in the United States, where its formats and Willy Wonka heritage are most established. Specific current distribution, manufacturing locations, sales figures, and corporate leadership details are not specified in the supplied reference material.

Spree was developed in the mid-1960s by the Sunline Candy Company, a confectionery business based in St. Louis, Missouri. The concept is associated with Sunline employee John Scout. The resulting product was a compressed dextrose candy covered with a colored, fruit-flavored shell. Its design combined a firm tablet-like texture with a recognizable color-and-flavor system: cherry, orange, lemon, lime, and grape. Sunline later changed its corporate name to Sunmark Corporation. During the 1970s, the Spree brand was acquired by Nestlé. Nestlé marketed it through the Willy Wonka Candy Company brand architecture, linking Spree with a wider range of American candies sold under the Willy Wonka name. This period established the brand’s long-running association with colorful, whimsical confectionery and helped maintain its presence in the U.S. candy market. The original product was sold in roll formats and in larger cardboard packages associated with movie-theater sales. Its promotional language emphasized an intense fruit taste, including the phrase “a kick in the mouth.” The brand later broadened its portfolio with Chewy Spree, a variation retaining the colored candy shell while adding a chewy center. Chewy Spree was packaged in pouches, and a Mini Chewy Spree version was introduced in a small dispenser format. A Chewy Spree Mixed Berry formulation offered a different flavor profile built around cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry, and mixed berry notes. That variant was discontinued in 2015. The brand has also been used for seasonal candy-cane products featuring a mixed sour Spree flavor. Spree is now associated with Ferrara Candy Company, which operates within Ferrero SpA. The supplied reference material identifies Ferrara as the operating company and Ferrero as the ultimate owner, but does not provide a precise date for the transfer from Nestlé, current manufacturing sites, detailed distribution data, or financial performance. The brand’s documented product history nevertheless shows continuity from a mid-century American candy invention to a contemporary Ferrara/Ferrero confectionery label.

• 2015

  Chewy Spree Mixed Berry discontinued

  [1]Spree (candy)en.wikipedia.org

  The Mixed Berry flavor of Chewy Spree was discontinued.

• 1970

  Nestlé acquires the brand

  [1]Spree (candy)en.wikipedia.org

  In the 1970s, Nestlé acquired Spree and marketed it through the Willy Wonka Candy Company portfolio.

• Spree created by Sunline Candy Company

  [1]Spree (candy)en.wikipedia.org

  The brand originated with Sunline Candy Company in St. Louis during the mid-1960s. The product concept is associated with employee John Scout.

• Sunline renamed Sunmark Corporation

  [1]Spree (candy)en.wikipedia.org

  The original manufacturer later adopted the name Sunmark Corporation.

A colorful, fruit-flavored candy brand offering a distinctive hard compressed-candy format alongside chewy variations, positioned for playful everyday, movie-theater, sharing, and seasonal occasions.

• Hard compressed candy

  Original Spree

  The original Spree product is a compressed dextrose candy with a firm texture and a colored fruit-flavored shell. Its standard flavor assortment includes cherry, orange, lemon, lime, and grape. Depending on the market and occasion, it has been sold in approximately five-ounce rolls or in thin five-ounce cardboard boxes associated with movie-theater sales.

• Chewy coated candy

  Chewy Spree

  Chewy Spree extends the core Spree concept with a chewy center beneath a colored candy shell. Its documented flavor lineup parallels the original product with cherry, orange, lemon, lime, and grape. The product is packaged in larger pouches, including a 12-ounce format, making it suited to sharing and extended consumption rather than the compact roll format of Original Spree.

• Chewy coated candy

  Mini Chewy Spree

  Mini Chewy Spree is a smaller-format version of the chewy product. It has been sold in a compact dispenser package weighing approximately 1.73 ounces. The format preserves the combination of a colored shell and chewy center while emphasizing portability and portion-sized dispensing.

• Chewy coated candy

  Chewy Spree Mixed Berry

  Chewy Spree Mixed Berry was a flavor variation featuring cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry, and mixed berry notes. Unlike the standard flavor assortment, it focused on a berry-oriented profile. The variant was discontinued in 2015.

• Seasonal candy

  Spree candy canes

  Spree-branded candy canes have been marketed during the Christmas season in a mixed sour flavor. They represent a seasonal extension of the brand rather than a core year-round format.

• 2015

  Discontinuation of Chewy Spree Mixed BerryOther

  Background

  The brand had offered a Mixed Berry version of Chewy Spree with cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry, and mixed berry flavors.

  Action taken

  The Mixed Berry variant was discontinued.

  Aftermath

  The standard Chewy Spree range and other documented Spree formats remained distinct from the discontinued flavor.

  Source

• 2015

  Chewy Spree Mixed Berry discontinued[1]Spree (candy)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Chewy Spree Mixed Berry variant, which included cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry, and mixed berry flavors, was discontinued.

1. 1Spree (candy)en.wikipedia.org