Some are grieving; some will dance on its grave. Hershey’s Canada is reportedly discontinuing Cherry Blossom, the novelty candy that consists of a syrupy maraschino cherry encased in milk chocolate with bits of coconut and peanut.
The bonbons were originally produced at the Lowney Factory in Montreal from the 1890s until the 1980s, at which point Hershey’s Canada took over the brand. The chocolates are instantly recognizable from their simple yellow packaging.
Montrealers shared a range of opinions on the candy with CBC Thursday afternoon. Steven Eisenberg said he liked Cherry Blossoms when he was younger, and now he finds the candy “kind of gooey and stupid.”
Morgan Thomas had never tasted a Cherry Blossom before. She tried one on the spot and gave a live review to CBC: “It’s alright,” she said, grimacing. She declined to finish it.
Emilie Lavery also ate a Cherry Blossom, a staple of her youth. “I cannot erase the past,” she conceded. “So I like it.”
A love-hate relationship
Canadians have a “love-hate” relationship with Cherry Blossoms, especially those who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, said Jordan Lebel, a professor of food marketing at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business.
“Times have gotten difficult in the confectionery business. It’s extremely competitive,” he said, citing new technology that help manufacturers create more complex products, like chocolate with sea salt-infused caramel.
Consumers, meanwhile, are looking for treats that “surprise them and take them somewhere else,” he said.
“I’m not sure that the folks at Cherry Blossom had managed to find the winning formula to re-engineer the product.”
Lebel noted that retailers probably aren’t keen on giving top shelf space to a chocolate that hasn’t evolved much, but said that the cherry-chocolate combination is a rare one, and another company might try to pursue the same niche.
CBC News reached out to Hershey’s Canada this morning for a statement but has yet to hear back.