On a quest to create carbonated Kool-Aid, Food Chemist Bill Mitchell produced Pop Rocks — a cultural phenomenon of the late 20th century. In October of 1956, Pop Rocks were created in a 2-liter Parr reactor.
Combining an edible storage matrix for carbon dioxide with sorbitol, a natural sugar alcohol found in fruit, resulted in the first batch of carbonated candy. The Parr reactor that Mitchell worked with during his time at General Foods consisted of a 2-liter stainless steel cylinder furnished with a pressure gauge, thermowell with thermocouple, and belt-driven stirrer.
Mitchell produced this popping candy mixture on his own for close to 20 years before any company decided that it was worth manufacturing on a large scale. The first Pop Rocks manufacturing facility in the United States was in Chicago, IL and the novelty candy made its Midwest debut in 1976-77.
Pop Rocks had three original flavors: cherry, grape, and orange. Each flavor was created by a different company — Fries and Fries, Firmenich, and Givaudan respectively. In 2006, Givaudan was the largest flavor company in the world with International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and Firmenich holding the second and third spots. Today, these three businesses remain within the top five largest flavor companies in the world and are regular customers of Parr.
Visit the Parr booth at these upcoming Trade Shows to learn more about our equipment and get your hands on the ever-nostalgic Pop Rocks candy.
If you’d like to read more about the Pop Rocks origin story and legacy, you can purchase Marv Rudolph’s book here.