Ellen Gordon0:09
It all began in 1896 when an Austrian immigrant brought what was a secret formula to the United States, and he set up a small candy shop and began to manufacture the first wrapped penny candy. When I was a child, my father was president of Tootsie Roll, so he came home every night and told us stories about what went on at work. When I was a child, I went through the Tootsie Roll plant, so I knew something about its process. As time went on and I went to school, I began to work here, and then I became permanently employed here at Tootsie.
It's a chocolatey, chewy candy, and that's a very appealing taste, and one that seems to be quite universal, and one that seems to last. From time to time, it's really timeless, from generation to generation. We frequently receive letters from people who say, 'I used to eat Tootsie Rolls when I was a child, and when I became a parent I gave Tootsie Rolls to my children, and now they are giving them to their children.' So the taste has gone on and on.
The formula for the product is exactly the same as when the Austrian immigrant first brought it over from Austria. However, the method of manufacturing has changed. While it was a handmade and hand-rolled piece, today it is a very highly automated process. While nostalgia is wonderful, we have to make sure that Tootsie Roll is very current. They are very current in sizes and shapes, and in promotions, and in wrappings, and in packaging that it's modern and mod and awesome and cool.
Tootsie has been a great part of my life since 1952 when I joined the Tootsie board of directors. In 1962 I became chairman of the board of Tootsie and a chief executive officer. So Tootsie has been a part of my life until now, a great part of my life, not only eating the candy but seeing that kids get their fill of it.
Tootsie Roll was the original one-cent candy that was wrapped, the first one to be wrapped. When people picked candy out of a cracker barrel and then ate it, Tootsie was a special thing because it was sanitary, it tasted chocolatey, and it couldn't be harmed by the weather. It wouldn't get too hot or too cold. Tootsie became a part of America because it was chocolatey and yet it was less expensive. People could buy it for a penny, and they still can today.
