Sunkist Fruit Gems are coming back. Just days after word spread that the longtime synagogue candy had been discontinued, Sunkist announced on Saturday that it has found a new family-owned candy maker to bring the individually wrapped sweets back to shelves.
“We hear you, Sunkist Fruit Gems fans! The good news: Sunkist Fruit Gems are not going anywhere,” the company wrote on Instagram, according to eJewishPhilanthropy. Sunkist said it is working to bring back the familiar flavor, quality, fruit-forward character and kosher certification, and is aiming to put Fruit Gems back on shelves “very soon.”
From Discontinued to Coming Back
The turnaround follows a remarkable week for a candy that seemed to be gone for good. Ferrara Candy Company, which acquired Jelly Belly in 2023, stopped selling Fruit Gems on May 1. As we reported on Thursday, the soft, sugar-coated and individually wrapped candies have been a fixture at bar and bat mitzvahs, aufrufs and other synagogue celebrations for generations. They are easy to toss toward a celebrant without the sting of a harder candy, and their wrappers make cleanup a little easier.
In its original report, eJewishPhilanthropy said Ferrara cited weak demand nationwide. A Ferrara representative told the outlet that a revival was possible if demand grew, but “not likely.” The news then traveled fast: people shared stories about Fruit Gems at their own simchas, joked about the loss online and looked for the remaining stock. An eJP essay urged readers to show the candy companies how much the product mattered. According to the outlet’s new report, Fruit Gems sold out on Amazon and Walmart as synagogues and families rushed to buy what was left.
A Kosher Candy With a Place in the Shul
Fruit Gems have been around since 1955, and the Sunkist name has appeared on them since a 1966 licensing agreement. It was the candy you bought by the pound for a simcha, handed to children before the Torah reading and found under the seats afterward. I still remember Fruit Gems bouncing off my head at my own bar mitzvah in the mid-’90s.
The comeback also changes the context for the replacement candies we covered earlier, including Nassau Candy’s Clever Candy Fruit Jelly Jewels and Sunsations. Those products may still give kosher shoppers more choices, but the familiar Sunkist candy is no longer simply a memory.
Sunkist says the revived Fruit Gems will keep kosher certification. When new packages reach stores, check the actual hechsher on the package before buying, rather than relying on an older online product photo. H/T to eJewishPhilanthropy, whose reporting first brought the discontinuation to national attention.
