Peeps Factory

I know I am one of a small fan club when it comes to Easter Peeps. They are pure sugar and colors not usually found in a food spectrum. This is nothing to speak of the continual chain of bizarre flavors like Dill Pickle, Sour Watermelon and Cake Batter among others. There was a time in my late youth and the beginning of microwaves that we got the biggest kick out of putting them in for 45 seconds and watching them implode into a ball of white goo. My family also makes an annual trek to a Peeps contest in Maryland where they attempt to build mini creations out of them as if they were a Lego entry in the State Fair. But I defy anyone to not give them credit when toasted over a campfire/ fire pit and smooshed in the middle a high-quality S'more! With that creme center and the burnt sugar coating, they are a mere step away from a fine creme brulee.

So, it was only fitting that the NY Times just published an inside tour on the conveyor belt process of bringing these sweet marshmallow treats to the masses. If I remember correctly a few years back, during the pandemic there was an outage of Peeps stock along with toilet paper, eggs and other grocery products. The Peeps Factory in Bethlehem PA pumps out 5.5 million of these candies a day. Take a moment to process that! The article credits family member Bob Born, who just died at age 98, with inventing the incredible factory line that uses hoses & spray jets to go from sugar to chick in a short 6 minutes.

Please read the article if you are able to which has great images that show the evolution in block steps:

• 1: Preparing the Sugar - where it is tumbled and sprayed with jets into those bright colors.
• 2: Cooking the Marshmallow - sugar, water & corn syrup are heated into what is called a "bob" and then stiffened with gelatin that needs to be just the exact temperature to set.
• 3: Shaping the Chicks (or Bunnies) - the candy is pumped and whipped into shape before being dropped onto the conveyor belt.
• 4: Sugar Shower - compressed air comes at the chicks from all angles creating a sugar storm which coats them while still soft.
• 5: Adding Eyes - two small drops of "carnauba wax" are calibrated and shot at them for eyes.
• 6: Final Inspection - they have a lengthy route on the belt allowing them to cool, there is quality control and eventual packing while they are still slightly warm.

A Trip to the Peeps Factory