The History Behind Our Taste for Confectionery

Throughout history, people have always loved the taste of something sweet, and before the influx of sugar from the West Indies (as a result of the transatlantic slave trade), honey was used to satisfy our collective sweet tooth. Nowadays, here in Britain, we spend over £3000 million annually on chocolates and sweets, and these figures are growing every year.

For those in the business of reselling wholesale sweets, this growing market can provide a lucrative way to make a profit, but how many people know the history of the sweets they're eating?

Transatlantic slave trade

It was not until the transatlantic slave trade resulted in the establishment of sugar plantations in the West Indies that sugar became widely available in Europe. It quickly found use as a substitute for honey by the rich, and new sweets such as marzipan and sugar creations to be eaten during the meal were produced as novelties. Preserved fruits such as sugarplums became prized delicacies and were often used as a treat for children at Christmas time.

Sweets as medicine

Throughout history, honey was used to make health giving remedies taste more palatable, as medicinal herbs were often bitter. Apothecaries used to make pills with honey to bind them together, and honey was even used as a medicine in its own right - something we still do today when we have a sore throat. However, in the 1600s, people started eating barley sugar for medicinal purposes as it was said to have cleansing properties for the body and aid in soothing dry coughs. Cough sweets made with aniseed were used in the same way. The price of sweets was still high, however, and only in the 1700s did sugar become slightly cheaper, so not until mass production did sweets as medicine become affordable to the less well off.

Not so traditional

While the idea of sweets goes back a few centuries, most of the brands and flavours we are familiar with today only date back to the mid-1800s – with most introduced in the 20th century. Wholesale sweets did not play a part in the retail market until the industrial revolution led to the establishment of large sweet factories. As sugar imports flooded into the UK from the West Indies, sweet making became a commercial viability.

Growth of the sweet market

Surprisingly, despite hardships and recession, people continue to spend money on confectionery. One of the most recent areas of growth appears to be for vintage sweets, and the amount of traditional lolly shops grew by around 15% last year. Wholesale sweets and chocolate suppliers are seeing more and more demand for this line of confectionery.

While fashions, tastes and brands may come and go, it looks like the UK public's avid sweet tooth will be around for a long while yet – good news for retailers and sellers of wholesale sweets.