Business & Personal Finance

Did you know that Life Savers celebrated its 100th birthday in 2012?  Back in 1912, chocolate-maker Clarence Crane wanted to create a candy that wouldn't melt in the summer heat.  He ended up creating the original Pep O Mint Life Saver. The candy's name comes from it's similarity to little life preservers and were originally called Crane's Peppermint Life Savers, Although we now view Life Savers as simply candy, it was originally sold as a "breath improver" with the original packaging picturing an old sailor throwing a life preserver to a young female swimmer with the slogan "For that stormy breath". In 1913 Crane sold the rights to the peppermint candy to Edward John Noble and that same year Noble founded the Life Savers Candy Company.

Originally the candies were sold in cardboard rolls, which were not very
successful. Noble came up with the idea to use tin-foil wrappers to keep the mints fresh. He also significantly expanded the market
for the candy by tempting shoppers with displays of Life Savers placed next to the cash
registers of restaurants and grocery stores. Since 1913, many different flavours of Life Savers have been produced. The five-flavour roll first appeared in 1935 and three years later the classic Butter Rum flavour makes its debut. During World War II, the Armed Forces are supplied with 23 million
boxes of Life Savers. Rolls of Life Savers were packed into American
G.I.'s field ration kits as a reminder of home. Three varieties of Life Savers Gummi candy were introduced in 1992, and in 1994 peg bag packaging changes the way Life Savers are sold. The following year a sugar-free version makes its appearance on store shelves and ten years later Life Savers Candy Company joins the Wrigley family. In 2002 production of the candy moves from Michigan, U.S.A to Montreal, Quebec due to lower sugar prices.