Salt water taffy is a very sweet piece of New Jersey history

James Candy Co. CEO Frank Glaser is at the helm of a family passion that spans generations with a solid history traced to the Jersey Shore.

He confidently knows all things candy, except for maybe one bit of information.

Glaser is not sure of the accuracy of the fable of an oceanside stand, stocked with treats impulsively dubbed “salt water taffy” after getting sticky from sea air.

“Take it for what it is — that was passed down to me and I guess I’ve told it a billion times,” Glaser said to New Jersey 101.5.

The James Candy Co. first opened in 1880 in Atlantic City.

Five years later, Fralinger’s Original Salt Water Taffy joined the scene.

Glaser proudly says his own family candy-making roots span similar generations.

His great-grandfather came to the United States from Germany in 1865 and started a candy company, Dairy Maid, in Philadelphia.

Glaser’s father and three uncles then bought the James Candy Company the same year that he was born — 1947.

He said he essentially has sugar “in his blood,” having grown up in the business in Atlantic City.

As of 2025, James Candy has stores in Cape May, Ocean City and Atlantic City.

Along with brisk website business, they sell “hundreds of thousands of pounds a year,” Glaser said.

Read More: Why filmmakers are choosing New Jersey for their projects

A new chapter in NJ salt water taffy came in the 1990s.

Following decades as adamant competitors, James Candy bought the Fralinger’s Original brand.

They now coexist with separate, traditional recipes.

Glaser said all told, his company makes about 40 different flavors of taffy.

That includes classic standards like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, and peanut butter chews under the Fralinger's name.

He said about 15 years ago, he added some new flavors like blueberry and peanut butter and jelly, which have also become customer favorites.

A strong point of James Candy's popularity is not changing things that work.

As for the taffy making process, they cook everything in steam jacketed kettles. Using a steam boiler at high pressure, the candy is cooked to less of a degree than the old, open fire cooking with copper kettles.

Glaser said the vacuum chambers each batch of taffy goes through are still made out of copper.

He said he believes the key to the enduring popularity of salt water taffy is that it still is a fun candy to eat.

And, the expert points out, it makes a great souvenir to remind you of fun at the Jersey Shore.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom