Life Savers candy was first created in 1912 by Clarence Crane, a Cleveland chocolatier. At the time, he was looking for a new “summer candy” to supplement his chocolate business, which slumped in hot weather. Crane developed a line of hard mints, but didn’t have the space or machinery to make them. He contracted with a pill manufacturer to press the mints into shape. The pill manufacturer, whose machinery was malfunctioning, found that the pressing process worked much better when the mints were stamped with a hole in the middle. Crane called the new candy “Crane’s Peppermint Life Savers,” because they looked like miniature throwable life preservers. The ring-shaped devices were just beginning to come into use after the Titanic disaster.

In 1913, Crane sold the formula for his Life Savers candy to Edward Noble for only $2,900. Noble started his own candy company and began producing and selling the mints known as Pep-O-Mint Life Savers. He also began to package the mints into rolls wrapped in tinfoil to prevent them from going stale. This process was done by hand until 1919 when machinery was developed. In 1925, the tinfoil was replaced with the signature aluminum foil we all know today. Noble soon began to create and sell many other flavors including the popular fruit “five flavor??? rolls. Today, Life Savers holds the market for rolled, hard candies. And it’s easy to see why.

Life Savers have always held a special place in my heart. My grandfather, who had as big of a sweet tooth as I do, was a huge fan of Pepp-O-Mint and Five Flavor Life Savers. He always kept a roll on him and was more than happy to share with me and my cousins. My grandmother bought them in bulk, so there were always spare rolls at their house. He would hand us kids each a $5 bill when we came to visit and a roll of Life Savers. We would trade our flavors with one another and use the candy pieces as checkers, sun visors for our pinkies, or pencil toppers. Having grown up eating Life Savers, it’s always exciting to try a new flavor. This new Sweet Mint variety is especially good. The mint flavor is not too overpowering, but instead it is refreshing. The candy has a sugary taste to it – it reminds me of a mint-y icing.  Very flavorful, but understated at the same time. The mints leave your mouth feeling very cool and refreshed. I think this is a great new addition to the Life Saver family. Hopefully it will be around for a long time.