Time Tested (Chocolate) Turtles

by Laurnie Wilson

Nothing is quite as satisfying as the time-tested combination of caramel, nuts, and chocolate. These three, simple ingredients are the backbone for a plethora of beloved candies. But no candy manages to use these three ingredients quite as well as DeMet’s Turtles.

Arguably the one of the earliest purveyors of the caramel-nut-chocolate trio, DeMet’s truly is a classic. And if you don’t know this sweet history, then you’ve been missing out! So read on to find out more.

Turtle Time

As with all of America’s best candies, DeMet’s has its origins in the early 1900’s. It was in 1916 in the windy city of Chicago that George DeMet brought the Turtle to life. Back then it only came in one variety, which was caramel, pecans, and chocolate. Since peanuts tended to be the nut of choice in candies, we imagine that using pecans must have been quite scandalous!

But, it was probably the pecan that helped the candy get its name. After all, with its round and slightly bumpy shape, it’s no wonder that everyone thought this little candy looked just like a real turtle! And we couldn’t agree more!

These days, the Turtle is a busy fellow. In fact, he now comes in more flavor varieties than ever before! That’s right, Turtle lovers! Now you can get your Turtle fix with the cashew, sea salt caramel, dark almond, or hazelnut varieties!

Slow and Steady

And while the company may have changed hands over the years, it has never changed the top-notch quality of its treats.

These days, Yildiz Holding, the current owners of DeMet’s Turtles, sells over 81 million candy products each year. In order to sustain that amount of production, they use 7,000 tons of chocolate coating and 13,000 tons of nuts! That’s quite a lot of candy, isn’t it?

And in case you were starting to worry about the longevity of your favorite snack, never fear! The Turtle, true to its name, doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast.

Sources:

• https://www.demetscandy.com
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_(chocolate)
• https://www.ehow.com/info_8790594_did-its-name-its-history.html
• https://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/demets_turtles