Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews have been a Philadelphia favorite since David Goldenberg began making the candy bars back in 1917. In 2003, the Goldenberg family sold the company to Just Born, the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania–based makers of Marshmallow Peeps and Mike and Ikes. Seeking to take the brand nationwide, Just Born decided Peanut Chews needed a new look. In 2005, Just Born redesigned the package and launched it to a national audience. It was a flop. The national audience was unresponsive, and once-loyal customers in the Northeast had a hard time recognizing their beloved treat. “I remember looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, ‘Why did you do that?’ ” says Ross Born, who runs Just Born with his cousin David Shaffer. In 2010, Just Born hired CAG BrandFirst in Hackettstown, New Jersey, to redesign the package once more. The new wrappers hit shelves last November.
The Original 1980-2000
Before the brand introduced this classic design, Peanut Chews were sold in wax paper; this package is from the 1980s.
In 1890, David Goldenberg, an immigrant from Romania, opened a storefront candy store in northern Philadelphia. By 1917, Goldenberg was distributing dark chocolate–covered peanut and walnut bars to American troops fighting in Europe. The soldiers returned home craving more, so in 1920, Goldenberg began distributing the chocolate-covered peanut and molasses bars throughout the Northeast.