One of the most comforting things about our favorite candies is that they refuse to change. Many of the most popular ones have been around for decades, sometimes even longer. 

Nestle’s  (NESAF) – Get Free Report milk chocolate candy bars have been around since the late 1800s. Toblerone was popular well before both World Wars. Even Reese’s cups were popularized in the 1920s, which, shocking as it may sound, was about 100 years ago. 

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The best candy companies know that if something isn’t broken, they shouldn’t try to fix it. Many of them leave the inventive new flavors and novel designs to beverage companies, who are constantly trying to outdo each other and fighting for coveted shelf space and typically razor-thin margins.

Candy, on the other hand, plays a more relaxed game. After all, when you combine sugar, cocoa, and fat, you’ve mostly got a winning combination that doesn’t need to be altered every generation, let alone every season, to achieve enduring success. 

Mars experiments with new candy inventions

But some companies want to continue iterating despite success. Typically, the most experimental candies come from the giants who have the time and resources to invest in new products and want to attract new customers to their confections. 

Such is the case with Mars, which recently announced it was investing $42 million into a new facility designed expressly for tinkering with new experimental candies. 

The 44,000 square foot development site is the largest of its kind, working chiefly on research and development but also churning out familiar favorites like M&Ms, Snickers, and Twix bars. 

“We’ve got some brilliant ingredients and science spaces here on site sustainability credentials everything we do on packaging, which gives us the opportunity to design some brilliant snacks for the future,” Mars Snacking global president Andrew Clark said.

The move has brought nearly 1,000 jobs to the Goose Island area of Chicago, something the city has welcomed with open arms, particularly as other shops pick up stakes.

“This development has brought more jobs, over 900 employees to the city of Chicago so not only is Mars staying here in the city of Chicago, they’re doubling down,” 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett said.

It’s not clear what types of new candy Mars might be experimenting with in its test kitchen, but some of its newer creations in recent memory have certainly been hits. 

Some of these more recent innovations include:

• Crispy M&Ms
• Fudge Brownie M&Ms
• Peanut Butter Snickers
• Hazelnut Spread M&Ms
• Cookies and Cream Ice Cream M&M Sandwiches
• TWIX Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• White Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy Treat M&Ms
• Pretzel M&Ms
• Crunchy Cookie M&Ms
• Caramel M&Ms
• Cookie Dough Twix
• Salted Caramel Twix
• White Chocolate Snickers
• Salted Caramel Milky Way