Last updated 3 months ago | Originally Published: September 10, 2021

The Legacy Of America’s Beloved Crunch Bar

Nestle Crunch Bar, once the ancient Rome of chocolate bars, is a crunchy treat loved by millions, perhaps billions! Known for its secret blend of chocolate-coated crisped rice, this is one of the most beloved candy bars ever made! 

Unlike other traditional chocolate bars in the early 1900s, the Nestle Crunch Bar would give a crunchy sound when chewed, which really made it popular among the locals! Wow, now, that’s sort of hard to imagine nowadays, right?! But then again, that’s how the story goes! 

However, the brand didn’t just stop there! In fact, it went on to become an international best-seller! And as of now, it’s one of the most popular chocolate bars ever created. 

As of 2018 and a change of ownership, the candy bar is now known as the Crunch Bar! So keep in mind, if you ever find a Crunch Bar with Nestle’s name on it, don’t eat it, it’s probably really old!

In this article, we are going to discuss everything there’s to know about the famous Crunch Bar including its history, change of ownership, popularity, DIY recipe, and more…

So sit back as we dive into the past and present of one of the biggest chocolate brands of all time.

Nearly 100 Years In The Making

In 1928, Nestle had decided to blend their creamy milk chocolate with crisped rice. The result was the Nestle Crunch Bar. Since it was introduced in the 20s, it had sold countless of its products all over the world. After that, well, the rest is history! 

Proving That Appearance Matters

The Crunch Bar is shaped like a relativity flat rectangle. It has its name, “Crunch” printed boldly on the front of the candy wrapper. When you open the bar, you’ll find the same name molded and embedded in the yummy chocolate bar. 

Although this might seem irrelevant, it has proven to be a very effective marketing strategy. Saving the letters for last, children often eat around the letters saving the best for the end! C.R.U.N.C.H.

Initially, Nestle packaged the Crunch Bar by wrapping it in aluminum foil and then wrapping the foil with paper. This technique was later discarded due to the excessive time it took to double pack the bar. 

The packaging technique currently in use is a single metalized boPET polyester film similar to the ones used in packaging food.

Famously Recognized Crunch Bar Slogans

There’s no doubt about it, the Crunch Bar is known for its effective use of slogans. One of its oldest slogans is “Music To Your Mouth.” Another one that quickly became popular on 80s TV was “S-Crunch-ous when it S-Crunch-ous, that’s why I love Nestle Crunch.”

In more recent times, we’ve been accustomed to slogans such as “Munch Now. Munch Some Later”, and “For the Kid In You,” which is the current slogan today! 

Nestle Cocoa Plan

In 2013, Nestle launched a global initiative called Nestle Cocoa Plan. The idea was to help cocoa farmers improve their lives and cocoa products. So from that point forward, the entire Crunch Bar would be made from 100% certified cocoa beans! Until this very day, despite the big sale, these delicious chocolate bars are still made from 100% pure chocolate! 

Nestle’s Big Sale

In early 2018, Nestle announced the sale of the Crunch Bar to Ferrero SpA, a pioneer in the chocolate industry!

Ferrero is an Italian company and inventor of Nutella. By the end of 2018, Ferrero had finally closed on the $2.8B deal, Ferrara Candy Company the official owner of the Crunch Bar.  

The number of Nestle candy products involved in this takeover deal is more than 20. Some of the products include Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Butterfinger, as well as the famous Nestle Crunch Bar, and many more.

Terms of the Deal

In addition to the deal, Nestle inserted some terms, which included that they retained part of the trademark rights to the product. However, this right was only granted to the Crunch Bar brand.

Part of their agreement was that the Nestle Crunch Bar would have its name remain on it for one year after the sale. As we stated earlier, Nestle still withheld certain rights to its trademark even after the sale. 

This was asserted due to its feud with Carla’s Crazy Crunch owned by Karla Robinson, a Tulsa businesswoman. Nestle had filed a notice of opposition against her brand claiming that the name was too similar to their Crunch Bar brand. 

As it turns out, Carls’s Crazy Crunch was actually a salty buttery snack, which is a stark contrast to the Nestle Crunch Bar. In 2019, the case was settled in favor of Karla Robinson. 

Since then, the terms of the deal are completed and Ferrara Candy Company now has full rights over the brand. 

Reasons for Sale

So why did Nestle sell off some of their best-selling products, you may be wondering? Well, it’s not entirely clear what the reason for the sale is but some reports claim that it is due to low growth in the mainstream chocolate market. 

After the emergence of startups brands like KIND and many others, Nestle’s market shares dropped significantly. According to Nestle, it’s a tough market for mainstream candy bar brands nowadays. Obviously, this is partially true, if not entirely.  

Popularity Of The Crunch Bar Remains

The Crunch Bar may have new owners, but one thing still remains… Its popularity!  That’s right; only a few today are able to enjoy as much publicity today as they once did during their golden years! 

However, we must give credit where credit is due! Since the 1920s, Nestle invested in an aggressive advertisement campaign and strategy that included commercials, billboard ads, incentives, and catchy slogans. 

But the biggest credit for the popularization of Crunch Bar goes to the unique crispy creamy taste of the candy itself, that’s what we all love the most!  

Furthermore, the fame of the Crunch Bar is not limited to the U.S alone but is loved and consumed all over the world. On that note, it’s pretty safe to say, the Crunch Bar will likely always be with us, which is exactly where it belongs!     

Homemade DIY Crunch Bar Recipe 

If you love the Crunch Bar as much as we do, then you’re really going to love making them from home! In fact, you might even like them better! With that said, we’re going to provide you with a step-by-step guide so that way you can enjoy this delicious candy bar whenever you want, wherever you might be! Let’s dive in…

INGREDIENTS:

The Crunch Bar requires two major Ingredients: Crisped rice cereal and chocolate chips or chunks with any flavor of your choice.

COOKING METHOD:

• Take 1 Cup of rice cereal of your choice and 1 ½ Cup of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.

• Roast the crisped rice until it becomes golden. Then put them in a bowl and crush until it becomes slightly powdery.

• Add your chocolate in a double boiler with medium heat. Stir your chocolate till it’s completely melted.

• Once melted, allow your chocolate to cool for one minute.

• Next, add your rice cereal to the chocolate and stir until it coats together.

• When coated, transfer your mixture into a chocolate bar mold or parchment-lined baking dish.

• Evenly spread out the mixture in your chocolate mold or baking dish.

• After the mixture is evenly spread, place in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes to allow it to solidify.

• Once it solidifies, you can cut into any shape of your choice.

Other Crunch Bar Varieties

If you thought the Crunch Bar was just a candy bar only, think again! Here you’ll discover all the Crunch Bar variants available until this day! 

• Buncha Crunch: This candy was released in 1994 and originally sold in movie theaters only. By 2012, it became so popular that it found its way to the supermarket. The ingredients include crisped rice mixed with milk chocolate candy pieces. Yummy! 

• Crunch with Caramel: This variety is a mixture of crisped rice and milk chocolate with a caramel center.

• Crunch Ice Cream Bars: Made crisped rice, vanilla ice cream, and of course, chocolate, these ice cream bars are an all-American classic!

• Crunch White: As the name suggests, it is a variety of Crunch Bar made with white chocolate! This is not an easy find, but totally worth the try once you do find it. 

• Crunch Sixx: This is a variety of Crunch bar which is made of Crunch Candy Crème and Wafers. 

• Crunch Dark Stixx: Similar to the Crunch Sixx except that it’s made of Crunch Dark Candy Crème.

• Crunch with Peanuts: As the name reveals, this is a classic Crunch Bar with peanuts! Nothing less, nothing more, yet still a game-changer! 

• Dark Crunch Caramel: Similar to the Crunch Caramel Bar but made with dark chocolate instead. 

• Crunch Cereal: Yes, the Crunch Bar has its own cereal. It comes with a mixture of wheat clusters and crispy rice. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also nutritious as well. If you’ve never tried it, you should.  

• YoCrunch: YoCrucnch is a yogurt brand. It features a blend of Crunch, mixed in both Vanilla and strawberry yogurt flavors.

The Crunch Bar As We Know It Today

Even though it doesn’t bear the same name it once did, it’s still the same candy bar we all came to love. Indeed, the Crunch Bar is still 100% authentic and is just as crunchy as ever!

Best of all, the Crunch Bar is still widely available! Not only in stores worldwide, but it’s also widely available online as well. Better yet, it’s cheaper to purchase online, especially if you buy at America’s favorite online candy store, Candy Retailer, which you’re already here!

With this in mind, head over to our Candy Bar Section and choose Crunch Bar. From there, you’ll be able to purchase your favorite candy bars and have them delivered straight to your door, regardless of where you live in the USA! Enjoy, and thanks for reading! Have a Happy Crunch Day!