Rachel Neiman
July 12, 2015, Updated January 3, 2016

Get this: the latest innovation in Israeli sweets is nostalgia. Local confectionery conglomerate Strauss-Elite last week launched — or should we say, re-launched — a series of favorite candies from days gone by: honey drops, mints, and jelly beans. Hard candy just like the kind Grandma used to hand out. Which, it turns out, was exactly the idea.

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According to Meital Tarazi, Innovation Manager and Category Manager of Sweets at Strauss-Elite, the company is tapping into the positive aspects of nostalgia — the sweet, rather than the bittersweet. “Research conducted at the University of Southampton, and later on, at other universities, found that the use of memory is comforting and encouraging”.

“As Manager of the Sweets Category, I’m surprised each time at the emotions and responses that sweets from the past manage to elicit. The number of calls and requests we receive to bring back one or another type of sweets are completely unprecedented”.

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“Recently, we decided to take up the challenge and bring back at least some of the candies that we grew up with. Candy that hits a nerve of indulgence, nurturing and comfort. Apparently some things never change, and indulgence always harks back to Grandma and Grandpa”.

“Everyone has fond memories of a grandmother spoiling them with tasty treats. Your mouth and hands would be filled with honey and sugar, back in the days when no food was off-limits”.

“For me as well, just approving the production of the honey candy brought tears to my eyes. Something in the memory of the taste, the smell, and the longing for something intangible sent me back in time. I knew we’d hit the precise, original taste”.

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“When I had my children taste the jelly beans and they immediately began arguing about which color had the best taste (cola!), I remembered instantly how my brothers and I would have those exact same arguments”.

“This launch for me was a moving experience, from a private place of personal memories”.

Fore more information, visit the Strauss-Elite website and Facebook page.

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