This Nostalgic Trader Joe's Candy Comes From A Century-Old Company

Aside from food's primary function of providing nourishment or enjoyment (or both), it can also transport you back to the days of your youth. Trader Joe's has one such product in the form of a limited-edition sweet treat that tastes like a childhood memory: Flat Taffy. The flavor, texture, and even the packaging remind many people of a certain age of the saltwater taffy they used to enjoy in beach towns back in the day — one of President Biden's all-time favorite snacks.

So who makes this candy that delights the taste buds while gently tugging at our heartstrings? If you caught our piece on where Trader Joe's sources its ice cream from, you know we love a good gastronomic mystery to unravel. There are reasons to suspect that TJ's Flat Taffy is made by Hammond's, a brand that produces a curiously similar product called McCraw's Flat Taffy. One major clue is that, on its product page for the sweet, TJ's says it's "made by a supplier that's been in the candy game since 1920," the same year Hammond's Candy Factory was founded.

At just $1.19 apiece, the price of Trader Joe's soft, chewy candy also makes it feel like a throwback to more affordable times past. Launched in May 2026 and featuring red, white, and blue coloring, the sweet's timing and look are perfect for American summer holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July — it's a prime pick for barbecues and other get-togethers. While the taffy is raspberry-flavored, it gets its multi-hued appearance from vegetable juice and spirulina extract, natural alternatives to artificial dyes. McCraw's Flat Taffy, on the other hand, comes in many different flavors, including vanilla, chocolate, apple pie, cinnamon, cherry bomb, strawberry, banana split, tutti fruity, and more. 

Hammond's Candy Factory didn't start out in the taffy game. In fact, the McCraw's Flat Taffy that seems to have inspired the modern Trader Joe's version was first developed by sisters Dee and Sarah McCraw at the company founded by Marcus D. McCraw in Farmersville, Texas in 1908, twelve years before Hammond's was even opened. Dee and Sarah made the hand-pulled, chewy candy after their cafe burned to the ground, forcing them to create something out of sugar and very little else. What was born out of tragedy and limited ingredients became a popular treat for generations to come. 

Established by World War I veteran Carl T. Hammond in Denver, Colorado, Hammond's started out by producing chocolates with shredded coconut and then added marshmallow-and-caramel bites. The family-owned purveyor of sweets quickly became a beloved local shop, and it remained that way until 1995, when it shot to fame after Williams-Sonoma ordered three different types of its sweets. Although none of them happened to be taffy, those candies, which included chocolate-covered toffee, lollipops, and peppermint pillows, would go on to become bestsellers at stores throughout the country. Four years after that fateful order, Hammond's had grown its employee roster by more than six times and started providing public tours of its factory, which was now twice its original size. It wasn't until 2011 that Hammond's acquired McCraw's and began selling its famous Flat Taffy product.