‘Peeps are disgusting’

To view this email in a browser, [click here](. INC. THIS MORNING ‘Peeps are disgusting’ Good morning, Maybe there's no such thing as bad publicity. Perhaps it's better for people to hate your business than to pay it no attention. Case in point: Peeps, the highly controversial candy--adored by some, loathed by others. I'm pretty sure there's no middle ground. With Easter Sunday approaching, it’s peak Peeps season, and Just Born Quality Confections churns out two billion Peeps per year. That's an unbelievable amount of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin. Time for a disclosure: I'm firmly in the anti-Peeps camp, among with many who find them virtually inedible: - Delish says they're "[horrendous]( and "totally inferior to all other Easter candy." - The Guardian: "Sorry, but [Peeps are disgusting]( - The Mercury News: "[I dislike them intensely.]( - Reader's Digest: "[They don't actually taste that good.]( OK, maybe that last dig is a little milquetoast-y. But you get the gist. Regardless, I salute the acumen and ingenuity that allowed a series of family entrepreneurs to create Peeps--and build their popularity into a seasonal sugar success. The Rodda Candy Company started making Peeps in the 1940s, more as a decoration for loyal customers than a candy because it took [27 hours to make them by hand](. In 1953, however, Just Born bought Rodda and figured out how to drastically reduce Peeps production time. 27 hours became six minutes, and as the candies became popular, a virtuous circle was born: The more popular they got, the more quickly Just Born pumped them out. Today, they're part of the cultural fabric of Easter in the United States--Just Born does 75 percent of its Peeps sales during Easter. "Mass production and automation," Matt Pye, Just Born's senior vice-president of sales and marketing, [recently told Adweek](. "When the market started to grow, we were able to keep up." What can I say: There's no accounting for taste, even if some of the popularity had to do with the fact that Peeps are nearly indestructible. Just Google "peeps in microwave," and you'll get the idea. In 2014, Just Born finally retired the original Peeps mass production machine. The company’s new process doesn't take up as much room in the factory, and allows for many more flavors and shapes. But the original Peeps chick may never die, simply because it's so well-known. As Just Born co-CEO David Shaffer [told Candy Industry]( at the time: "That's our icon. That's our Mickey Mouse.” HERE'S WHAT ELSE I'M READING TODAY: Yesterday, I asked people at the barber shop what they thought about the Mueller report. Nobody knew what I was talking about. [Here’s a link.]( --The New York Times This year-long study says entrepreneurship is booming. [Here's why small business aren't feeling it.]( --Inc. [Zoom had an amazing first day]( on the public market--but it may be a case of mistaken identity. --Inc. [Uber just raised $1 billion]( for its autonomous driving division. --Axios Meanwhile, [Lyft is being sued by investors]( claiming the company's IPO was overhyped. --Bloomberg Canada’s new tax credit for electric cars [won’t apply to Teslas](. --Business Insider [Are home prices about to crash?]( --Inc. A local small-business story: Here’s why [an All-Star MLB pitcher bought a food truck](. --The Wall Street Journal --Bill Murphy Jr. Contributing Editor, Inc.com Story ideas and feedback actively solicited. Find me at [billmurphyjr@inc.com](mailto:billmurphyjr@inc.com?subject=), or on [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Click here]( to forward to a friend. This email was sent by: Mansueto Ventures 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor New York, NY, 10007, [Unsubscribe]( • [Update Profile]( • [View in Browser]( • [Forward to a Friend](