Candy & Caffeine: Candies That Keep You Up At Night

Ever since the first chocolate bar was created in 1847, we have known that candy can offer us a delightful pick-me-up. In today’s world, getting a much-needed jolt of energy from a cup of coffee or energy drink isn’t the only way to help you stay awake. Caffeinated candies are in high demand these days, as many people are looking for something to help them remain productive on those long, and sometimes exhausting days.

The history of candy as an energy booster

For as long as humans have walked the earth, it is likely that certain forms of sweets were not only consumed for enjoyment, but also to get a quick burst of energy when it’s needed the most.

Sugar is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in a variety of foods. Your body breaks down these carbohydrates into glucose, which is what your body burns to give you quick bursts of physical and mental energy. During periods of intense physical exertion, your body needs more of these sugars in your bloodstream to help the different parts of your body to function properly.

In the American Revolutionary war, George Washington found that eating a few pieces of chocolate was enough to give his soldiers the extra boost of energy they needed to keep pushing forward.

The British company, Cadbury provided Britain’s soldiers with massive amounts of chocolate throughout the early 1900’s. In World War II, the Hershey’s Company developed a chocolate bar, exclusively for our troops. The “D-Ration” was specifically designed to be high in energy, not melt under a hot sun and taste “slightly better than a boiled potato”.

Colonel Paul Logan, the US Quartermaster General and Deputy Director of the Subsistence Division was in charge of food rations for the troops during the second World War. He had asked for the chocolate bar to not taste too good, because he didn’t want the troops eating the chocolate, unless it was truly an emergency.

While the bar provided enough saturated fat, calories, sugar and caffeine to keep the troops going, it wasn’t necessarily anyone’s favorite snack. Many had stated that they would’ve actually preferred the boiled potato.

Through testing different products and recipes, the US Military was actually responsible for the creation of M&M’s. In 1941, the Mars Chocolate Company developed the candy-coated chocolates to help keep soldier’s hands clean. Could you imagine operating military equipment with melted chocolate all over your hands?

These are just a few examples of how throughout history candy has been used to help give people quick, sustained bursts of energy with just a simple snack. Global military units continue to give out chocolate rations in MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) to this day.

Does chocolate contain caffeine?

Yes, anything that is made from real chocolate will have some amount of caffeine. You can generally tell how much caffeine is in a chocolate, purely by how dark it is.

Typically, dark chocolate contains the most caffeine at about 12 milligrams per ounce. Milk chocolate contains about half that amount, at around 6 milligrams per ounce. And white chocolate typically has zero grams of caffeine, as it doesn’t contain any of the cocoa solids that give the other kinds of chocolate their caffeine content.

Please keep in mind that consuming caffeine in excess can affect your health and if used too often, excessive amounts of caffeine could disrupt your regular sleep pattern.

Some of our favorite caffeinated candies, sweets and energy drinks to help you stay awake.

At Redstone Foods, we’ve seen a major uptick in products containing things that give you energy: caffeine, guarana, B-vitamins, healthy fats and of course, sugar.

These items have become very popular in recent years, as more and more people are looking for products that will help improve concentration, alleviate tiredness and increase endurance.

Here are some of our favorite candies, sweets and drinks that are sure to keep you going:

Awake Caffeinated Dark Chocolate Bites

Remember earlier when we said dark chocolate contains the most caffeine? Awake takes this to the next level with their dark chocolate bite. Each bite-sized bar contains a whopping 50mg of caffeine (about as much as a half cup of coffee) and only 90 calories or less! These are perfect for your 3pm slump – all without that bad afternoon coffee breath!

Shop our selection of Awake Chocolate products here.

Jolt Energy Gum

It took years of research and development to come up with the final recipe for Jolt Energy Gum. The multi-layer construction is designed to get energy into your body up to five times faster than drinking coffee or energy drinks! Jolt Energy Gum contains caffeine, guarana and ginseng to give you a safe, fast and long-lasting “Jolt” of energy.

The Icy Mint Jolt Energy Gum is so strong that it feels like you’re getting a minty-fresh slap to the face! Once the invigorating minty flavor hits your tongue, you’ll definitely feel more alert. Eating just two pieces of this chewing gum is the equivalent of drinking one small cup of coffee or energy drink. These are highly recommended if you’re trying to make that 5pm deadline at work!

BAWLS Guarana Energy Soda

No list of products that will help “keep you up at night” would be complete without a mention of BAWLS, the highly-caffeinated energy soda. These are made from the extract of guarana berry, which offers a long-lasting burst of energy, all with a smooth, refreshing taste. With a selection of 6 different flavors, there’s a BAWLS for everyone! The fruit-flavored orange & cherry really hit the spot on a hot summer day!

Check out our huge selection of BAWLS energy drinks!

Chocolove Coffee Crunch in Dark Chocolate

This semi-sweet dark Belgian chocolate bar has crunchy chunks of ground, roasted coffee bean bits to offer a unique and exciting flavor experience. Each 90 gram bar has as much caffeine as 3 cups of coffee! Containing 55% cacao, each bar is non-GMO and they are Rainforest Alliance Certified. Order the Chocolove Coffee Crunch in Dark Chocolate here.

Ted Lasso Pregame Energy Drink

Not only is this instantly-recognizable TV character sure to make people look, this drink from Boston America Corp is delicious too! Based on the beloved soccer coach from Apple TV’s original series: Ted Lasso, this energy drink is sure to give all your football fans that extra boost they’re looking for. Order yours online here.

We hope you found our list of candies and energy drinks helpful. At Redstone Foods, we always put our customers first! We constantly strive to feature and recommend the right products, to the right customers, at the right time.

If you know of some coffee lovers, check out our new guide to some amazing coffee-flavored candy. We're sure your customers will love it!

Thanks to our easy-to-use ordering system, we are typically able to ship most of our orders within 24-48 hours. Sign up for an account with us online! Our offices are located in Carrollton, Texas and we are open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 5pm Central Standard Time and on Fridays we are open from 8am to 4pm CST. Give us a call today!

1-800-444-3520