If you've ever been to the US around Easter, you've seen them: little marshmallow chicks rolled in coloured sugar, sitting in rows in a cardboard tray. They're called Peeps. And every single Peep eaten in the United States comes from one building.
One town, two billion chicks
The factory belongs to a family company called Just Born, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It has been in the town since 1932. It runs 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday.
"We produce about 5.5 million Peeps a day, totalling over 2 billion Peeps a year," said Roberto, a senior operations manager, during a factory tour. That's about six Peeps for every person in the US. Yes, including the ones who refuse to eat them.
"Every Peeps Marshmallow that is eaten in the United States is made right here," said Caitlin, the Peeps brand manager. One town, one building, one very sweet smell. Neighbours must never need a candle.
From 27 hours to six minutes
Just Born bought the Rodda Candy Company, and its Peeps, in 1953. Back then, making them by hand took 27 hours. Bob Born, now remembered as the "Father of Peeps", worked with a company engineer to design a machine that shapes them in under six minutes. The factory still uses the same idea today.
In 1955 the chicks lost their wings, to make them easier to produce, and the bunnies turned from side view to facing forward.
How a Peep is born
First, the colour. Plain sugar is tumbled with dye in big drums, usually yellow, the classic, but also pink, blue or lavender. Each batch of coloured sugar uses 400 pounds, about 181 kilos.
Then the marshmallow. Sugar, corn syrup and gelatin are cooked together and whipped. A layer of coloured sugar is spread on a long conveyor belt, and a patented piping machine squirts the marshmallow onto it in groups of five.
Next comes the "sugar shower": the chicks pass through a closed tunnel where they get coated all over. Each one weighs about a third of an ounce, roughly 9 grams.
The eye test
Here's the best bit. In the 1960s, workers stamped the eyes on by hand. Today a machine does it, and then a digital scanner checks every face. Cross-eyed Peeps are thrown out. Somewhere in Pennsylvania there's a camera whose whole job is judging marshmallow eyes. Dream job.
Nothing goes to waste, though. Rejected Peeps and the leftover sugar on the belt go back to the start of the line and get recycled.
After a long ride on the conveyor to cool down, the chicks are split into groups of five, dropped into cardboard trays, wrapped and boxed by machines.
More than chicks
For Easter alone, Peeps come in nine colours and 14 flavours, from cookies and cream to sour watermelon. The shapes and colours change with the holidays through the year. "There's always so many other fun ways to include them in your celebrations," said brand manager Caitlin Servian.
What it means for you
Next time you see a tray of Peeps, look them in the eyes. Every pair passed an inspection. Not many sweets can say that.