The gummy bear hasn't changed shape since Hans Riegel first made one in Bonn in 1922. The process behind it is a genuinely clever bit of food engineering, and it's the same basic method behind every jelly sweet on a pick 'n' mix tray.
It starts as a liquid
The base mixture — typically glucose syrup, sugar, gelatine and flavouring — is heated into a hot, pourable liquid. At this stage it has no shape at all; it's closer to a thin syrup than anything resembling a finished sweet.
The mould is made of sand, essentially
Rather than a solid rubber or metal mould, traditional gummy production uses trays of fine, compressed cornstarch with bear-shaped impressions pressed into the surface — a technique borrowed from much older confectionery moulding methods. The starch is dry, absorbs excess moisture from the syrup as it sets, and can be reused for the next batch after the finished sweets are removed, which makes it a genuinely efficient way to mould thousands of identical pieces.
Gelatine is doing the structural work
As the hot syrup cools in the starch mould, the gelatine forms a network that traps water and sugar in a flexible gel — this is what gives a set gummy its characteristic chew rather than a brittle snap or a crumbly texture. It's the same protein-gel mechanism regardless of whether the final shape is a bear, a bottle or a ring; the shape is just what mould it was poured into.
From dusty to glossy
Fresh out of the starch mould, a gummy sweet looks matte and slightly dusty from residual cornstarch clinging to the surface. A light glazing step — usually a thin wax coating — follows: it gives the finished sweet its familiar shine and, just as importantly, stops individual pieces sticking together once they're bagged.
Why the recipe barely varies between shapes
Once you understand the process, it's clear why a Goldbear, a cola bottle and a jelly baby are fundamentally the same manufacturing method with different moulds and flavourings — see our Goldbears for the reference version of the format. The shape is a mould choice; the chew comes from the same gelatine-syrup chemistry every time.
Frequently asked questions
What gives gummy bears their chew?
Gelatine — it forms a flexible gel network as the hot syrup cools, producing the characteristic chewy texture.
How is the shape formed?
Hot syrup is poured into bear-shaped impressions in a reusable cornstarch mould and left to cool and set.
Why do they look dusty before they're glazed?
Residual cornstarch from the mould clings to the surface until a light wax glaze is applied, which also stops pieces sticking together.