South Africa's confectionery tradition has produced some genuinely distinctive products, including a bubble gum that doubles as a trivia quiz. Here is the story behind three of its best-known names.
Beacon Sweets & Chocolates: the name behind all three
Founded in Johannesburg in 1936 by the Endler family, Beacon Sweets & Chocolates is one of South Africa's oldest confectionery manufacturers, and remains behind Wilson's Toffees, Chappies and Fizzers to this day — a single company quietly responsible for a large share of the country's sweet-shop nostalgia.
Wilson's Toffees: the everyday classic
Wilson's Toffees has been a fixture of South African corner shops for generations: a straightforward boiled-toffee format in a bright wrapper, the kind of unglamorous, reliably-good sweet that outlasts flashier competitors precisely because it never tried to be anything else.
Chappies: the bubble gum that teaches you something
Every Chappies wrapper carries a "Did you know?" fact, a gimmick that has outlasted most marketing tricks and turned the gum into something of a cultural institution. Multiple generations of South Africans can recall specific facts they first read on a Chappies wrapper, which is a rare thing for any piece of packaging to achieve.
Fizzers: the sherbet-centre chew
Fizzers pair a chewy shell with a fizzing sherbet centre, and sit in the same Beacon stable as the other two. Taken together, the three products show how thoroughly one manufacturer can define a country's collective sense of what "a sweet" is supposed to taste like. If it has left you curious to sample sweets outside the usual British lineup in a small quantity first, pick and mix is the easiest way to experiment.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chappies known for?
A "Did you know?" trivia fact printed inside every wrapper — a South African confectionery institution in its own right.
Who makes Wilson's Toffees?
Beacon Sweets & Chocolates, founded in Johannesburg in 1936, which also makes Chappies and Fizzers.
What are Fizzers?
A South African chewy sweet with a fizzy sherbet centre, also made by Beacon.