Chocolate-coated (or chocolate-covered) peanuts are a popular bulk vending product. They consist of peanuts coated in a shell of chocolate. They have a reputation in many countries of being an item associated with the concession counter at places such as movie theaters.
In some countries, they are sold under the brand Goobers, which is the earliest and one of the most popular brands of the product, made by Nestlé. They can be found at movie theaters and grocery stores around the world. Many other brands also exist.
Goobers were introduced in the United States in 1925 by the Blumenthal Chocolate Company. Ward Foods acquired Blumenthal in 1969. Ward Foods was acquired by Chicago-based Terson Company in 1981. Nestlé acquired the brand on January 9, 1984, from Terson Company.
Etymology
While the brand name "Goobers" is trademarked, "goober" itself is an American English word for peanut, probably derived from the Gullah word guber (meaning "peanut"), which is in turn derived from the KiKongo word n'guba.
1 Currently manufactured by General Mills in the U.S. and Canada. Produced by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand elsewhere. 2 Brand owned by General Mills; U.S. and Canadian production rights controlled by Nestlé under license. 3 U.S. production rights owned by The Hershey Company. 4 U.S. rights and production owned by the Smarties Candy Company with a different product. 5 U.S. rights and specific trade dress owned by Nestlé; rights elsewhere owned by Associated British Foods. 6 Produced by Cereal Partners, branded as Nestlé. 7 Produced by Cereal Partners and branded as Nestlé in the U.K. and Ireland. Produced by Post Foods elsewhere. 8 Philippine production rights owned by Alaska Milk Corporation. 9 Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai production rights owned by Fraser and Neave. 10 Used only in Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. 11 Used only in the Philippines. 12 U.S. production rights owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. 13NA rights and specific trade dress to all packaged coffee and other products under the Starbucks brand owned by Nestlé since 2019. 14 Brand owned by Mars, sold by Nestlé in Canada. 15 Produced by Froneri in the U.S. since 2020.
