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 in January 9 of 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.