Cupid will be pointing his arrow in our direction in just over a week.

Valentine's Day 2023 is coming up fast.

Quick, have you purchased a gift for your Valentine yet?

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If you're still on the hunt for a little something for the one you love, I can help you accentuate that Valentine's Day gift with the perfect candy for your perfect person by the location they live in.

CandyStore.com recently conducted a study to determine what America's favorite Valentine's Day candy is by state.

Each year Americans shell out big-time bucks on candy for Valentine's Day. To the tune of 25.9 billion, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation. That's a whole lot of conversation hearts and chocolate kisses!

CandyStore.com crunched the numbers from 15 years of its online bulk candy store and industry partners to get an idea of what the sweethearts in each state want for their sweet tooth on Valentine's Day.

Their findings revealed that Conversation Hearts trump Heart Shape Boxes of chocolate in most states across the nation.

Oddly enough, most Americans prefer to get those chalky little hearts with ooey-gooey messages on them.

That is not the case, however, here in South Dakota.

Care to place a guess on what type of candy South Dakota sweethearts crave every V-Day?

Well, surprisingly enough, it's not a heart-shaped ZagNut bar. I know, shocking, right?

On Valentine's Day in South Dakota, we prefer a little kiss, a Hershey's Chocolate Kiss to be exact.

Hershey Kisses claimed the top candy spot, followed by those chalky Conversation Hearts, and then Chocolate Hearts.

Another key takeaway from CandyStore's findings is supposedly the average person in America spends $144.56 on Valentine's Day candy each year.

Seriously? Almost $150.00 on candy alone! I'm lucky if I spend $150.00 total on Valentine's Day, and that includes the meal.

Be thankful you don't have me for a Valentine!

Source: CandyStore.com

Inside Minnesota's Largest Candy Store

I had been to Minnesota's Largest Candy Store once before, but they did some pretty cool things since the last time I was there. They added a bunch of superheroes, Star Wars stuff, and a candy band.

According to their Facebook page, Jim's Apple Farm is actually how the now huge candy store got its start. It is located in Jordan, MN and you can't miss it. It is a huge yellow building.

Even though candy is mentioned in the name, they have a little bit of everything. They have fresh baked pies and cookies and fudge. We walked in and it smelled amazing!

They also have the largest selection of sodas! Then there is chocolate and taffy and gummies and chips and puzzles and games. So much stuff!

They even have a Zoltar machine like in the movie, Big. I had to check that out. He told me the only helping hand is at the end of my arm. Gee, thanks Zoltar.

There were even crickets and worms! Not gummy worms, but actual worms.

They also have candy from all over the world!

The store is seasonal, however. November is their last month of operation for the season.

Iowa Palmer Company's Twin Bing Products

Can you even really claim to live in this part of the country if you've never had a Twin Bing?

WHAT IS A TWIN BING?

"It consists of two round, chewy, cherry-flavored nougats coated with a mixture of chopped peanuts and chocolate. The Twin Bing was introduced in the 1960s," -Wikipedia

Not only has the TB been a staple of the Sioux Empire for over half a decade, but the makers of the classic candy have also infused the unique cherry and chocolate flavor into lots of other things.

Source: What Candy Do South Dakota Sweethearts Crave on Valentine’s Day?

Filed Under: South Dakota, candy, Valentine's Day

Categories: Articles