The thin sheets of “ fruit treats ” love as Fruit Roll - Ups have been a raw material of supermarkets since 1983 , when General Millsintroducedthe snack to satisfy the sugared tooth of kids everywhere . But asThrillistwriter Gabriella Gershenson of late learn , the Fruit Roll - Up has an origin that proceed much further back — all the means to the bit of the twentieth 100 .
The small community of Syrian immigrant in New York City in the early 1900s did n’t have the packaging or marketing force of General Mills , but they had the fresh idea of offering an apricot - sourced “ fruit leather ” they calledamardeen . A grocery proprietor named George Shalhoub would import an apricot paste from Syria that come in massive sheets . At the request of customers , employees would snip off a slice and extend the floppy treat that was refer after cowskin because it was so hard to manducate .
Although Shalhoub ’s business concern relocated to Brooklyn in the 1940s , the embryotic yield sheet continued to thrive . George ’s grandson , Louis , decided to sell crush , dried peach in individually packaged servings . The business later became known as Joray , which sell the first commercial fruit rolling - up in 1960 . When a barter issue detailed the kinsfolk ’s process in the early 1970s , it opened the floodgates for other party to begin lay down the typical treat . Sunkist was an early histrion , but when General Mills put their considerable advertising power behind their Fruit Roll - Ups , they became synonymous with the sticky bite .
Joray is still in business , offering cosher roll - ups that bank more to a great extent on fruit than the more serve commercial version . But the company have one of import thing in common : They both have the sense not to refer to their product as “ fruit leather . ”
[ h / tThrillist ]
