About Us

Zed Candy was formed in 1999 producing bubble gum to be enjoyed the world over. In 2001 Zed Candy purchased Tilley’s, a producer of traditional boiled sweets. In 2007 Oatfield sweets joined the group – their range includes toffee, jellies and boiled sweets.

For more information please see the company profiles.

Zed Candy is the brainchild of two Irish entrepreneurs: Brendan Roantree and Donal Kavanagh. Having gained many years experience in the confectionery industry the duo decided on board a turbulent flight from Australia that they would start up their own company making Bubblegum. And so late one night high over the waves of the Indian Ocean Zed Candy was born.

In 1999, Zed Candy was opened for business. Calling on the manufacturing experience gained by Brendan and the imagination and designs of Donal the company grew from strength to strength introducing the world to new concepts in gum with exciting graphics, unimaginable characters and an assortment of extreme and exciting flavours to compliment the milder ones.

A growing company needed a bigger manufacturing site and in 2001 Zed Candy acquired Leaf Ireland Ltd., where the range continued to grow. Leaf Ireland was set up in 1959 by the Leaf family to satisfy a European taste for Bubblegum that had emerged after World War 2, during which the Europeans developed a liking for this new bubblegum taste from the US as favoured by the American GI’s. Today Zed Candy distributes a range of confectionery to 25 countries worldwide.

Most famous for our Jawbreakers – a serious piece of hard candy with a gum centre that is available in a variety of sizes from Mini Jawbreaker to Jumbo Jawbreaker right up to Mammouth Jawbreaker (the 8 hour challenge) and flavours ranging from the ever popular Strawberry Jawbreaker, the super Sour Jawbreaker and the devilishly hot Fireball Jawbreaker. Jawbreaker features as the elusive prize in the cartoon Ed, Ed & Eddie. The Jawbreaker Tetine, a soother shaped jawbreaker is a favourite for jawbreaker lovers in France.

Another one of our mega brands is Fizz Bombs; a sour, fizzy boiled sweet Fizz Bombs must be tried. You will undoubtedly know some of our soft gum range – Golf Balls, Rainblo, Eyepoppers and Bubble King to name a few.

At Zed Candy we are committed to coming up with new, exciting products with extreme flavours to thrill our customers and keep them wanting more of our great flavours.

Coming soon at Zed Candy is our brand new range of gummies/jellies all made with real fruit juice and low in fat.

Francis Tilley was a man of vision, a man with a dream – he wanted to capture the flavours of life and share them with his family, friends, neighbours, strangers – anyone who longed for a sweet.

But Francis was a perfectionist – so these were no ordinary sweets. In 1885 Tilley began to make confectionary in his small shop in London. His exotic flavours were procured from the far-reaching corners of the British Empire, his sugar transported from the New World – his sweets tasted like nothing England had ever witnessed before.

From that small shop in London in 1885 Tilley’s Sweets grew and prospered and today we strive to achieve the same high standards established over a century ago and share with you Tilley’s superbly exquisite confectionary, derived from the best ingredients available today.

In Tilley’s Sweets Francis Tilley achieved what he set out to do and is now the first and last word in traditional boiled sweets the world over. Famous for his amazing Mint Humbugs, superb Sherbet Lemons¸ exquisite Chocolate Limes and traditional Rhubarb and Custard, Tilley’s Sweets promises to deliver the best in traditional English boiled sweets.

We hope that you enjoy eating Francis Tilley’s uniquely special legacy of quintessential confectionary made for the most discerning of palettes.

In 1927, a family owned wholesalers in Letterkenny, a small town in Donegal, on Ireland's north west coast was faced with a problem – they could not source the high quality Toffees or traditional boiled sweets that they required for the shops that they distributed to but they could get an ample supply of sugar.

The solution was obvious - make the sweets themselves but they were wholesalers not manufactures! They took about the task with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure into the unknown. Oatfield Sweets was born in a family kitchen on the main street of Letterkenny. It was rumoured that the stoves of that kitchen never went out once the sweet smell of the delicious Toffee and delectable Boiled Sweets meandered its way through the streets of this small town and into the hearts of its people and beyond.

In 1933, the taste for these sweets was so great that a factory had to be opened to deal with the ever increasing demand.

Today the Toffees and Boiled Sweets are made in the same traditional fashion, the ingredients are hand filled and boiled in copper kettles, then laid out to cool on tables, and cut into sections by heated knives.

Try to find two pieces of Oatfield Toffee that are the same – its almost impossible because as our toffee cools it finds its own shape – making each piece as individual as a snowflake.

Today our range has broadened to include a wide range of Traditional Toffees, Jellies and Boiled Sweets as well as chocolate with some of our well know brands enjoyed in the far corners of the world. Our coconut flavoured chocolate covered caramels - Emeralds are a favourite throughout the world, while our chocolate filled Eclairs promise to keep your mouth busy enjoying the chewy delight, while our Eskimo Mints will keep your breath fresh for hours.

In 1927, the task was mighty but as today in Letterkenny as the sweet smell still meanders through the streets we say the risk was worth it – what do you think?