For 40 years, one of America’s most recognizable candy brands has called Northern Kentucky home on Turfway Road in Erlanger.
As Airheads celebrates its 40th birthday in 2026, and June kicks off National Candy Month, parent company Perfetti Van Melle is recognizing its ties to the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky community where the brand was created and is still proudly manufactured today.
Invented at the company’s Erlanger facility and launched in 1986, Airheads remains closely entwined with the region. The Erlanger factory continues to serve as the core production site for the original Airheads bar, producing nearly 6 million bars of the candy each day.
Perfetti Van Melle USA employs more than 650 team members locally and has invested more than $80 million in Northern Kentucky since 2015 to expand manufacturing capacity and modernize operations.
“National Candy Month is an opportunity to celebrate not only the joy candy brings to consumers, but also the people and communities behind the brands,” said Rebecca Dunphey, president of Perfetti Van Melle Americas business unit “The success of Airheads over the last 40 years is a reflection of the employees who make the product every day and the community that has supported our growth along the way.”
To commemorate the milestone, the company has donated $40,000 to local nonprofit organizations throughout 2026, supporting community programs and partners that serve children and their families in need across the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. These nonprofits include: Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Ohio, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, a program of St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati, UpSpring, and BeConcerned.
Known for its bold flavors, bright packaging and playful personality, Airheads became a defining candy of generations starting in the late 1980s and the 1990s at poolside and event concession stands and remains one of America’s most recognizable non-chocolate brands today. The brand continues to grow with new Xtremes Mega Bites launching nationwide this winter.
Perfetti Van Melle