Iconic candy brand Airheads is celebrating its 40th anniversary, kicking off National Candy Month.
Airheads was invented in Erlanger back in 1986. On Wednesday, June 3, parent company Perfetti Van Melle acknowledged its connection to the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky community, where the brand was founded and continues to be produced today.
“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,” Perfetti Van Melle Americas Business Unit Rebecca Dunphey said in a news release. “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 for children and families in need across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. These organizations include Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Ohio, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, a program of St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati, UpSpring, and BeConcerned.
Perfetti Van Melle USA employs more than 650 workers locally and reports investing more than $80 million in its Northern Kentucky operations since 2015 to expand production capacity and modernize facilities.
