Assembly Line

How gummy bears are made

Gummy bears are poured into bear-shaped dents pressed in trays of cornstarch, and the starch is reused again and again.

stations
6
things upstream
12
raw sources
7
steps from the ground
3

The short version

Gummy bears are cooked from corn syrup, sugar, gelatin and water. The hot syrup is poured into tiny bear-shaped cavities pressed into trays of cornstarch, where it sets over a day or more as the starch pulls out extra moisture. The trays are tipped out, the bears are separated from the powder, and the starch is dried and reused.

  1. Cook the sweet syrup

    Sugar, corn syrup and water are boiled together until enough water has gone to give the right thickness. Corn syrup keeps the sugar from turning grainy.

    Goes in
    SugarCorn syrupWater

  2. Stir in the gelling agent

    Hydrated gelatin, flavoring, color and a food acid such as citric acid or malic acid are blended into the hot syrup. The acid adds the sharp tang that balances the sugar. Vegan versions swap in pectin or starch for the gelatin.

    Goes in
    Gelatin

  3. Stamp bears in starch

    Trays of cornstarch are smoothed flat and a plate of bear-shaped plugs is pressed into them, leaving rows of cavities. A depositor then fills each hollow with the warm liquid.

    Goes in
    Corn starch

  4. Rest while they set

    The gelatin cools into a springy gel while the surrounding starch soaks up water from the candy's surface. After this rest the bears are firm enough to handle.

  5. Tip out and brush off

    Trays are dumped onto a screen and the bears are separated from the powder. The starch is dried and sent back to the line for the next round.

  6. Bag the finished bears

    Bears are dusted free of loose powder and weighed into bags. Gummies take up moisture in damp air and turn sticky, so the packaging has to be sealed well.

End of the lineGummy bears

Worth repeating

  • The German name Gummibär means rubber bear.
  • Hans Riegel Sr., a candy maker from Bonn, started the company that became Haribo in the 1920s.
  • The first gelatin-based shaped candy was the Unclaimed Babies, sold by Fryers of Lancashire in 1864.

Back to the ground

Follow every input upstream and gummy bears starts as these 7 raw sources.

WaterSugarcaneSugar beetCornPigsCattle hideLimestone

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3D printer filament 6 stations · 13 raw sources Cardboard box 5 stations · 17 raw sources Clear adhesive tape 6 stations · 9 raw sources Match 5 stations · 9 raw sources Cattle hide 5 stations Hot dog 7 stations · 7 raw sources

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Sources

Cite this page: "How gummy bears are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/gummy-bears

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