Few candies feel as American as the Tootsie Roll. It has filled Halloween bags, bank bowls, and parade routes for well over a century.
Yet most people never ask who stands behind it. The answer is one family, one very long-serving chairwoman, and a stock setup built to keep it that way.
Who Owns Tootsie Roll in 2026?
Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. is a public company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TR. Anyone can buy its shares.
But public does not mean widely controlled. The Gordon family, led by Chairman and CEO Ellen R. Gordon, holds the voting power that decides who sits on the board.
According to the company’s 2026 proxy statement, Ellen Gordon owned about 33.4% of the common stock in her own name as of March 5, 2026. She also held another 15.2% as a fiduciary for family members and a charitable foundation.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen R. Gordon | Chairman, CEO & largest shareholder | ~33.4% of common stock directly (March 2026) | Director since 1969; CEO since January 2015 |
| Ellen R. Gordon (as fiduciary) | Trustee for family members and a foundation | ~15.2% of common stock | Includes shares held by a charitable foundation |
| Gordon family (combined) | Controlling shareholders | Majority of total voting power | Tootsie Roll is an NYSE “controlled company” |
| The Vanguard Group | Institutional investor | ~2.1 million common shares (2025 proxy) | Listed among holders of more than 5% of common stock |
| Public shareholders | NYSE investors | Remaining shares | Each common share carries one vote |
| Melvin J. Gordon (1919–2015) | Former CEO and Ellen’s husband | Not applicable | Led the company for 53 years; died in January 2015 |
Outside the family, the best-known name in the proxy is The Vanguard Group. It reported about 2.1 million common shares in last year’s filing, just over 5% of that class.
How Class B Shares Give the Family Control
Tootsie Roll has two kinds of stock. Common stock gets one vote per share, while Class B common stock gets ten votes per share.
Class B shares can be converted into common shares one for one. In the 2025 proxy, Ellen Gordon held about 49.2% of the Class B shares directly and 19.9% more as a fiduciary.
That year’s filing showed roughly 40.6 million common shares and 30.3 million Class B shares outstanding. By simple math, Class B holds close to 88% of all votes.
The company’s annual report confirms the Gordon family holds a majority of the combined voting power. That lets the family elect directors and approve major shareholder decisions.
This setup is not rare in America. The Ford family controls about 40% of the votes at Ford, the Pritzker family holds nearly 89% of the votes at Hyatt, and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg controls his company with a minority of the shares.
From a Brooklyn Candy Shop to a Chicago Headquarters
The story starts in 1896, when Austrian immigrant Leo Hirshfield began selling a chewy chocolate candy from a small shop in Brooklyn. He named it after his daughter Clara, whose nickname was “Tootsie.”
According to the Candy Hall of Fame, he was also among the first to wrap each piece individually. That kept the candies from sticking together and made them easier for stores to sell.
The business later became the Sweets Company of America. Over the decades it moved, grew, and passed into the hands of the Rubin family.
In 1966, the company took the name Tootsie Roll Industries. Today it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and the company’s own history page traces the full timeline.
How the Gordon Family Took Control
Ellen Rubin Gordon is the daughter of William Rubin, who ran the company before her. In 1962, she and her husband Melvin Gordon took the lead, with Melvin as CEO.
Ellen has served on the board since 1969. She became president and chief operating officer in 1978, and she took over as chairman and CEO in January 2015, after Melvin’s death at age 95.
At the time, media coverage speculated about a possible sale. The couple has four daughters, and one of them, Karen Gordon Mills, served as head of the Small Business Administration from 2009 to 2013, as Entrepreneur reported.
The Brands Tootsie Roll Owns
Under the Gordons, the company grew mostly by buying other candy brands. It bought the Mason Division in 1972, which brought in Dots and Crows. Cella’s chocolate-covered cherries followed in 1985.
In 1988 it bought Charms, the maker of Blow Pops, for about $65 million. That deal made Tootsie Roll the world’s largest lollipop producer.
In 1993, it purchased Warner-Lambert’s candy brands for roughly $81 million. That added Junior Mints, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, and Charleston Chew.
In 2000, it bought Andes from Brach’s, along with a factory in Delavan, Wisconsin, according to a company filing. The same year it picked up the maker of Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, and in 2004 it added Concord Confections.
How Tootsie Roll Compares With Bigger Rivals
Tootsie Roll is far smaller than the giants of the candy aisle. Family-owned Mars, now also the owner of Pringles, makes Snickers and M&M’s.
Hershey is public too, but the Hershey Trust keeps most of its voting power. Hershey also makes Kit Kat in the U.S. under a license from Nestlé.
Ferrero bought Nestlé’s U.S. candy business in 2018 for about $2.8 billion. It later added WK Kellogg Co in 2025, while Nestlé itself remains a widely held global company.
Tootsie Roll belongs to a small group of long-running family-owned businesses in America that still call the shots. It is the rare candy maker that has stayed independent for so long.
Tootsie Roll’s Business in 2026
For all of 2025, net sales were about $724.7 million, up 1% from the year before. That is a steady result for a company that avoids big risks.
The third quarter of 2026 was weaker. Sales were $227.2 million, down 1%, and net earnings fell to $23.2 million from $35.7 million, according to the October 21, 2026 earnings release.
Mrs. Gordon blamed the timing of seasonal Halloween sales between the third and fourth quarters. Earlier in the year, the company also pointed to higher cocoa and chocolate costs.
The company makes about 65 million pieces a day, according to ThomasNet. It also runs operations in Mexico and Spain.
What Happens After Ellen Gordon?
Ellen Gordon is now in her mid-90s and still leads the company. Tootsie Roll has not publicly named a successor.
Whenever the change comes, the Gordon family’s control of the voting shares means it will likely have the final say. For now, ownership stays where it has been for over 60 years.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Tootsie Roll in 2026?
Tootsie Roll Industries is publicly traded, but the Gordon family controls it, led by Chairman and CEO Ellen R. Gordon.
Q2. Is Tootsie Roll a public company?
Yes, it trades on the NYSE under the ticker TR.
Q3. Who is the CEO of Tootsie Roll?
Ellen R. Gordon has been Chairman and CEO since January 2015.
Q4. Who founded Tootsie Roll?
Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant, created the candy in 1896 and named it after his daughter Clara, nicknamed “Tootsie.”
Q5. Is Tootsie Roll owned by Hershey or Mars?
No, Tootsie Roll is independent and not owned by Hershey, Mars, or any rival.
Q6. What are Class B shares at Tootsie Roll?
Class B shares carry ten votes each, compared with one vote for common shares, which gives the Gordon family control.
Q7. Which brands does Tootsie Roll Industries own?
Its brands include Tootsie Roll, Tootsie Pop, Charms Blow Pop, Dots, Junior Mints, Sugar Daddy, Charleston Chew, and Andes.
Q8. Where is Tootsie Roll headquartered?
The company is based in Chicago, Illinois, with additional operations in Mexico and Spain.
Tootsie Roll is owned by its shareholders, but it is controlled by the Gordon family. Chairman and CEO Ellen R. Gordon holds roughly a third of the common stock directly, plus large Class B holdings that carry ten votes each.
The company traces back to 1896 and has been led by the Gordons since 1962. It sells dozens of candies, from Tootsie Pops to Junior Mints and Andes mints.
Official Website: tootsie.com
