Business & Tech

U of M, MSU Rivalry Rages on with Candy Bar Competition

The two universities' respective candy bars are vying to be the most-sold at Two Brothers Coffee.

The bitter University of Michigan-Michigan State University rivalry just got a little sweeter.

in downtown Brighton is hosting its own version of the in-state rivalry, selling candy bars representing each school.

The two candies facing off are the U of M Bar and the Sparty Bar, produced by Sanders Candy of Clinton Township, Mich. The candy that has sold the most by the beginning of the college football season (Sept. 2 for MSU, Sept. 3 for Michigan) is declared the winner, owner Jim Starnes said.

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"Let's see who Brighton represents more," he said.

As of right now, the official tally shows MSU ahead 20 to 10. Employee Evan Cooper said the score displayed in the middle of the shop is not indicative of the official standings. Why? He said Wolverine fans have been adding tallies to boost their score, but MSU fans must have done the same, because the scoreboard shows the score at 28-22 in favor of the Spartans.

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Starnes started the competition, the first of its kind at the coffee shop, at the beginning of July. Although it was supposed to last until the two schools face off Oct. 15 in East Lansing, Starnes said he was going to wrap the first game up before the season starts, resetting the score after that.

Both candies contain milk chocolate and caramel, but the U of M Bar features peanuts, while the Sparty Bar contains pecans. The bars weigh 3.75 ounces, and they sell for $2.25.

Because Brighton sits between both schools, Starnes said that he thinks the fan base is split down the middle. However, Cooper noticed a different trend in Brighton.

"A lot of our customers who are regulars are Michigan State people, so I would say there's more of a presence for Michigan State here," he said. "I know a lot more people go to Michigan State from (Brighton) high school than Michigan."

The prize for the winning school is just bragging rights, in the form of being formally recognized on the Two Brothers bulletin board.Β Starnes said he thinks MSU will win the competition, but he thinks U of M fans will step it up.Β 

While the football game is still months away, local fans can still get their rivalry on at Two Brothers in the meantime, and when the season begins, Starnes said he thinks the candy bar game will heat up.

"Both sets of fans are very passionate about it," he said. "You're either one or the other."


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