Beloved Candy Maker Gets a New Owner

Necco Wafers are safe, at least for now
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 23, 2018 5:03 PM CDT
Necco Wafers Are Saved, for Now
Sweethearts candy drop onto a conveyor belt as they are manufactured at the New England Confectionery Company in Revere, Mass.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

The bankrupt maker of Necco Wafers, Sweethearts conversation hearts, and other beloved American candies has a new owner. The Ohio-based Spangler Candy Co., maker of Dum Dums lollipops, had the winning $18.83 million bid for the New England Confectionery Co. at a federal bankruptcy auction in Boston, the AP reports. Wednesday's acquisition ensures at least a short-term future for the candy maker better known as Necco. Spangler Candy Co. and three other bidders all indicated they would keep Necco operating at its current location in Revere, just north of Boston, at least through the fall.

Interest in Necco has focused on its "sugar line" of chalky wafers and candy hearts. The fate of its chocolate Sky Bar and Clark bar remains unclear. The 171-year-old candy maker filed for federal bankruptcy protection last month, citing competition from multinational candy makers. Necco Wafers have been around so long that the company says Union soldiers carried them during the Civil War, and fans bought them by the dozens after news of Necco's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing broke.

(More candy stories.)

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