For fans of nostalgic candy, there’s good, but at the same time, heartbreaking news.
Ohio-based Spangler Candy Co., maker of Dum-Dums lollipops, has revealed plans to start making bankrupt New England Confectionery Co.’s Sweethearts conversation hearts again — just not in time for Valentine’s Day.
For some people, this will be their first Feb. 14th without picking through a box of the classic, chalky, heart-shaped candies looking for “Be Mine,” “Love Me,” “Miss You” and other warm sentiments to share.
Brach’s makes a similar candy called Tiny Conversation Hearts. “They aren’t the same” as the original Sweethearts brand dating back to 1901, said Jon Prince, president of the McKeesport Candy Co. in McKeesport.
Sweethearts “are to Valentine’s Day like what apple pie is to America,” Mr. Prince said.
Besides Sweethearts, Spangler bought the rights to make Necco’s namesake Necco Wafers.
“We want to make sure these brands meet consumer expectations when they re-enter the market,” Spangler said in a news release. The company, based in Bryan near Toledo, said it hoped to reintroduce Necco Wafers next year and Sweethearts in 2020.
It also will produce Necco’s Canada Mints, but didn’t say when.
Mr. Prince has a small amount of Sweethearts left in stock. But not many.
He expects his reserves will quickly be depleted by panicky buyers once word about the shortage gets around. He doesn’t think other wholesalers will have them either, since the candies are a seasonal product.
“A product we’ve known since time eternal will not be here” come Valentine’s Day, he said, in a sentiment worthy of the emotional holiday.
The chatty candies have not always delivered the same messages.
Over the years, Sweethearts has changed to keep up with the times, replacing “Call Me” and “Fax Me,” for example, with “Text Me” and “Tweet Me.”
Necco Wafers were created in 1847 by English immigrant Oliver Chase who invented a lozenge-cutting machine to produce the chalky, pastel-colored discs. They were a popular treat for soldiers during the Civil War and then in World War II because they were easy to transport and didn’t melt.
For Spangler, the road to owning the two nostalgic brands was a circuitous one.
The company initially emerged as the winning bidder for Necco’s assets in a bankruptcy court auction in May. However, the deal never went through and the business was quickly awarded to the second-highest bidder, Round Hill Investments owned by the Metropoulos family.
In July, Round Hill abruptly closed Necco’s Boston-area plant and sold the assets — which include other classic brands such as SkyBar, Candy Buttons and Pittsburgh’s iconic Clark Bar — to an undisclosed buyer. That buyer in turn began selling off the brands piece by piece.
It’s not clear whether Spangler is that mystery buyer. Calls to the company’s CEO, Kirk Vashaw, weren’t returned.
In its news release, Spangler said it had purchased Necco Wafers, Sweethearts and Canada Mints “through a series of transactions precipitated by” Necco’s bankruptcy.
Founded in 1906, the family-owned Spangler Candy also makes candy canes, Saf-T-Pops with loop handles and Circus Peanuts.
“Sweethearts and Necco Wafers are iconic brands with rich hundred-year-plus histories,” Mr. Vashaw said in a statement. “These are perfect additions to our portfolio of traditional candies.”
The Clark Bar, created in 1917 by Pittsburgh candy maker David L. Clark, was picked up by Necco in a Pittsburgh bankruptcy auction in 1999. It was sold earlier this month to Boyer Candy Co. in Altoona, maker of the Mallow Cup.
Boyer has said it expects to start making Clark Bars again early next year.
Patricia Sabatini: PSabatini@post-gazette.com; 412-263-3066.
First Published: September 25, 2018, 6:43 p.m.
