NECCO
Encyclopedia
Necco pronounced "neck-o", is the acronym for the New England Confectionery Company, a manufacturer of candy. It was created in 1901 by the merger of several small confectionery companies located in the Greater Boston
area; since December 2007 Necco has been owned by American Capital.
The company is best known for its namesake candy, Necco Wafers
, its seasonal Sweethearts Conversation Hearts
, and brands such as the Clark Bar
and Haviland Thin Mints
.
.
Two other confectionery companies, Ball and Forbes, founded by confectioner Daniel Forbes in 1848, and Bird, Wright and Company, a confectionery company based in Boston and founded in 1856, joined forces with Chase and Company in 1901 to become the three members of the original Necco family. The three confectionery firms moved in to a newly constructed manufacturing plant in Boston, Massachusetts, one year later and become the largest establishment devoted entirely to confectionery production in the United States.
Necco continued its production while the confectionery industry continued to boom through the turn of the century. Around the same time, businessman David L. Clark
began experimenting with his own candy creations in his home outside of Pittsburgh, PA
. He began selling the Clark candy bar
for five cents and shipping his creation to soldiers fighting in World War I
. At the same time, Charles Miller started a business manufacturing and selling homemade candy in the Boston area. Clark’s creation and Miller’s Mary Jane
quickly become two of the most popular candy creations in the country.
In 1927, Necco moved into a new factory
on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge
, which was then the largest factory in the world devoted entirely to candy. They remained in the facility until 2003.
Necco continued its dominance of the candy-manufacturing business through much of the first half of the twentieth century until 1942, when the company closed much of its production and dedicated portions of its factory to manufacturing war materials. This continued until 1945, when World War II
ended and the company could continue its development as the leading candy company in the United States.
From the end of the war through the 1990s, Necco continued to acquire small candy companies throughout the United States and Europe, and with those companies, the rights to manufacture their trademark
ed candy bars. Two of the most noticeable acquisitions came in 1990 and 1999, when Stark Candy Company and Pittsburgh-based Clark Bar America, Inc. were purchased, respectively.
At the time, Stark Candy Company and Clark Bar America, Inc. produced two of the most recognizable candies: Sweethearts Conversation Hearts
and the Clark candy bar. The combination of the Conversation Hearts with Necco’s own Sweet Talk line of candies made Necco the leading manufacturer of conversation hearts, and the Clark bar was already a nationally recognized symbol.
In 2003, Necco consolidated its facilities to share a 52 acres (210,436.7 m²), 810000 square feet (75,251.5 m²) Revere, Massachusetts, plant and warehouse, where its international headquarters resides to this day.
In April 2004 the Necco building at 250 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge was occupied by the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. The water tower was redesigned, with a double helix to represent the biomedical research being performed within.
Today, Necco is the oldest "continuously operating" candy company in the United States. The company's production and headquarters in Revere, Massachusetts
, and another facility in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, collectively employ approximately 650 workers. Annual sales for the company frequently reach $100 million, backed primarily by their popular Valentine conversation hearts.
In Fall 2010, The Necco company expects to produce its one trillionth Necco Wafer candy.
The Haviland division of Necco produces many popular candies such as Haviland Thin Mints
, Bridge Mix, and others.
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
area; since December 2007 Necco has been owned by American Capital.
The company is best known for its namesake candy, Necco Wafers
NECCO Wafers
Necco Wafers are a candy wafer made by the United States-based New England Confectionery Company . Necco Wafers were first produced in 1847 and are considered by Necco to be its core product...
, its seasonal Sweethearts Conversation Hearts
Sweethearts (candy)
Sweethearts are small heart-shaped candies sold around Valentine's Day. Each conversation heart is printed with a message such as "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", "Call Me", "Let's Get Busy", and "Miss You". Sweethearts are made by the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco. A similar type of candy is...
, and brands such as the Clark Bar
Clark Bar
The Clark Bar is a milk chocolate peanut butter bar that is similar to a Butterfinger. It is manufactured by the New England Confectionery Company ....
and Haviland Thin Mints
Haviland Thin Mints
Haviland Thin Mints are a chocolate-covered mint candy produced by the Haviland division of Necco. The candy is a mint filling covered in dark chocolate, similar to the York Peppermint Pattie but smaller and thinner....
.
History
Necco dates its origins to Chase and Company, a company founded by brothers Oliver R. and Silas Edwin Chase in 1847. Having previously invented and patented the first American candy machine, the Chase brothers continued to design and create machinery that made assortments of candy, such as their popular sugar wafersNECCO Wafers
Necco Wafers are a candy wafer made by the United States-based New England Confectionery Company . Necco Wafers were first produced in 1847 and are considered by Necco to be its core product...
.
Two other confectionery companies, Ball and Forbes, founded by confectioner Daniel Forbes in 1848, and Bird, Wright and Company, a confectionery company based in Boston and founded in 1856, joined forces with Chase and Company in 1901 to become the three members of the original Necco family. The three confectionery firms moved in to a newly constructed manufacturing plant in Boston, Massachusetts, one year later and become the largest establishment devoted entirely to confectionery production in the United States.
Necco continued its production while the confectionery industry continued to boom through the turn of the century. Around the same time, businessman David L. Clark
David L. Clark
David Lytle Clark was an American entrepreneur who came to the U.S. with his family when he was 8 years old, and who founded the D. L. Clark Company in 1886 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania now part of Pittsburgh....
began experimenting with his own candy creations in his home outside of Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He began selling the Clark candy bar
Clark Bar
The Clark Bar is a milk chocolate peanut butter bar that is similar to a Butterfinger. It is manufactured by the New England Confectionery Company ....
for five cents and shipping his creation to soldiers fighting in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. At the same time, Charles Miller started a business manufacturing and selling homemade candy in the Boston area. Clark’s creation and Miller’s Mary Jane
Mary Jane (candy)
Mary Jane is a peanut butter and molasses flavored taffy-type candy with peanut butter in the center, originally made in 1914 by The Charles N. Miller Co., later by Stark Candy Co., and now manufactured by Necco. It is is dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free and similar in style and packaging to...
quickly become two of the most popular candy creations in the country.
New England Confectionery Company Factory
New England Confectionery Company Factory is an historic factory at 250 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The factory was added to the National Historic Register in 2005....
on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, which was then the largest factory in the world devoted entirely to candy. They remained in the facility until 2003.
Necco continued its dominance of the candy-manufacturing business through much of the first half of the twentieth century until 1942, when the company closed much of its production and dedicated portions of its factory to manufacturing war materials. This continued until 1945, when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended and the company could continue its development as the leading candy company in the United States.
From the end of the war through the 1990s, Necco continued to acquire small candy companies throughout the United States and Europe, and with those companies, the rights to manufacture their trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
ed candy bars. Two of the most noticeable acquisitions came in 1990 and 1999, when Stark Candy Company and Pittsburgh-based Clark Bar America, Inc. were purchased, respectively.
At the time, Stark Candy Company and Clark Bar America, Inc. produced two of the most recognizable candies: Sweethearts Conversation Hearts
Sweethearts (candy)
Sweethearts are small heart-shaped candies sold around Valentine's Day. Each conversation heart is printed with a message such as "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", "Call Me", "Let's Get Busy", and "Miss You". Sweethearts are made by the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco. A similar type of candy is...
and the Clark candy bar. The combination of the Conversation Hearts with Necco’s own Sweet Talk line of candies made Necco the leading manufacturer of conversation hearts, and the Clark bar was already a nationally recognized symbol.
In 2003, Necco consolidated its facilities to share a 52 acres (210,436.7 m²), 810000 square feet (75,251.5 m²) Revere, Massachusetts, plant and warehouse, where its international headquarters resides to this day.
In April 2004 the Necco building at 250 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge was occupied by the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. The water tower was redesigned, with a double helix to represent the biomedical research being performed within.
Present-day
Revere, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and located approximately from downtown Boston. It is named after the American patriot Paul Revere. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 51,755.- History :...
, and another facility in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, collectively employ approximately 650 workers. Annual sales for the company frequently reach $100 million, backed primarily by their popular Valentine conversation hearts.
In Fall 2010, The Necco company expects to produce its one trillionth Necco Wafer candy.
Brands
- Necco WafersNECCO WafersNecco Wafers are a candy wafer made by the United States-based New England Confectionery Company . Necco Wafers were first produced in 1847 and are considered by Necco to be its core product...
- SweetheartsSweethearts (candy)Sweethearts are small heart-shaped candies sold around Valentine's Day. Each conversation heart is printed with a message such as "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", "Call Me", "Let's Get Busy", and "Miss You". Sweethearts are made by the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco. A similar type of candy is...
Conversation Hearts - Mary JanesMary Jane (candy)Mary Jane is a peanut butter and molasses flavored taffy-type candy with peanut butter in the center, originally made in 1914 by The Charles N. Miller Co., later by Stark Candy Co., and now manufactured by Necco. It is is dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free and similar in style and packaging to...
and Mary Jane peanut butterPeanut butterPeanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
kisses - Clark BarClark BarThe Clark Bar is a milk chocolate peanut butter bar that is similar to a Butterfinger. It is manufactured by the New England Confectionery Company ....
candy barCandy barA chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative presence or absence of these components form the subclasses of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main...
s - Sky BarSky BarSky Bar is an American candy bar, produced since 1938 by Necco. Each Sky Bar has four sections, each with a different filling: caramel, vanilla, peanut and fudge, all covered in milk chocolate....
candy bars - Squirrel Nut CaramelsSquirrel nut caramelA Squirrel Nut Caramel is a type of chewy caramel candy with pieces of peanuts mixed in. There are two variations: one has chocolate and one is caramel based.Chocolate Squirrel caramels were the original flavor of Squirrel Brands caramels...
- Candy House Candy ButtonsCandy ButtonsCandy Buttons, Candy Dots, or Pox are small rounded pegs of candy that are attached to a strip of paper. This classic sugar candy was originally introduced by the Cumberland Valley company. Necco acquired the brand in 1980, which made them the exclusive manufacturer of this product in the United...
- Mint Julep chews
- Banana Split chews
- Peach BlossomsPeach BlossomsPeach Blossoms are a candy made by Necco at The New England Confectionery Co. in Revere, Massachusetts. They contain peanut butter wrapped in a crunchy shell. Contrary to their name and color, the flavor does not imitate that of a peach. They are made with sugar, corn syrup, ground peanuts, salt,...
- Mighty Malts Malted Milk Balls
- Candy Cupboard & Masterpieces
- Stark Candy Raisin
- Kettle Fresh
- Slap Stix
- Squirrel Nut Zippers
- Canada Mints
The Haviland division of Necco produces many popular candies such as Haviland Thin Mints
Haviland Thin Mints
Haviland Thin Mints are a chocolate-covered mint candy produced by the Haviland division of Necco. The candy is a mint filling covered in dark chocolate, similar to the York Peppermint Pattie but smaller and thinner....
, Bridge Mix, and others.
External links
- Official website
- Company profile on Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
website - National Confectioner's Association website
- Necco Store Online