Necco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Necco

Former type	Private company
Industry	Confectionery
Fate	Operations halted
Predecessor	Chase and Company, Ball and Fobes, Bird, Wright and Company
Founded	1847
Defunct	July 2018
Headquarters	Revere, Massachusetts
Products	Necco Wafers, Sweethearts, Clark Bar and Haviland Thin Mints, among others
Number of employees	483 (as of March 2011)

Necco (pronounced NEK-oh) was a well-known American candy company. It was created in 1901 when several smaller candy companies in the Greater Boston area joined together. Some of these companies had been making candy since the 1840s!

Necco was famous for its classic candies like Necco Wafers, which first came out in 1847. They also made popular seasonal candies like Sweethearts Conversation Hearts, and other favorites such as the Clark Bar, Haviland Thin Mints, and Sky Bar.

In May 2018, Necco was sold to a company called Round Hill Investments LLC. Later, another company, Spangler Candy Company, became the final owner. Sadly, Necco stopped making candy in July 2018.

History of Necco Candies

How Necco Began

Necco's story started way back in 1847 with a company called Chase and Company. It was founded by two brothers, Oliver R. and Silas Edwin Chase. These clever brothers invented and patented the very first American candy machine! They kept creating new machines to make different kinds of candies, like their popular sugar wafers.

Growing in the 1900s

The Necco factory in South Boston around 1902–1907.

In 1901, Chase and Company joined with two other candy makers: Ball and Fobes (started in 1848) and Bird, Wright and Company (started in 1856). Together, they formed the original Necco family. A year later, these three companies moved into a brand-new factory in Boston, Massachusetts. This new factory became the largest place in the United States dedicated entirely to making candy!

The area around the factory was even named after the company, with streets like Necco Court and Necco Street. In 1906, Necco started a special plan to share its profits with employees. This showed how successful the company was.

Around this time, other famous candies were also being created. David L. Clark started making his Clark Bar in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He even shipped his candy bars to soldiers fighting in World War I. Another candy maker, Charles Miller, started making Mary Jane candies in Boston. Both the Clark Bar and Mary Jane quickly became very popular.

The former Necco factory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its water tower looked like a roll of Necco Wafers.

In 1927, Necco moved to an even bigger factory in Cambridge. This factory was also known as the largest candy factory in the world at the time.

Necco continued to be a leader in the candy business for many years. During World War II, from 1942 to 1945, the U.S. Government bought a lot of Necco Wafers. This was because the wafers didn't melt easily and could survive long trips.

In 1963, Necco was bought by United Industrial Syndicate of New York. Over the years, Necco bought many smaller candy companies. For example, in 1988, they bought Stark Candy Company, which made Sweethearts conversation hearts. This made Necco the top maker of these popular heart-shaped candies. By 2000, Necco had 1200 employees!

Necco in the 2000s

Necco's Sweethearts candy in 2011.

Banana Split chews, one of Necco's many products.

A roll of classic Necco Wafers.

In 2003, Necco brought all its operations together into one large factory and warehouse in Revere, Massachusetts. This huge building was about 810,000 square feet and employed over 700 people.

The old Necco factory building in Cambridge was later used by a research company called Novartis in 2004. In 2005, this historic building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Around 2005, Necco was making about $100 million in sales each year. In 2007, a group of investors bought Necco. The company later closed its plant in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, in 2008.

Necco also had some discussions with the city of Revere about tax breaks. The company had promised to create jobs in exchange for lower taxes. While Necco employed many people, there were questions about whether they met all their job creation promises. Despite this, the city council voted to keep the tax break for Necco.

Sale and Closure

In May 2017, the large Necco factory in Revere was sold to real estate companies. Necco was allowed to lease the building until August 2018.

In March 2018, Necco announced that it might have to lay off most of its workers if a buyer couldn't be found. This news made many people worried that their favorite candies would disappear. Online sales of Necco Wafers and other products quickly increased!

In May 2018, government inspectors found some serious cleanliness problems at the Necco factory, including signs of rodents. This was not the first time such issues were noted.

Later that month, Necco's assets were sold in an auction. Spangler Candy Company was the winning bidder at first, but then another company, Round Hill Investments, bought Necco. They briefly ran the candy factory.

However, just two months later, in July, Round Hill Investments announced that the Necco factory in Revere would close immediately. They mentioned "sanitation issues" as a reason. About 230 workers lost their jobs. At the time, Necco was the oldest candy company in the United States.

Soon after, it was revealed that Spangler Candy Company (the original bidder) had bought Necco after all! Spangler planned to bring back Necco Wafers, Sweethearts, and Canada Mints. Other Necco brands were sold to different companies. For example, the Clark Bar went to Boyer Candy Company, and Haviland Thin Mints went to Log House Food.

In October 2019, the former Necco factory in Revere was leased to Amazon to be used as a distribution center.

Necco Candy Brands

Necco's Haviland division also made many candies like Haviland Thin Mints and Bridge Mix.