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Sweethearts are back for Valentine’s Day 2020 but with a few changes

Sweethearts are back for Valentine's Day 2020 but with a few changes

Sweethearts are back on store shelves in time for Valentine’s Day. Last year, you may remember, if you wanted to tell the object of your affection to “BE MINE” or “KISS ME” you had to find another way. The iconic conversation hearts were missing from store shelves because of a change in ownership. Thankfully they’re back for Valentine’s Day 2020, but consumers might notice a few changes. Because of printing machine issues, not all hearts will receive printed messages. Some Sweethearts are being released blank. Yes—silent hearts. Additionally, Spangler the company behind Dum Dum lollipops and now Sweethearts, has decided to return to the original 118-year-old candy recipe. That means flavors like banana and wintergreen will find their way back in the box. Consumers can find Sweethearts for the 2020 season at big retailers like Walgreen’s and CVS, but should act soon. Spangler spokeswoman Diana Moore Eschhofen told CNBC that…

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Why conversation hearts will be missing this Valentine’s Day

Why conversation hearts will be missing this Valentine's Day

This year you might have to find another way to ask your sweetie to “Be Mine” or “Kiss Me.” Valentine’s Day’s most popular candy, SweetHearts, those tiny heart-shaped confections printed with terms of endearment, won’t be produced. New England Confectionary Company (Necco) annually made more than eight billion (13 million pounds) of the tiny hearts in the six weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, but despite a great effort to save the oldest continually operating candy company in the country, NECCO was shut down in 2018. With Necco dead, so too are SweetHearts — for now anyway. Competing brands offer rival ripoffs of the iconic heart candies, but SweetHearts is the original, most recognized and favored brand. SweetHearts’ hold strong sentimental value for many people in the U.S. and their sales were the strongest — by a long shot. Any SweetHearts products you find online or in stores this year…

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Candy fans hoarding Necco wafers in fear of parent company’s closure

Candy fans hoarding Necco wafers in fear of parent company's closureAP

One of America’s most hated candies is suddenly selling out. Last month, America’s oldest continuously operating candy company announced that it might have to shut its doors if no one offered to buy the 170-year-old New England Confectionary Co. (Necco). The Revere, Mass. manufacturing plant would be forced to lay off most of its employees. Source: Bulk candy sales from CandyStore.com The announcement was picked up by The Boston Globe and almost immediately, the company saw a surge in wafer sales. It turns out, for all the haters out there, the iconic candy has a loyal following. According to candystore.com, March sales spiked more than 50 percent, with Necco wafers up 63 percent from the averages of the past decade. https://twitter.com/greatwhitetoad/status/979132137038282757 Upon hearing about the potential end of Necco, one woman even wrote to candystore.com wanting to trader her Honda for a bulk shipment of wafers. Having been around since the 1800s, Necco…

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10 Little-known facts about Valentine’s Day candy hearts

10 Little-known facts about Valentine's Day candy hearts

Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away, and that means an explosion of pink and red cookies, cakes and stores full of those little chalky candy hearts. But as you toss back a few boxes this month, consider these 10 fun facts about Sweethearts. Hearty Beginnings The first hearts were invented in 1866 by Daniel Chase, brother of Necco founder Oliver Chase. They were called “Motto Hearts.” Necco was founded 14 years earlier, and the acronym stands for “New England Confectionery Company.” It’s one of the country’s oldest candy companies. Round-the-clock Rollout To satisfy demand for Sweethearts for Valentine’s Day, production for the next year starts right after the holiday in February and continues until mid-January. More than 7 billion candy hearts are made each year. In Demand Sweethearts are just behind chocolate in candy sales during the holiday of love. Some 13 million pounds of the little candies are sold every year —…

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