Time to Panic and Stockpile

Necco Wafers that is, it appears that the New England Confectionery Company may be liquidating:

Word that the country’s oldest continuously operating candy company might shut down has people suddenly hoarding Necco Wafers, despite the candy’s unpopularity among, well, almost everyone.

The chalky candy’s flavors (chocolate, licorice, wintergreen) have been described as “tropical drywall” and “plaster surprise,” according to the Wall Street Journal. But last month’s announcement that the 170-year-old New England Confectionery Co. might shut down its Revere, Mass., plant — and lay off the majority of its employees — seemed to strike a nostalgic chord with consumers, leading to a surge in wafer sales.

Candy stores and consumers are trying to get their hands on whichever Necco products they can get, the Journal reported, including Mary Janes, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Clark Bars and Sweethearts, the popular heart-shaped Valentine’s Day candies. What they’re chasing after most, however, are the wafers. They are both storied and divisive, known for their unusually long shelf life and a recipe that’s been unchanged since the days when the indestructible candies fueled Union soldiers during the Civil War.

I like Necco Wafers, and if they go away, I will be sad, even though I don't have that much of a sweet tooth.


They aren't really a part of my childhood, I discovered them when I was in college in Massachusetts, and there will be some nostalgia.