no more Necco wafers?

Food, recipes, fashion, sport, education, exercise, sexuality, travel.
Post Reply
wesw
Posts: 9645
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 1:24 am
Location: the eastern shore

no more Necco wafers?

Post by wesw »

it has been reported that the candy company is being sold and shutting down production....

....the new owners plans are unknown.

stock up!!!! they last forever.

these simple candies saw us thru the civil war......

I like the brown ones best......

Big RR
Posts: 14048
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:47 pm

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Big RR »

That explains the prices; I used to get them online (about $20 for a box of 24 rolls), and the prices were rising recently; amazon now has those same boxes of 24 rolls for over $80. As someone who has a tendency towards hypoglycemia, the wafers were a good way to carry around (in the car and my bags) quickly available sugar. They didn't melt or go bad, and could be sued in all seasons; I hate to see them go.

User avatar
Guinevere
Posts: 8989
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 3:01 pm

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Guinevere »

The company filed for bankruptcy some time ago, but was sold in May to a new owner who promised to continue on. Apparently they have re-sold it. And yes BigRR, there is and had been more limited production.

From today’s Globe:
Details about Tuesday’s sudden closure of Necco’s manufacturing plant in Revere — including who bought the candy maker — remain a mystery, but this much is certain: Necco candies already are in short supply.

Prior to Tuesday’s — apparently permanent — shut down, manufacturing operations were halted for seven days at the plant starting on May 29 to address Food and Drug Administration code violations. Those included evidence of rodent activity, roof leaks, and other unsanitary conditions. Production resumed in June, but with Tuesday’s stoppage, whatever was manufactured in those few weeks is the only remaining stock of Necco Wafers, Sky Bar, Sweethearts, and other candies.

“I don’t think there’s much out there,” said Frank D’Amelio, 38, a mechanic with Necco for the past four years.

D’Amelio was among the dozens of workers present at a town hall-style meeting at Necco’s cafeteria Tuesday during which chief executive Michael McGee reportedly said the company was shutting down “effective immediately.” Workers were under the impression that Necco, which traces its roots to 1847, would continue to operate through at least November, when the lease at its American Legion Highway headquarters was scheduled to expire.

Round Hill Investments LLC, which bought the company — formally known as New England Confectionery Co. — for $17.3 million at an emergency auction in May, confirmed the plant’s closure. Round Hill said that “after careful engagement and consideration,” it had sold the brands to another national candy manufacturer. Round Hill, owned by billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos and his sons Evan and Daren, did not elaborate on its decision to sell, or reveal details about the sale, including the identity of the buyer.

The fact that an entity owned by the Metropoulos family — known for reinvigorating brands including Hostess, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Bumble Bee, and Chef Boyardee — would offload Necco less than two months after acquiring it means Round Hill probably wasn’t optimistic about turning a profit, said Peter Cohan, business strategy lecturer at Babson College.

“They owned the company for five seconds and they shut it down. They couldn’t have possibly made any money on it,” Cohan said. “The reason to shut it down is clearly related to trying to minimize the amount of money they’ll lose. [By selling it], they’re going to lose money, but not as much.”

Typically, the Metropouloses hang on to a brand for three to four years and then sell it, which makes the Necco move all the more unusual, said Ariel Markelevich, associate professor of accounting at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School.


“I’m sure they sat back and said, ‘We have two options: we either take Necco, do our magic and improve on the company, and sell it for what we expect to get from it in three to five years, or we take the offer that’s on the table,’ ” Markelevich said. “We know they took the offer that’s on the table . . . We don’t know if it was a fire sale or a luxury sale in which they made a lot of money.”

Revere Mayor Brian M. Arrigo said in a statement the city “received no advance word about the situation.” He added that six private food service companies, including Legal Sea Foods and Kelly’s Roast Beef, have reached out to offer jobs to some of the 230 or so former Necco workers.

For people such as D’Amelio, a married father of three who will likely lose his pension, the offers may help soften the blow.

“I was taken by surprise,” he said. “I gave my heart and soul for this place. I wanted to help bring the company back.”
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, paraphrasing Sarah Moore Grimké

Big RR
Posts: 14048
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:47 pm

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Big RR »

FWIW, I've always thought the marketing of Necco Wafers was pretty poor; it's been years since I have seen them in any store in the northeast, with the exception of the occasional Cracker Barrel I stumbled into; ditto for SkyBars (I'm not sure what Sweethearts are, but are they those valentine's day message hearts? If so, I've only seen them around Valentine's day). I guess they could have been marketing it in certain regions, but I thought they could have used a boarder distribution network (virtually everyone I offered them to said something like--I really like these but haven't seen them anywhere). They could have had a bigger market.

It's a shame for the employees and their pensions.

User avatar
Guinevere
Posts: 8989
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 3:01 pm

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Guinevere »

Never a fan of chalky dry sweets but the company is a New England institution. It’s sad.
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, paraphrasing Sarah Moore Grimké

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18297
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by BoSoxGal »

Neccos were my mom’s favorite candy and it’s a treasured childhood memory having her share wafers from the roll with me after I’d finished my own chosen candy from our weekly grocery outing, back in the pre-school stay-at-home-mom days. They are a good candy, as are the Sweethearts the company made, and my personal favorites, the Haviland thin mints. All gone now . . .

Big RR, if you hurry over to the Vermont Country Store online you can get the best deal still going on Neccos; 10 rolls for $14.95; even with basic shipping if you buy two boxes it’s less than $2/roll which is bargain basement compared to all the other pricing now available - I know because I searched online last night after seeing the closure story in the local news. If I had any spare cash I’d buy up a bunch, because in the coming months I could make a small fortune selling them on eBay at a markup - the candy has an indefinite shelf life, although it’s important to keep them cool/dry, as they can get stale from moist/hot conditions.

Bye bye, Neccos. :cry:
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Big RR
Posts: 14048
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:47 pm

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Big RR »

thanks BSG; I just checked and the assorted candies are sold out--but Wes, they still have the chocolate ones if you are interested.

Guin--I understand you dry, chalky comment and, for the most part, I agree with you. But somehow these make it beyond that gate for me in a way that, say, sweet tarts or smarties do not. It's a puzzlement.

Burning Petard
Posts: 4048
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:35 pm
Location: Near Bear, Delaware

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Burning Petard »

Oh No! Another ancient tradition lost to future generations. Those little discs were great targets for BB guns. Specially when used like clay pigeons. The shooter holds his Red Ryder at the reader while an associate tossed the wafer into the air. The BB moves slowly enough that you can see it in flight and get immediate feedback on how much to lead the target. [later edit. 'reader' should be 'ready' I hate auto correct.]

snailgate
Last edited by Burning Petard on Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
RayThom
Posts: 8604
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:38 pm
Location: Longwood Gardens PA 19348

no more Necco wafers?

Post by RayThom »

Necco... we salute you. And time marches on.

Image
“In a world whose absurdity appears to be so impenetrable, we simply must reach a greater degree of understanding among us, a greater sincerity.” 

User avatar
Long Run
Posts: 6717
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:47 pm

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Long Run »

They still make Tums, yes? Better tasting and bonus calcium.

User avatar
Lord Jim
Posts: 29716
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:44 pm
Location: TCTUTKHBDTMDITSAF

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Lord Jim »

When I want a small, quick sugar fix I go with jelly beans...
ImageImageImage

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18297
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by BoSoxGal »

Image
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Jarlaxle
Posts: 5370
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 4:21 am
Location: New England

Re: no more Necco wafers?

Post by Jarlaxle »

My uncle will miss SkyBars.

Post Reply