The Modern-Day Candy Industry Began In An Unlikely Place

Try imagining a world where candy can't be produced in bulk and all of it has to be hand-made. The modern candy industry has given us sweet, tart, and sour goodies since 1847, thanks to candy-cutting and molding machines that can mass produce your favorite confections. However, the origins of these machines have roots in something you probably don't particularly enjoy eating — medicine. In truth, the modern candy industry was birthed from the medical world, specifically by a pharmacist named Oliver R. Chase.

If this sounds far-fetched, keep in mind that modern cotton candy was invented by a dentist, so are plenty of examples of medical professionals concocting sweets. Chase shifted his profession over time to candy maker because of a demand upon his pharmacy for lozenges that didn't taste like medicine, but instead like sugar and spice. In changing the industry, he had to invent a whole new way for candy to be made quickly. That invention, initially developed in 1847, would turn out to be one of the most important changes in candy production history, and it all began with a little confection eventually called the Necco Wafer.

When Oliver Chase was working for a pharmacy, he began making sugary medicinal lozenges that would be more pleasant to take. As their popularity grew, he began creating medicine-free lozenges, as a candy. He discovered there was a demand for these little delicacies, and realized he needed to find a way to make more, faster. Out of sheer ingenuity and a knowledge of medicine production, he created a mechanical hand-crank slicing machine that could make numerous lozenges with just a turn of your arm, like a pasta maker. The wafer candy created using this machine eventually led to the Necco Wafer and was available in eight flavors, including clove, wintergreen, chocolate, and various citrus.

Eight flavors may not seem too exciting to us today, especially varieties like clove and licorice, but a machine that could create a sleeve of these candies quickly was revolutionary in the mid-1800s. The quickly climbing popularity of what became the New England Confectionery Company, or NECCO, soon gave birth to many more candy companies seeking to do the same. NECCO's wafers had a leg up on much of the competition, though, which helped give the company more than a century of longevity. Chocolates tended to melt in summer heat, whereas Necco Wafers were shelf-stable for long periods. This was a major reason why they were supplied to military troops in both WWI and WWII, and carried on treks to both the Arctic and Antarctica.

While you might not find this vintage candy for sale at movie theater concessions, it's still a bit of a cult classic today. Chase also went on to create several other candies you might have nostalgia for, including Sweethearts, candy buttons, and Clark Bars. Without his innovations, your favorite candy brand likely wouldn't exist.

With this great lineage, you'd expect the brand to still be going strong today. But there was a moment where this classic candy faltered. In 2018, the NECCO factory sadly shuttered its doors with a declaration of bankruptcy. For a time, everyone's favorite eight-flavor wafers (along with the Sweethearts Valentine's candy and others) simply ceased to be. Luckily, Necco Wafers soon arose from the grave thanks to Spangler Candy Company, which purchased the brand later that year. You might know Spangler from some of their other candies, such as Circus Peanuts and Dum-Dums lollipops.

While folks were pretty glad to see Necco Wafers back on the shelves, and they are still America's oldest candy brand, this brief hiatus did lose them one important title. Because NECCO's 171-year ongoing production streak was abruptly broken, licorice candy Good & Plenty (created in 1893) snatched the crown of oldest continually-produced candy in the United States. While it's a pity such a legacy was smudged slightly, it's just nice that Necco Wafers are back in action, given their place in candy history.