Necco Wafers Return!
Necco Wafers are back with the very kind of familiar, comfortable feeling we all seem to be craving. Necco Wafers are rolling out across the nation throughout the summer of 2020, beginning with major drugstores and some grocery stores, and then into a larger segment of retailers across the country.
Here’s a list of stores that will be carrying Necco Wafers this summer! (Major drugstores will have them in June, other stores will have them in July.)
Affiliated Foods
Associated Food Stores
B.A. Sweetie Candy Company
Bartell Drug
Big Lots
Bi-Mart
Certco, Inc.
Cracker Barrel
CVS
Demoulas Supermarkets
Dollar General
Fareway Stores
Food Lion
Hannaford Brothers
HyVee Stores
Johnvince Foods
Kinney Drug
Kroger
Market Basket
Piggly Wiggly Midwest
Sherm’s Thunderbird Market
Smart & Final
Smart Foodservice
Super Value Stores
Sweeties Candy of AZ
Tops Markets
Unified Western Grocers
Urm Stores
Walgreens
Wegmans
Weis Markets
Woodman's Market
Necco Wafer Flavors
Due to its enduring popularity, the original recipe for the Necco Wafer has remained essentially unchanged over the years, and now is no exception.
The eight all-time favorite flavors and colors are returning including lemon (yellow), lime (green), orange (orange), clove (light purple), cinnamon (white), wintergreen (pink), licorice (dark grey) and chocolate (brown). Seven of the eight flavors were designed to identically match the originals. True Necco Wafers connoisseurs may detect a richer cocoa flavor in the chocolate wafers due to a minor improvement made in the cooking process.
History of Necco Wafers
In 1847, a young English immigrant and progressive thinker, Oliver Chase, invented the first American candy machine, a lozenge cutter. After a period of initial success selling his exciting new candy, he joined forces with brother, Silas Edwin and founded Chase and Company.
In 1901, Chase and Company merged with both Forbes, Hayward & Company and Wright & Moody to officially form the New England Confectionary Company, or NECCO. Over the years, NECCO prospered and produced many well-known products, but its success was propelled by its most beloved candy: Necco Wafers.
From the time of their creation, Necco Wafers have been enjoyed all over the world, quite literally. They were carried by soldier during the Civil War. In 1913, explorer Donald MacMillan took Necco Wafers on his Arctic explorations, sharing them with Eskimo children.
Later in the 1930s, two and a half tons of Necco Wafers were taken on an expedition to the South Pole, which amounted to about a pound a week for each person during their two-year stay.
During World War II, the U.S. Government requisitioned a major portion of the production of Necco Wafers. The candy was perfect for shipping to troops overseas since it doesn’t melt and is very portable.
Spangler purchased the Necco Wafer brand in 2018 and after a two year absence, The Original Candy Wafer was returned to fans in the summer of 2020.
Necco Wafers have stood the test of time. New fans will discover their sweetness while longtime loyal fans relish the feelings of nostalgia that come with unwrapping and savoring each Wafer.
