For those with a sweet tooth, a Valentine’s Day favorite might be tough to find this year.

Everyone is familiar with the classic Sweethearts candy featuring cute little messages like “Be Mine,” “Let’s Kiss” and “True Love.” However, due to a company buyout and health code violations, the original brand of these candies will not be ready in time for Valentine’s Day this year.

The original Sweethearts were made by New England Confectionery Company, better known as NECCO.

Production began in the 1860s when Daniel Chase, the brother of NECCO’s founder, Oliver Chase, began printing little sayings on candy. Today’s variation of the sweet dates back to 1902. In the early 1990s, the company began updating the sayings on the hearts to modernize with the times. Some changes included transitioning from “Fax Me” to “Call Me” to “Email Me.”

According to the official Sweethearts website, approximately 8 billion hearts are made annually to prepare for Valentine’s Day.

Unfortunately for fans of NECCO candies, the company closed July 2018 due to bankruptcy.

According to a Jan. 28 NPR article, the company went out of business following several warnings from the Food and Drug Administration citing food safety violations, including “significant evidence of rodent activity” and unsanitary conditions.

Spangler Candy Company, maker of Dum-Dums, Circus Peanuts and seasonal candy canes, bought some of the most popular candy lines from NECCO after it closed, including Sweethearts, NECCO Wafers and Canada Mints.

This is great news! It means there should be no problem getting those hearts back on the shelves this year, right? Sadly, this is not the case.

Spangler is taking the time and effort to ensure the Sweethearts production is brought back up to code, including a larger, cleaner and safer environment. Those sorts of changes take time.

“Significant renovations have to happen to bring it up to food grade standards,” Spangler CEO and Chairman Kirk Vashaw said.

The company reported it bought 20 acres of space to make room for the new facilities. NECCO workers used to make approximately 100,000 pounds of hearts each day for 11 months to prepare for the holiday.

Vashaw states, “It’s just not possible” to have that quantity of candy ready for the 2019 valentine season, adding, “Doing it right takes time.”

This news broke the hearts of candy lovers all over the country.

Fear not, friends. All is not lost. There are still delicious little candy hearts with heartwarming messages available for Valentine’s Day.

Brach’s, a division of Ferrera Candy Company, is filling the void with its Conversation Hearts. These hearts come in a variety of flavors including lemon, banana, cherry, grape, orange and wintergreen. They even offer a size option. Buyers can choose the tiny Conversation Hearts or the large variety.

The Brach’s version is reportedly softer than the NECCO Sweethearts. Brach’s also laser prints the messages on the candies, while the classic version had the messages stamped on. Some candy lovers prefer the Conversation Hearts, while purists tend to lean toward the Sweethearts.

It was mentioned the Sweethearts should be back on shelves for the 2020 Valentine’s Day holiday. We’ll have to wait and see what this next year has in store for the Sweethearts brand.

Samantha Anderson

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press