NECCO Wafers

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NECCO Wafers are the oldest continuously manufactured candy in the United States. NECCO is the company name, short for the New England Confectionery Company. The original inventions, patented by Oliver R. Chase of Boston, Massachusetts, were a lozenge cutter (1847), and a pulverizer for sugar (1850). With his brother, Silas Edwin Chase, he founded Chase and Company. When Daniel Chase invented the "Lozenge Printing Machine" in 1866, their "Conversation Candies" (the "Motto Hearts" printed "I LOVE YOU" and "BE MINE") were instantly popular. Other candies produced by NECCO include the Sky Bar and the Clark Bar. In 1901 New England Confectionery Company was formed by a union of Chase and Co. with two other confectionery firms.

In 1913, explorer Donald MacMillan took NECCO Wafers on his Arctic explorations, using them for nutrition and as rewards for Eskimo children. In the 1930’s, Admiral Byrd took 2 ½ tons of NECCO Wafers to the South Pole, practically a pound a week for each of his men during their two-year stay in the Antarctic.

The American Government requisitioned a major portion of the production of NECCO Wafers during World War II. The candy doesn’t melt and is practically indestructible during transit, making it perfect for shipping overseas to the troops.

NECCO rolls contain 8 flavors and colors: lemon (yellow), orange (orange), lime (green), clove (purple), cinnamon (white), wintergreen (pink), licorice (black), and chocolate (brown). Entire rolls of only chocolate wafers are also available in certain locations.

Wintergreen NECCO wafers, like wintergreen LifeSavers, will create visible sparks when snapped in half or crushed in dim light due to triboluminescence.

NECCO Wafers are not vegan because they contain gelatin.