Fans of the Clark Bar have reason to celebrate — Boyer Candy is now the new owner of the brand, and the company plans to produce it.
The brand’s previous owner, New England Confectionery Co. (NECCO), closed in July, leading to the brand's availability. NECCO had sold it to an anonymous seller, who then sold it to Boyer.
Boyer, which is known for its Mallo Cups, bought the recipe, brand rights and equipment, according to TODAY Food. And the move means bringing the Clark Bar back to its Pennsylvania roots.
Introduced in 1917 and popular during and after both World Wars, it was manufactured in Pittsburgh, Pa., by the original family-owned business until 1955, and then by corporate owners, until a series of sales and bankruptcies in the 1990s resulted in transfer of production to the Revere, Massachusetts-based NECCO, according to the history of the candy bar on Wikipedia.
"Geographically, it's right in our backyard. It's beloved specifically in Pittsburgh — its hometown," Anthony Forgione, owner of Boyer Candy, told TODAY Food. "My father was bidding the first time it left the Pittsburgh region but was outbid. We always kept an eye on it. We really needed a candy bar to complete our lineup. This opportunity was fantastic for us."
Forgione told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that he expects it will be five or six months before new batches of Clark Bars will be available.
"'We don’t want to crank out subpar candy. We are going to take our time' getting it right,” he said. “It will be a Pennsylvania product staying true to its roots.”
Boyer revealed the news on its Facebook page, saying, “We are thrilled to announce that the Clark Bar is coming back home to Pennsylvania! Thank you all for your support!”
And fans expressed their excitement in the comments.
Robin Smitley wrote, “HOORAY I LOOOOOVE CLARK BARS!!!!!” And William J. Potts said, “Thank you for saving Clark Bar and bringing it back to Pennsylvania the real home where it was born.”
The Clark Bar features crispy peanut butter, a spun taffy core, a caramel center, and is coated in milk chocolate. It was the first American "combination" candy bar to achieve nationwide success.
