These Beloved Candy Hearts Might Not Be Around For Much Longer, According To A Report

The best part of Valentine’s Day probably has to be sending and receiving those cheesy, chalky conversation candy hearts. You know, the ones that say “Be Mine” or “Kiss Me” (or, if you train a neural network to auto-generate them, simply “All Hover”). But a new report from the Boston Globe has people fearful about the future of these beloved candies: Necco, the iconic candy company behind Sweethearts and those rolls of Necco Wafers, may be heading towards big layoffs if they can’t find a buyer. The company, which is reportedly the largest employer in Revere, Massachusetts, may be forced to lay off around 395 workers, or most of its workforce, according to the Globe.

In a notice to the state and the Mayor of Revere on Mar. 6, Michael McGee, chief executive of Necco, said that there have been “ongoing negotiations with potential buyers to allow for its continued operations,” but if a sale doesn’t come through soon, layoffs could happen within the next few months. The Globe reports that all kinds of employees, from cooks to machine operators to administrators, could be affected by these potential layoffs. In addition to your favorite candy hearts, Necco makes other nostalgic candies such as Mary Janes and candy buttons, according to Mashable.

This wouldn’t necessarily spell out the end of candy hearts forever, though. Other companies produce the iconic candy hearts and distribute them around Valentine’s Day, and you can order your own custom-printed hearts if you’re really into them (or as a sweet treat to pop in your wedding favors).

But Necco’s Sweethearts, as they’re formally known, were historically the original version of the iconic sweet, according to Necco’s website. They were first invented in 1866, when Daniel Chase, the brother of Necco’s founder, Oliver Chase, invented a machine that would press messages in food dye onto pre-made candies. Necco prints over 100,000 pounds of candy hearts every day and distributes billions every year, and has versions of the hearts’ messages in Spanish, not to mention different flavors like chocolate, sugar-free, and “Dazzled Tart.” Necco, which gets its name from the New England Confectionary Company, got its start in 1847, when founder Oliver Chase invented a “lozenge cutter,” which would prove to be a game changer for the candy business, according to Necco’s website. The company was incorporated as we know it today in the early 20th century.

But according to Grubstreet, the Massachusetts candy maker has been in trouble for a little while now. They reportedly moved to an 810,000 square foot factory in Revere, about five miles outside of Boston, from pricier Cambridge in 2003. (Yes, if you were wondering, Revere is named after the Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere, according to the city’s website.) Then, in 2017, a developer bought the factory space, with the possibility of converting it to a robotics manufacturer, according to the Daily Item, a local paper. The buyer reportedly paid more than $3 million dollars in back taxes and sewage bills that the candy company owed to the city of Revere, the city’s mayor was quoted as saying in the Item. Necco’s lease in that building will reportedly expire in August of this year, according to the Boston Globe.

This news comes as a bit of a blow to candy heart aficionados, but rest assured that the beloved candy isn’t going anywhere for the time being. That being said, for those of you who love Necco Wafers (with their… unique flavors), if the storied New England candy company doesn’t find a buyer soon, you may have to start shopping around for alternatives.