News in brief
Clark Bar saved from extinction, with manufacturing returning to Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh’s iconic Clark Bar has been saved from extinction and is set to return to its hometown.
According to a recent Associated Press reports, the Boyer Candy Company in Altoona has purchased the rights, recipes and equipment for the Clark Bar from an unidentified seller.
"We're really excited. This is an iconic Pennsylvania candy," owner Anthony Forgione told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I remember the heartbreak when it left Pittsburgh."
The chocolate-coated peanut butter crunch bar was created in Pittsburgh by Irish immigrant DL Clark in 1917.
Necco, or New England Confectionery Co., in Revere, Massachusetts, had been producing Clark Bars since the 1990s. Necco declared bankruptcy in April this year.
The Clark family sold the business in 1955 and ownership changed several times over the years.
In May, Round Hill Investments won the auction for Necco with an offer of $17.3 million. Round Hill then sold the brand to an unspecified candy maker, prompting the sudden closure of the Revere factory, Associated Press reported.
Forgione, whose company also makes Mallo Cups, declined to reveal the purchase price, and said it maybe some time before the bars are available again.
He told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review it might take up to six months to get production underway."We're not going to just pump product out. We saw how upset people were about the potential of this brand not existing in this country. It's really what drove us to take a stand and bring it back. No candy bar should go out of production on its 101st birthday."
