Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. A day associated with hearts, flowers, candy, and (if you are a certain age) a fancy “date” at a nice restaurant. But my clearest childhood memory of Valentine’s Day is those chalky Valentine heart candies. Strangely enough, the small candies still exist. And, as is the case with candy corn at Halloween, people either like them or hate them.
It all began in Boston in 1847. Pharmacist Oliver Chase had a problem to solve. At the time, pharmacists compounded their products into various forms, including powders (sometimes sold as wafers or cachets), pills, or tablets. Customers, however, preferred to ingest their medications in the form of lozenges, and they particularly liked lozenges as a remedy for sore throats or bad breath. Unfortunately for the pharmacist, producing lozenges was labor intensive and involved the use of mortar & pestle to process the ingredients, kneading a sugary dough, rolling out the dough, and then cutting the dough into small discs.
Chase invented a lozenge cutter that could be pressed into the dough to create uniform discs. The cutter was probably a hand operated machine similar to this cutter from 1874. Press link here. Chase’s invention eventually led to his induction into the Candy Hall of Fame, because his machine made the commercial candy industry possible.
Oliver’s brother Silas was the first to recognize that the new cutter could be used to produce candy, and the brothers opened the New England Confectionary Company to produce what they called Chase Lozenges, later changing the name to NECCO wafers. [Remember those?] NECCO wafers tasted good, had a long shelf life, and were affordable. According to legend, civil war soldiers included the wafers in their knapsacks.
In 1866, another brother, Daniel, designed a letter stamping system that allowed phrases to be stamped onto larger candies shaped like scallop shells. These became known as conversation candies. Phrases included “How long shall I have to wait? Please be considerate.”
Smaller heart-shaped candies first appeared in 1902 and were a hit. The candies also could be used for games. At a Boston party in 1911, guests found their partners for the evening through the candy hearts which were broken in half. Each young lady received half of a heart. Young men had to find their candy match. Presumably a good time was had by all.
In 2010, NECCO decided to try new recipes, and replaced the banana and wintergreen flavors with green apple and blue raspberry. Other flavors included cinnamon, lemon, orange, lime, and chocolate. The traditional texture also changed from chalk consistency to one that was softer and chewer. Not only that, new phrases appeared. Instead of the familiar Be Mine, I’m Yours, or Kiss Me, the words Tweet Me or Text Me appeared. Consumers were not amused. Sales fell, and in 2018 NECCO went bankrupt.
The Spangler Candy Company purchased NECCO in 2018, but was unable to supply the Valentine market in 2019. Today production is back on track, and the Spangler Candy Company makes about 600 million conversation hearts annually. Other candy makers, including Brach’s, also make the sugared heart. In 2023, the National Retail Foundation estimated that Americans spent $28 billion on candy for Valentines, though much of that was probably spent on the many other varieties of sweet treats available in heart shaped boxes.
♥️ 🌹 ♥️ 🌹 ♥️
Illustrations & A Few Sources
Butterfly Valentine, 1940s/50s; Interior of Stylish Pharmacy, 1825, Wellcome Collection; Necco Hub Wafers Hoarhound Lemon Drops Ad, 1916; Necco Wafers, Information of New Orleans; Necco Sweathearts, Public Domain. Erin Blakemore. “A Brief History of the Conversation Heart.” Mental Floss. Feb 2, 2024. Gabby Romero. “The Sweet History of Conversation Hearts. Delish. Jan 29, 2024.