10 Facts About Sweethearts Candies

It's that time of year when alot of people are starting to think about Valentine's Day. And you can't think about Valentine's Day without thinking about Sweethearts! Sweethearts are a perfect, affordable little treat for anyone you care about, including lovers, friends, family, & even co-workers. Here's 10 interesting facts about Sweethearts candy that you may have never known.

1. Sweethearts are made by Necco, which is short for the New England Confectionery Company. Necco's been in business since 1847 and are famous for not only Sweethearts, but also their Assorted Wafers, Clark Bar, Sky Bar, and Haviland chocolates.

2. Necco made it's start in Boston, MA. It was founded by Oliver Chase, who also invented the first American candy machine. Necco's headquarters have made a couple of moves, but is now located in Revere, MA. And unfortunately, ask as much as you'd like, but due to sanitary reasons, their factory does not give tours.

3. Sweethearts candies are made from late February through to January of the following year, making about 100,000 pounds per day. It's estimated that it equals about 8 billion candies a year that are all sold around Valentine's Day, and usually sell out within 6 weeks!

4. Besides the original flavor (which can best be described simply as 'sugar' flavored), there are a few other flavors, including chocolate, tart, and smoothie. There's also a sugar free version available.

5. Hearts weren't always the only shape that were included in each box. In the beginning, other shapes that were included in a box were postcards, horseshoes, watches, and baseballs.

6. The ingredients in a Sweethearts candy include: sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, gums, colorings and flavorings. But here's the kicker - Sweethearts candies are a fat free and sodium free treat. And there's only about 6 calories per heart!

7. Sweethearts were first created by Daniel Chase in 1902 (brother of Necco found Oliver Chase). He started imprinting the candies with a machine that he created, which worked like a stamp, with cute sayings.

8. You can find an original box of Sweethearts candies from 1902 in Necco's Glasgow office.

9. Many of the original sayings are still in use with the candies, including "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", and "Be True". Hundreds of new sayings are submitted by fans each year. Necco tries to update some of the sayings each year to reflect the changing times.

10. Sweethearts are also known by a few other different names, which include candy hearts, conversation hearts, and love hearts. They've also shown up in all kinds of media, including cartoons (like Futurama and The Simpsons), and books (like Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer and Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery).

Sources:

http://www.necco.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweethearts_(candy)