SUDBURY, Mass. -- Sky Bar, the caramel, vanilla, peanut and fudge candy bar from the late New England Confectionery Co. (Necco), has been purchased by the owner of Duck Soup, a gourmet food store in Sudbury, Mass., for an undisclosed amount.
Duck Soup—its website is www.quackquackquack.com—sells proprietary coffee blends, curated wines and cheese, kitchenware, craft liquors, international foods and an array of chocolate and candy. The 49-year-old company also offers cooking classes and calls itself a “contemporary general store.”
This follows a hectic year for Necco, which went out of business after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2018, forcing the 117-year-old candy company into a federally required auction, seeking new owners for all its candy brands. Most of the candy brands were sold to established confectioners—the Boyer Candy Co. acquired Necco’s peanut butter and taffy candy bar brand, Clark Bar, while the Spangler Co. purchased Necco Wafers and Sweethearts—but Necco’s Sky Bar did not find a buyer until now.
“Like so many others, I was watching the evolving events at Necco with dismay,” said Louise Mawhinney, owner of Duck Soup. “I couldn’t believe that Sky Bar would never be produced again. I placed a bid and I must admit I was stunned to suddenly become the owner of the brand; however, we believe we have found a way to start small-batch production and make Sky Bar available once more. It’s very exciting. While we have not yet finalized all the details, we hope that we will be able to produce the Sky Bar that everyone knows and loves.”
Mawhinney has collaborated with Jeff Green, former vice president of research and development for Necco, to develop Duck Soup’s production plan for Sky Bar.
“Our goal is to be up and running later this year,” said Mawhinney. “We will keep everyone posted as events unfold.”
Necco, formerly based in Revere, Mass., produced brands such as Necco Wafers, Sweethearts, Clark Bars, Sky Bars, Canada Mints, Candy Buttons, Mary Jane and Haviland Thin Mints. The confectionery company previously was owned by New York-based investment firm Ares Capital.
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