Clark Bars are Back Thanks to this Classic Candy Company

It's the news candy lovers nationwide have been waiting for. The Clark Bar is back! Introduced in 1917 with a crispy peanut butter and spun taffy core and covered in milk chocolate, this classic candy has been a household name for over a century. Created by David L. Clark, in 1990 the candy bar was transferred to New England Confectionery Co. (NECCO), however, in 2018 the candy bar was sold to Spangler Candy Company where the Clark Bar got the chop. Popular holiday treats such as Sweethearts conversation hearts and Necco Wafers were transferred to join other Spangler candies like Dum Dums and Circus Peanuts.

Clark Bars are Making a Comeback

Thanks to Altoona, Pennsylvania-based company, Boyer Candy, the Clark Bar is making a comeback. According to CBS Boston, the confection company purchased the rights, recipes, and equipment to make the chocolate and peanut butter bars in September of last year. Boyer Candy Company, which is known for producing marshmallow-y Mallo Cups, has started production; the candy was back on store shelves for Valentine's Day this year in the Pittsburgh area.

Setting up the factory and recreating the chocolate bars has been no easy feat. Anthony Forgione, CEO of Boyer shared with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, "We did a ton of interviews with people who worked at the factory in Pittsburgh to get it exactly how the Clark Candy Bar was made in Pittsburgh" to recreate the bar as close to the original. While setting up the machines, Forgione recalls the bars were flying off the belt looking like hot dogs. "We literally were catching them as they shot 5 feet off the line," Mr. Forgione said. "We were having a blast."

And what happened to all the hot dog looking rejects? The mistake turned into the inspiration for new Clark Cups, a crunchy peanut butter cup that hit the national market in the spring of 2020. You can buy it on Amazon or through the Boyer Candy Co online store.

Candy fans everywhere are overjoyed that Clark Bars are back in business, and that Clark Cups are its peanut butter crunch cousin.