Boyer Candy Company is an American candy company located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The factory is located in the downtown district. Boyer Candy is privately owned by Consolidated Brands, which is owned by the Forgione family.
History
Boyer was founded during the Great Depression by brothers Bill and Bob Boyer as a means of supplementing their income. The business was originally operated from their own kitchen with their mother and sister hand-wrapping candy as Bill finished making it. Bob sold the candy door to door. Initial products included homemade fudge and nut raisin clusters, but as demand increased, they expanded their offerings and moved production to a new manufacturing facility in 1936. That year, the company's chocolatiers experimented with chocolate covered marshmallow, resulting in Mallo Cups, a cup-shaped candy consisting of a whipped marshmallow creme center covered with chocolate (resembling Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which were introduced in 1928).[1]
In 1969, Boyer was acquired by American Maize-Products, after Bill and Bob Boyer retired from the company.[2]
In 1970, a new 32,000 square foot warehouse was constructed.[3]
In June 1984, American Maize sold the company to Consolidated Brands, and Consolidated founder Anthony Forgoine became the president of the company.[4] The corporate headquarters were moved from New York to Altoona, PA.
Following the death of Anthony Forgione in 2001, family friend Roy Mollomo became the new president of the company. In 2008, Anthony Forgione II, son of the company's previous owner Anthony Forgione, petitioned the Florida court that put Roy Mollomo in charge of the company. Anthony Forgione II then became the president of the company, with Robert Faith becoming the CEO.
Boyer products
For many years, Boyer candy products have included cardboard wrapper inserts, printed with illustrations of coins which can be saved and redeemed for items from the company's prize catalog.[5] This practice continues today.[6]
Candy
The Boyer Mallo Cup is a milk chocolate cup that contains a whipped marshmallow center invented in 1936.[7]
Boyer's other products include Smoothies, a cup with a peanut butter center covered with butterscotch confection, and Peanut Butter Cups, with a peanut butter center covered with chocolate. The company has made other cup candies such as Fluffernutter, a mixture of marshmallow and peanut butter covered in chocolate, and a Minty Mallo.[8]
In April 2017, Boyer announced its first new product in 25 years called Jimmie Stix, a blend of pretzels and peanut butter in milk chocolate, in a wrapper similar to the vintage Mallo Cup wrapper. A company press release asserts that the new product "captures the nostalgia of the company's brands while adding in the necessary components to keep with the trends of the industry."[9]
Boyer announced in September 2018 the purchase of the Clark Bar following Necco's bankruptcy, keeping alive a Pennsylvania candy that has been around since 1917.[10] Difficulties in reproducing the original Clark Bar's consistency and shape led to the Clark Cup product, with misshaped bars ground and mixed with peanut butter for use as cup filling.[11] The Clark Bar was relaunched and re-entered the market on February 14, 2020.
Company financials
In 2016, Boyer was the only US chocolate maker to show a strong growth rate (20.9%), though its overall market share was relatively small compared to companies like Mars and Hershey.[12]
External links
References
- Darlene Lacey. Classic Candy: America's Favorite Sweets, 1950–80 Bloomsbury Publishing, May 11, 2013^
- Boyer Candy^
- GROUNDBREAKING Candy and Snack Industry, Magazines for Industry, Incorporated, 1970^
- Boyer Candy appoints president and ceo Candy Industry, 2008-03-20^
- Boyer Candy Continues to Redeem "Play Money" for over 73 Years^
- Bill Keeler. What Do You Get for Collecting the Mallo Cup Points? WIBX950, 3 March 2021, retrieved 14 September 2021^
- Danya Henninger. How Philly and Pennsylvania grew to dominate the candy industry Billy Penn, 4 April 2021, retrieved 14 September 2021^
- Joe Mandak. Mallo Cup maker pulls itself out of sticky strait NBC, November 25, 2010, retrieved April 10, 2020^
- Makers Of Mallo Cup Introduces First New Brand In 25 Years – Jimmie Stix Vending Market Watch, April 5, 2017, retrieved December 3, 2020^
- Clark Bar saved from extinction, returning to Pennsylvania WTAE, September 7, 2018, retrieved September 7, 2018^
- Patricia Sabatini. Clark Bars aren't quite ready yet. Enter Clark Cups. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 23, 2019, retrieved January 26, 2019^
- Douglas Yu. Mars to bring Maltesers to the US & Canada Confectionery News, March 13, 2017, retrieved 7 June 2017^